Lately I've been getting pretty domestic. I've been cooking at home for my boyfriend. At the beginning of our courtship, Eduardo and I ate all our meals out. I think that's how most people start out. You know, we had to go on dates! So we went out. Later on, we were more settled into our relationship, but our schedules were such that we didn't spend a lot of "evenings at home" together. But a few months ago, Eduardo's schedule changed, and I got a job with a consistent schedule, so now we have several evenings a week together. And most of those evenings are spent in my apartment. When this routine first began, Eduardo requested eggs for dinner pretty much all the time. But after a while, I got bored with this and started venturing out to make other things. Usually, even now, our conversations about what to eat go something like this:
"I'm hungry. Can you make me some eggs?"
"Well, I have the stuff to make tortilla soup. How about that?"
"No! I want eggs! Huevos!"
"You don't want something different?"
"Um...ok, fine."
And then he always ends up loving whatever I make. He's like a little kid...afraid of change. He just doesn't know what's good for him.
The thing is, since living in New York, I haven't really cooked much. Well, nothing too complicated with too many ingredients. Cooking for one is hard and I didn't often venture beyond spaghetti or grilled cheese. But lately I've been putting three years of constantly watching the food network (one of only a few cable channels I get) to use. Turns out, I'm not too bad at this! Here's a few of my successes from the past few weeks:
Coconut crusted chicken with pina colada rice:
This recipe was inspired by a show I was watching on the food network with a girl saying she was going to make pina colada rice. I thought this sounded delicious. I never actually got to see how she made it, so I came up with my own version. And I figured I needed something to go with the rice. The recipe for the chicken can be found here. For the rice: just follow the instructions for whatever white rice you have, but replace some of the water with a can of coconut milk. Then I added fresh chopped up pineapple to the rice. It's delicious!
Tortilla soup and chicken fajitas:
This is actually two separate meals, but they come from the same source. I was watching The View a few weeks ago and saw Tyler Florence (of the Food Network) cooking a Mexican meal for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. After being with Eduardo for over a year, I have a good idea of what is authentic Mexican and what is "Tex-Mex." (FYI: Most everything you think is Mexican food, Eduardo would call "Tex-Mex" meaning "nothing I ever even heard of during my childhood in Mexico." These meals from Tyler Florence are the real deal...a very authentic way of cooking for Mexicans from the CORN tortillas to the radishes on top. Check out the recipes here.
Graham Cracker French Toast:
I love a big breakfast and french toast is always a winner. I basically impulse bought graham crackers one day and then was craving french toast and thought, "I bet I could find a way to combine these things." I was totally right. Thanks, internet. The recipe can be found here. I didn't use raisin bread because, uh, I didn't have any. But it was delicious anyway. And I also didn't have any syrup, but instead I drizzled Nutella on top.
I love food, and I don't let the fact that I don't actually have a kitchen keep me down! A two burner hot plate, microwave, and a toaster oven is all I really need!
After about 4 months of biking around Manhattan, I can say that my bike is probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. I can't believe the years I lived here and DIDN'T have a bike. I had thought about getting one a few times over the years, but never had that push to make it happen until the MTA threatened fare hikes, potentially raising the price of a monthly Metro Card from $81 to $103! That was just too much for me to handle. The online petitions began and the politicians began negotiating in Albany, but I decided to be proactive and not let politicians decide things for me for once. If the MTA was going to raise fares and cut service, I wasn't going to be needing their services anymore.
Riding my bike has changed several things about my existence here in New York. First of all, the every day rite of passage of the New York resident, taking the subway, is no longer part of my life. This is both good and bad (but mostly good). I miss the (good) subway performers, the time to read or listen to my iPod, the people watching, stopping at the subterrainian news stands to grab a soda or snack. I do NOT miss the bad smells, the late trains, the construction, the over-crowded cars, the people not respecting my personal space, or the rats running down the tracks. I especially do not miss having to wait a half hour or more to get a train if I'm travelling in the wee hours of the morning.
