My apartment is a sauna

I think its about 80 degrees in my apartment tonight. With the windows open. Ridiculously hot. And uncomfortable.

But, laundry is good for my knitting. I've more than doubled the size of my sweater today. It helps to be stuck in one place for the 60-90 minutes it takes to do my laundry. I don't want to take a chance that someone might come along and take/move/transfer my things on me. Especially because I like nice things, and my neighborhood isn't so much know for girls who wear $200 jeans like I do. (No, I didn't really pay that much for them - its all about the sample sale!) It was nice to have the afternoon off to get things like that and the grocery shopping done. Granted, I'll miss the extra money come paycheck time.

I'm also off tomorrow. A friend and I are going to have a leisurely afternoon of city wandering I think. She has a background in make up artistry and is going to make me over and show me how to use more makeup. I need help on that front for our nights out... perhaps she can help me look older than the 22 everyone guesses me as. Which is nice, seeing as I turn the big 3-0 this summer, but annoying at the same time.

I heard a really cool yarn story over the weekend, as I sat next to a woman adding a boarder to a scarf. She was like, oh, its just a scarf, but I made it all. She had spun the yarn, and then dyed it herself. From things she had grown herself. The yellow was dyed by marigolds, and the browns came from different barks of trees in her yard. Just having that level of dedication - to even grown the items to pull the dye from. That is a scarf that has a good story behind it.

Back to my sweater, and being annoyed by the girls on the Bachelor. They are so immature this time around. I can't see any of them making a wife for anyone. But for some reason, I'm sucked in and watching.

Is it spring yet?

Yesterday was one of those days when I was so sure that I had made the right choice in moving to NYC. You know how you get those feelings, that its the right place, the right time, and its all yours? I had that yesterday. At least for most of the day.

We started the day with bottomless mimosas and yummy brunch foods - SO NYC. It seemed like everyone was out for brunch... it is such a popular meal here in the city. We ended up finding this candy store after we left brunch, economycandy.com - we had much fun with giant lollipops and chocolate roses. I'm so glad I've meet these girls - every time we hang out there are lots of laughs and good times. They make life better here in the city. I ended up walking more than 30 blocks after leaving the girls. It was an afternoon perfect for walking - not too chilly, but its still not quite spring yet either. And then we continued the night with some time at the bar. Which was just ok. The crowd we ended up with was alternating between odd and drunk. And for some reason at this point in my life, I seem to be attracting the most odd characters. I'd really like to find some cute cool guys to date and have fun with. But those certainly don't seem to be the ones that want to talk to me. I must be sending off some strange vibe - I'm going to have to change that, and soon.

Today was more apartment looking - which included getting completely mixed up on the trains. We literally rode in a circle for about 30 minutes. The neighborhood was significantly better than Fridays adventure, but still not up to what we are looking for. I'm working on convincing A to come up to the area I'm in now to look. The prices are reasonable, and I feel safe here. There isn't much in terms of things to do, but we have the all important tasty take out chinese and indian foods. And a Starbucks.

I did find an area of Brooklyn I could live in though. But of course its the area that is part of the pricer neighborhoods. I had to pick up coffee and I searched out the shop that my swap partner had gifted me from as it was so tasty. And I loved the area around that. And lots of other cute cool shops to browse in. I really need to win the lottery...

Other than a visit to the yarn store I found this afternoon, I've made a row of progress on my sweater. I better get moving if I hope to wear it anytime soon.

My first trip to Brooklyn

Obviously, I did not chose wisely for my first trip to Brooklyn. We got off the subway and promptly got back on the subway. The area was not one we'd ever want to be after dark. I'm now avoiding the J/M line on the subway. It was not my kind of neighborhood over there.

I did find a fabulous place. Great square footage, great price, good location, I think, but they wanted a 12% brokers fee. Which is more than 2 months rent. For opening a door and letting me look inside? Thats a ridiculous sum of money. Perhaps if the broker did some leg work for me, found the place, etc. But when I do all the research and you just show up to let me see the place? No thanks.

So, week one of searching wasn't all that. Wonder what week two will hold?

And now a touch of Boston at night... Cause this need a picture, and well, its a great one. Got to love balconies on high level floors.

I got the chance to meet my first blog friend tonight. We had met when she first stumbled onto my blog just after I started writing. We've kept up with each other's adventures, and got randomly paired up in a swap. It was exciting to walk in, knowing she didn't know that I was spoiling her, but knowing that she'd know who I was. She was great, and I hope we get to hang out more.

And I made it home just in time to catch top chef. The challenge tonight has been fun. But the personalities are coming out more. Some of them just don't have a characteristic that makes them stand out. And the only one I've got a real opinion on is Andrew, who seems a pompous ass.

I've got some apartments to look at over the weekend. I'll be making my first trip to Brooklyn. Three places are over there. And one I'm trying to set up in Astoria. I'm still coming to terms with living in a boro, but the prices are just so much more reasonable. And right now, thats important in my quest to remove debt. And I'm being told that I'll be closer to the city in some of these areas than I am now. And I guess it is better to keep the open mind. I might love one of these new neighborhoods when I see it. Two of the Brooklyn ones are near Prospect Park. One is near Bushwick and Broadway - which I hear is a sketchy neighborhood. So, we'll see.

I get to sleep in in the morning. Things are really slow at the office, so rather than have me in and bored, they are splitting time between the intern and I. I'm not thrilled with the arrangement, but was warned about it up front. I'm just not looking forward to not getting the full paycheck. I'm trying to make money here. But I get to go out with some of the most fun girls I know for dinner. We always manage to have a great time and lots of laughs. It would be more fun if my late start was on Friday...

Bags and apartments...

First the bags...


My large green one, and the smaller one for a gift. I'm going to fill it with fun things like candy and the such. But I love the way the smaller one felted up. I've been carrying the green one back and forth to work the past few days. Its a great weekend bag, but I'm not sure I'm loving it for work just yet.

Second, a report on the apartment. It was ok. Not right though. It had no common living space. Which made it feel really small and like we'd be always stuck in our bedrooms. Which could get claustrophobic quite quickly. The sink was really short in the bathroom - I felt like a giant next to it. And the renovations that they claimed to have done hadn't really been done, as there were large X's on several walls and the word remove. My bed never would have fit up the staircase. And the building reeked of pot - not in the apartments themselves, but all the stairwells. Alas, I think we'll have to expand the search to the boros. Which was what I was hoping to not do. I came here to live in Manhattan. But, its just too much to afford with so much debt. And with the space we'd like to have. The ability to have a couch - so we can have our out of town friends have a place to crash. And the ability to have enough space to throw a dinner party, if we wanted. So, we'll see. I've got some craigslist postings to call on tomorrow.

I finished my night with an attempt at toffee. But it came out more a cross between toffee and caramel. Still tasty, but not quite the right texture. I'm torn, as it was supposed to be part of a gift and I'm sure its of shareable quality. We'll taste it again in the morning. Oh, and I cast on my sweater... so I'd have something to do at knitting tomorrow. I'm not sure I like the smaller needles. Or perhaps its the smaller needles and yarn combo. We'll see. I'm looking forward to my sweater.

Now if only the bloating I'm experiencing would go away.

Broken Glass

I am a klutz. I drop things. Usually, I do a good job of not dropping the glass things or ceramic things. But, every now and then, they do fall into that category. And then I always miss one little shard, and a week or two or even a month later, I step on it. And end up with a cut in my heel. And needing to get a band aid so I don't get blood all over my clothes or furniture. And this is what I've done tonight.

I've also made lunches for the next two days, have a loaf of banana bread in the oven, actually did my dishes, and thought about casting on for my next project. I'll get to that after this I think. I made a great granola last night, which adds a nice crunch to some yogurt for a midmorning snack at work.

Tomorrow I go look at my first New York City apartment. It sounds promising... affordable, good location, new renovations. I'm not quite able to afford moving out just yet, but I'm ready to have my own stuff, and be in my own space again. And moving now means I can live with a roommate I know and like. Rather than going it alone, and not being able to afford anything, or trying to find someone random on craigslist or something of the sort.

And I promise pictures of felted bags tomorrow.

The yarn made me do it...

I spent too much on yarn today. I had nothing on my needles and that bugged me. And I was in SoHo, so I went to Purl. Which is pricey. But the yarn is so pretty... And it said buy me! So I did. I have to get tiny needles though. The smallest I've used so far. I'm knitting this really sky blue Blue Sky Alpaca alpaca and merino blend. Its so soft. And a great color. I found this cute sweater for summer in the vogue knits magazine, but I need to go over to Barnes and Noble and pick that up with my discount tomorrow. I just didn't want to pay full price after dropping so much on the yarn and a new pair of Addis. But I had to go down three needle sizes to get gauge. I actually sat in the store for an hour knitting to figure out what size I needed.