When I started riding my bike, I thought maybe I would be reluctant to do it at times and make excuses to not do it ("It looks like it's going to rain" or "I'm tired"). This is SO not the case. I have been known to ride when it is sprinkling and then been caught in a downpour. One day I arrived at work literally wringing out my pants, looking like I'd been thrown in the river. But it was a small price to pay for me. I take my chances with the weather gladly. The other potential problem of being tired hasn't really been an issue either. I remember saying that I thought maybe I wouldn't want to ride my bike to work on Saturdays because I work such a long day, I might dread having to ride my bike home. On the contrary, I get new energy when I ride. Where as I used to drag myself to the train station and sit like a zombie on the ride home, now when I hop on my bike to leave, the exercise wakes me up again, and I feel refreshed.
The other night, I ventured out of Manhattan on my bike for the first time, and rode to Queens to spend a long night hanging out with Eduardo and some other friends. When I was finally ready to leave, it was after 5am. Eduardo told me I could leave my bike and take the train, but I wanted to ride home. When I started out, it was still dark, but the sun slowly began to rise as I rode towards Manhattan, following the people going to start the early shift at work and the trucks hauling the breakfast carts to set up on the busy corners of the city. Instead of feeling tired and miserable, just longing for my bed (as I know I would have been if I'd been on the train), I enjoyed seeing the city wake up, the lack of cars on the road, and when I got home around 6:30am, I didn't even fall immediately into bed. Once again, the exercise gave me a second wind, and I stayed up a while eating breakfast and watching the morning news.
So, I can't really see a downside to bike riding around the city. It saves time, money, and it's great exercise! I've lost a few pounds and my pants fit a little looser since I started riding. And now when I hear friends complaining about the MTA, I just think to myself, "I beat the system!"
Can I Please Go Back to California?
I'm back from vacation in California! Getting back from vacation just makes me want to go on vacation, you know? It's never enough. I had a great time on our first family vacation in I don't know how long. Laguna Beach is paradise. Seriously. I don't know how anyone could actually live there. If you did, your expectations on life would be unrealistically high. It's just too perfect. But I love it. We spent every day on the beach, in the water, taking walks through town. Adam and I took a couple trips into LA to see Harry Potter and go to Universal Studios. But other than that, it was enough to just sit on the beach.
Vacation highlights:
Our beach hotel
Trip to Universal with Adam
Eating gelato to celebrate my birthdayNow that I'm back in New York, my skin has begun to peel off and I'm back to reality. I worked 12 hours the day after I got back! But that evening was nice because Eduardo took the day off work and we went out for our anniversary! One year! I'm excited we've made it this far, but not surprised. We have a great time together. The next day was my birthday! This year it was pretty low key. I mean, I just had a big vacation and then my anniversary, and also worked 20 hours in 2 days. So, by the time my birthday rolled around, I was just tired. But I did hang out with my co-workers for a couple drinks after work. And then I spent a low-key evening with Eduardo. It was a nice day. Maybe I'll have a party when I turn 30. Labels: Birthday, California, Eduardo, vacation
It has been one heck of a week and it's only Thursday. I'm trying not to get too stressed from all that has come my way already this week. But there have been a few bright spots as well. Here's the run down:
Bad thing: I got hit by another cyclist on the bike path on my way home from work on Sunday. What made matters worse was the fact that the guy just kept going, knowing full well that he had hurt me and knocked me off my bike.
Good thing: I wasn't too hurt. Just a little banged up with a cut on my foot and a sore knee. And my bike is just fine.
Bad thing: My landlord began harassing me regarding many things including, but not limited to, my boyfriend visiting, a leak in my bathroom floor (which I do not cause and was here before I moved in), increasing my rent, going on the roof, and calling me a horrible disrespectful person.
Good thing: I was able to prove to him that I have tenant rights and he was violating them. And I've gotten all the materials together and mailed to make a formal harassment complaint. If all goes well, he will get a minimum $1,000 fine and, more importantly, learn a lesson.
Bad thing: A guy at work treats me like a complete idiot, and I blew up at him yesterday because I had had enough of it!
Good thing: The people who matter are on my side in the situation, and the guy has been spoken to, so maybe he'll finally start treating me with a little more respect. And when I told Eduardo about the incident he wanted to give the guy a talking to. I, of course, discouraged this, but it still makes me feel good.