And mom is working on picking out her yarn for the felted bag she wants. So, multiple projects. And I think I found a pattern for the yarn that I received from my scavenger hunt partner, I do need more of it though... so not sure that is in the card right now. I'm supposed to be saving money and paying off debt. Especially where I just looked at the apartment listings. ACK! I have no idea how I'm going to afford living here on my own. I didn't realize how much tax there is here. I was shocked at how much they took out of my first paycheck. Seriously depressing. I figured that what I was looking for would be plenty. But, now that a paycheck has been issued, I'm really not sure. And scared to start looking for places to live. I'm going to need like three more jobs to ever get back out of debt after I cash advance my first/last/security/brokers fee... :-/ Life is way to expensive. Where's my lottery winnings?

Time flies

I feel like its been ages since I sat down and wrote a few lines. Life got crazy all of a sudden. With work starting, and weekends away, combined with the attempts at a social life, and sleep, all of a sudden a week has gone by.

My weekend in Boston was much fun. It was great to catch up with friends and hit some old favorite spots. Pizza at Pizzeria Regina, beer at The Black Rose, cannoli at Mike's Pastry... The only downside was the bed in the hotel. Raddison Hotels use the sleep number bed. Which is about the most uncomfortable thing I've ever slept on. I think I slept better the few days I slept on a blanket on the floor when I first moved to Vegas. And the bed randomly inflated through the night. I thought 45 sounded like a good number for me. So, I managed to fall asleep. I woke up a few hours later, and my number had changed to 75 and I was sore. Ugh. I will never stay at a Radisson again.

The job is going well. I'm getting settled in a bit more. I'd still like to take over all the responsibilities of my job, not just some, as it stands right now. That should change a bit more in the next few weeks though. I'm feeling a bit like the odd duck though. The other two girls have been there together for a while, and share an office. My desk is in the main entrance of the office, so I'm a bit separated. Its a bit strange coming into such a small environment.

I got a second job offer on Monday. The lighting company called with an offer of a tour. It was a smaller band, that I didn't recognize. But for the first time, it made me question if I've made the right choices. Did I give up on that dream too quickly? I was good at the job. And wonder if the rest of my life had too much influence on me this summer and the choices I made to change paths after it was over. I'm not leaving this new job, but its made me think. And I suppose if after 15 or 20 days, if I do hate being back in an office, I can always call and see what they might have to offer. Perhaps its good to have that back up plan.

I've not done any knitting in a few days. I felted my bags on Saturday. They came out fabulously. Mom wants one of her own now. I don't have pictures to share just yet though. They hadn't dried completely so I had to leave them behind. Plus, they didn't quite fit in my suitcase for the return trip. I need to figure out what I'm making next. I've some great yarn from the Scavenger Hunt Swap, but I'm not sure what I want to turn it into just yet. I may go wander the shops and flip through some idea books on Friday and see what patterns I can find.

And now I'm off to catch up on all of your lives. I have days of blogs to read!

Week one, survived!

I've arrived in Boston, I've survived my first week of work, and now I'm ready to celebrate. Its a bit strange being back in Boston. It was a year ago (to the date) that I was here and the huge transformation of my life began. One year ago today was one of the best days I've ever experienced. And started the course of loops and twists and turns that shook up my entire being and completely changed the course of my life. Perhaps I'm back here as having come complete circle in the year. I've survived all the challenges and I've grown stronger, and I'm wear I want to be.

I've been having strange dreams lately. I had the CSI dream, where I was involved in a minor car accident - going in reverse and in circles at 5 mph. But when I got out of the car, there was a dead body on the ground behind my car. And I woke up freaked out and with my heart beating a mile a minute and screaming (not out loud, just in the dream) that I couldn't have killed him. It took about an hour to calm myself back down. Then there was the dream where I was driving my car, and going way too fast. Somehow my car ended up airborne going through the woods at the end of the cul-de-sac at the end of the street I grew up on, and then I was out of the car, and perfectly fine, except for the multitude of little metal pellets that had become imbedded in my skin - as if a bee-bee gun had been shot at me over and over again. I have no idea where my head came up with these combinations. Any dream analysts out there?

And now its time to get ready to go out. I wish I had been able to nap a bit more on the plane. I was woken at 3 am by text messages from the west coast. And with the question are you sleeping? Because I might have been out doing something else at 3 am...

Tomorrow I get to felt my bags, which is exciting. I've got a few more inches of i-cord to construct and then will be good to go. I'm still debating pockets on the smaller of the two bags. I'm just not sure if I want one or not.

Top Chef is back!

The favorite of my reality shows returned tonight. I'm so excited. I'm a huge fan of Top Chef. I wish I had the skills to audition, but I don't cook well on the fly. I need time to think and plan and organize. It looks like it should be a fun season - the started with a deep dish pizza challenge. The twist this season - or at least the first twist - is the lesbian couple that qualified. I think they are going to play on the couple aspect, and the having someone you already trust and can confide in along with you on your challenge. So far there is no Marcel or Stephen character just yet. I wonder who is going to come out as the "character" of this season.

Work is continuing along. I'm settling in and getting my space. Well, not really my space just yet. They need to order new furniture for me, and a new computer, and then I'll get my space. I'm taking on the phones tomorrow. Its all about taking messages - not letting people record voicemail. Which is odd to me in this age of technology. But, if that is how they like it. The hard part right now has been adjusting my stomach to a work schedule. I end up starving by mid morning, and famished at the end of the day. A trip to the grocery store for better lunches is in order.

Its been fun following the latest scandal of politics. The governor who pays for sex and gets caught because he used cash. There is an easy way around paying for sex. Its a small town call Pahrump. Even the name sounds like a place for a brothel. How can you be governor and deliberately break a law - one that pretty much everyone knows. You have to be really stupid (for lack of a more politically correct word) for that.

Day one...

I survived my first day. Not that I had any doubts that I would, but the insomnia that I was plagued with last night had me wondering a bit. I really like the people I'm working with. Its a tiny office - only 7 other people besides myself. And laid back. The only thing I wonder about is if it will keep me busy enough. It was slow today. But, that could be a first day thing. I hope its a first day thing. There isn't much to report as of yet...

The high point of my day was reading this article. Vatican Lists new Sinful Behaviors. Did you know that its a sin to pollute? Can you just hear the priest laughing if you were to go to confession and say yes, father, its been 6 months/6 years since my last confession. I've driven my car. I think I spit my gum into the woods. Does God really care? This is one of my major issues with the Catholic Church. The sacrament of confession goes against so much of what I believe (I have my own version of lapsed Catholic after 8 years of Catholic schooling). I once said to a priest that I didn't quite understand why I needed to talk to him - a human and a man - to confess my sins, when I was being taught that God was all forgiving. I was promptly told that that was a mortal sin, and I was headed for the fire and brimstone of hell. I wonder how this new modern take on sin would feel about that? I do really enjoy the line that we need to get over our obsession with sex though.

I've not had much time for knitting. Tomorrow night is for that. I'm hoping that I can get the gift bag finished. I've got about 20 rows left to go before I start the finishing part. And as they are all stockinette stitch, they should fly by. And then I have to figure out what to make next. Any suggestions?

First day jitters

Tomorrow is the first day of work. I'm a bit anxious. I'm not looking forward to waking up early every morning. But I'm excited to be getting back to work and making a pay check. and learning something new.

It was a good weekend... It was strange to be backstage after so long. As always, they put on a great show. I'm not a big fan of they newer stuff though. The finale was just anticlimactic. They did play the major hits, and certainly know how to work the crowd. Although I think I spent more time watching the lights. As I tend to do... I need to find out what the new LED/Moving Light combination lights are though. I had never seen them before and am curious as to what they are.

The rest of the weekend was low key. I had some luck finding clothes at Banana Republic. But out of all the stores I hit in SoHo, on 5th Avenue, the department stores... it was the only one I had any luck with. I need to find another store as my wardrobe needs some variety. That will come with time, and once spring fully arrives.

And now I'm off to bed at an ungodly early hour for the night person that I am. The things you need to do to ensure you wake up in the morning.

My hat is too big...

When a pattern indicates you should use a size 7 needle, don't use 10.5s. Your hat will be too big.