Bad thing: I was working on making a new window frame so I can install an AC, and I sliced my finger on some plexiglass and had to go to the emergency room where it took 4 and a half hours to be treated. No stitches, but I had a couple small pieces of glass removed from my finger.
My badge of honorGood thing: I finished installing my AC tonight and it's working beautifully!
It's a little ghetto, but it works! And I didn't pay $750 for it! (That was the first quote I got)Hopefully I won't get any more to bear this week. Enough, God! I'm at my breaking point! Prayers for protection from any more incidents, and for my stress and short fuse, would be appreciated. But, hey, at least I found the silver lining.
Labels: AC, Bike, Eduardo, Gazillion Bubble Show
The Most Exciting Thing in My Life is a Microwave
Still no job. Boo. And not nearly as many blog-worthy things have happened to me as they did last week when I posted. I've been job searching, but it is very difficult to do when you're looking for something temporary, but you have no idea how temporary.
The most exciting thing that happened was that last night, when walking home from the bar with Eduardo, we found a microwave! As you know if you follow my blog, Eduardo recently moved to a new home, and he's still aquiring some of those home essentials. We've been scouring Craigslist for free microwaves, but haven't had much luck so far. So we were pretty excited to see one going out with the trash on 84th last night. We carried it the short few blocks home and plugged it in. Success! It works! The only issue is that it is missing the glass turntable inside. But whatever. It will heat food and that's what's important. So, it's living in the middle of my floor at the moment, but will soon make the trek to Eduardo's place in Queens.
The snow has been coming down in blankets all day today. Yesterday it felt like spring was just around the corner! I guess the groundhog was right after all.
Things Are Looking Up...A Little
So, my friends, things have improved slightly since we last spoke. Well, some things resolved themselves anyway. On Sunday Eduardo called me at work to say he had found an apartment he thought would be perfect for he and I and his brother. I rushed to Queens after work to see it, but was unimpressed. Ultimately, I think I'm just not willing to leave my rent controlled Upper West Side studio for anything less than an amazingly perfect place. And the place I saw Sunday night wasn't it. This (with good reason) frustrated Eduardo. We mutually decided later that night that it would be better for just he and his brother to find a place for themselves. I didn't want to delay them anymore by being picky. Luckily, he was able to find (according to him...I haven't seen it yet) a perfect place in Queens. It certainly sounds like a better place than where he lives now. He and his brother currently rent a tiny room from a large family in their apartment. The family is very nice (I'm actually a godmother to their two younger daughters), but the room is too small for the two boys and all their stuff. So now they are moving to a one-bedroom apartment of their own including a livingroom, kitchen, and bathroom. This will make my visits to his place much more enjoyable since we'll have room to spread out and have a little space from his brother and the various guests that he sometimes has over. So, the apartment thing is over and a huge weight off my mind.
I'm still unemployed as of this Sunday, but I'm hoping to get some kind of job in the interim until I get my job back. I'm just hoping for a very brief lay-off period. If I hope, maybe it will come true.
So, the state of my nerves is improving. I'm not totally my usual, optomisitic self, but I feel a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm getting there.
Or Should I Just Keep Chasing Pavements?
I am feeling a very high level of stress lately and have been ever since Christmas. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? I think there were things leading up to Christmas that could have been stressful, but I was just too excited about everything to really be stressed. But the excitement melted away the weekend after Christmas when my family was packing up to leave NYC and I was trying to move a holiday's worth of food, gifts, clothes, and animals back to my tiny apartment and try to leave the home we had stayed in in tip top shape. I just couldn't deal. Yes, everything got done and I made it home and there were no disasters. But that weekend was the beginning of a spiral of stressful events in my life.
The week following Christmas, I found out that one of the shows at the theatre where I work is closing. Found out today that the precise date is January 18. This is the show that opened in November that I was hired on because of. So, guess what its closing means? Yep, I'm out of the job. Just temporarily. Eventually another show will come along and I'll be hired back, but right now I have no idea how long I'm looking at unemployment. Could be a couple weeks, could be a couple months. Let's pray for the first one. But because of the lay-off, I'm back to job hunting. I just want to find something temporary, but that's just as hard as finding something permanent, I think.