Spring Fashions

(First off, thanks to everyone that stopped by and offered congratulations. Thank you for all your well wishes, and prayers to get me to this point. I look forward to entertaining you with my tales of a working girl (no, not that kind) in NYC!)

Now that I have a new job, I need a new wardrobe. I spent the last three years of my life in black clothes (as a stagehand in Vegas it was required. I also carried a wrench and knife on my belt at all times - so not the fashionable me. I got told once I didn't have to dress up to go out because I put on heels with a pair of jeans.) or in shorts and Old Navy tanks (where when I had on a short jean skirt and flip flops I got asked why I was all spiffed up). Needless to say, I don't have much in terms of business or business casual wear.

So, off I went to Macy's today. 7 floors and an entire city block of department store. You'd think I'd have come home with plenty of clothes. But I left empty handed. I did really like a few handbags. But I think I need more than a handbag to show up at work. Spring fashions are very strange. There was pink - cotton candy pink, bubble gum pink, pale pink, hot pink... I am so NOT a pink person. And they mixed it with navy, which is about the only neutral that i just don't like. Then there are the yellows and greens which seem very popular. I'm ok with them as accent pieces. I tried on one dress that I felt like I should be heading to Woodstock in - except that it was silk... but the pattern was very flower child. And so many of the shirts today make me look pregnant- not a look I'm going for. And then come the issue of a trend towards what retailers are calling vanity sizing. American women are so concerned with the number on the tag, that they had added inches to each size. This might be great for the person who was a size 10 and can now wear an 8. She can feel great about herself. But for me, it doesn't work out so well. I wore a 4, and lost a bit of weight due to stress, and now I'm lucky if an XS or a 0 fits me. Anything bigger and I look like I borrowed someone else's shirt. And there is nothing smaller than that. I actually have a blouse that I bought in the fall that is a 00P. Yes, you read that right. A double zero petite.

I'm hoping to have a bit more luck tomorrow. In addition to the issues with sizes, I'm just not a big fan of a lot of what designers are doing right now. Or I'm a fan of the clothes, but not the prices of them.

FINALLY

I got the call I've been waiting for. And now I've gone from anxious and unable to sit still to bouncing off the walls excited. They made me an offer. I have a job! Its temporary for the first 30 days as kind of a trial period, and then it will go permanent. But I am beyond excited about this. I'll be working at an investment capital firm that caters to wealthy individuals. The vibe in the office was great - people loved being there and were excited about their days. Which is what I was looking for. It is going to be a huge change getting back into a corporate environment, but exciting at the same time.

It looks like I'm going to start on Monday - but they are finding out all the details for me later today. So exciting!

No news today...

No news is good news, or so the saying goes. It means there is no bad news. No good news either though. The weather report for tomorrow is not looking all that good... so I think it will be a day of knitting. And trying to will the phone to ring.

I cast on two new projects last night. I'm just about halfway through my new hat. But I think I'm going to run out of yarn before its done. I'm using stash yarn for it, and I need to get to a craft store to get more. Which means I won't get to finish until my trip home to MA in two weeks. I also cast on my the bag I'm making for part of K's birthday present. Its a smaller version of the bag I just knit myself. Though this one I'm knitting actually according to the pattern, after it was pointed out to me that stockinette in the round is knitting every row, not alternating between knitting and purling. Should knit up much quicker this time around. Here they are as of last night...


And here is the completed - unfelted - bag I made for myself...

I'm not sure if I'm going to add on the pockets or not. They will end up so deep that I'm not sure they will do much good for what I like in a bag. We'll see though.

Looks like I get to go see the Bon Jovi on Friday night. Which is exciting. They put on a great show. And then I'll get to hang out with some friends at Mohegan Sun... maybe I'll hit the jackpot! It will be very strange to be backstage again. I've not been there since August 11th and we finished the load out in LA. Part of me misses that world. Not enough to reapply for my summer job though.

I can't sit still

I'm waiting for the phone to ring with some sort of news. Do they want to hire me? Or am I still looking for that job? I can't seem to concentrate on anything... The noise of the TV annoyed me. The book I'm reading is too dense to hold my attention. I cast on for two new projects last night, but I'm too fidgety to not make mistakes or drop stitches. They said that it wouldn't be long before a decision was made and I just want to know. I hate being in limbo. But might have to wait until tomorrow or later.