In addition to this lay-off news, I am also apartment hunting. Isn't being layed off the perfect time to look for a new home? Well, nothing is definite, but I am growing tired of my shoebox and I'm ready to expand to a larger home. But I've been pushed into pursuing this desire NOW of all times by Eduardo who is hoping he, his brother, and I can share a large place together. He will be out of his current apartment February 1st. Day and night, all I think about is apartments and how I can get a cheap one in a nice neighborhood. I dream about it. Literally. At work I hope for tasks to come across my desk just to keep me from scouring craigslist 24/7. But then doing work makes me think about how soon I won't have work to come to anymore! Aaah! It never ends.
The worst part of this stress is the physical toll it is taking. As soon as a minor hitch is thrown into my day, I get a knot in my stomach that feels more like a bowling ball that never seems to completely go away. I feel my chest tighten up, and I have to take slow breaths to try to settle myself down. I know we all have stress, but I have a history of handeling mine better than this. I don't usually allow things to get to my core. But they have. Too many things happened at once and my defense system is down. If either the apartment or the job could be taken care of, I think I would be able to resume life as normal.
Sorry this post is such a downer, but this stuff is consuming my life so that I don't really have much else to share. Please keep me in your prayers. I need to settle down and lighten up! Please send those thoughts my way.
This is my current favorite song to listen to as a walk the streets of New York. It is pretty appropriate at the moment...and a beautiful song.
Christmas in the Big Apple (Does Anyone Really Call it That?)
My annual Christmas post is a little late, but better late than never, right? Anyway, it is late with good reason because I had a very fun but very hectic week with my family in New York! I moved into the Harlem House where I got to house/cat sit for the week last Sunday night. I spent the next several days moving presents, laundry, food, my cat, etc over to the house in small trips. Oh, I should mention I worked a 40 hour week last week too, so it wasn't like I had vacation time to get things done! Anyway, I got the house in good shape and fully stocked with gifts and Christmas food by Wednesday (Christmas Eve) when my parents and brother arrived. They were supposed to get into Newark Airport at around 12:30pm and meet me at work. Then I had arranged tickets for them to see The Marvelous Wonderettes (one of the shows playing where I work) at 3pm. Well, that didn't go according to plan as their flight was delayed a couple hours and they ended up getting into Newark at 2:40pm. So, they didn't make the show. But it was no big deal because I just pushed the tickets to another day.
I ended up getting off work early (Merry Christmas to me!) and met up with my family at Penn Station around 4:30pm. We made our way up to the house, dropped off the luggage, and then headed back to midtown for our dinner reservation. We had a nice meal and then walked over to Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree. Then we headed up 5th Ave to look at the shop windows and decorations. Then we went to Soldier McGee where Eduardo was working and he met my family for the first time. We had a drink and relaxed while Eduardo popped over every now and then to chat. We stayed a while, then went back to Harlem and wrapped gifts until about 2am! Eduardo came over when he got off work and we all stayed the night there.
Christmas morning was great. We started with a nice breakfast and then opened stockings and presents. Here's my annual list of what I got!
From Mom and Dad:
- Matching scarf, hat and gloves
- A fun T-shirt
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for Wii
- A new colorful watch
- Lost: Season 1 on DVD
- Other clothes including a shirt, tank top, some sweats, and a sports bra
- Mario Party 8 for Wii
From Marylin:
- Assorted Victoria's Secret lotions
- Prince Caspian on DVD
- A new digital camera (my old one is broken)
- A nice sweater
- Underwear
- Candy
- Carmex
- Hairbands
- iTunes gift card
- Vanilla Bean Noel shower gel from Bath and Body Works
- A Wii and accesories!
The rest of the week went by fast. Dad left for Cincinnati Friday afternoon, but Mom and Adam stayed through the weekend, and we did some more fun stuff including going to the South Street Seaport, ice skating in Central Park, and finally seeing the Marvelous Wonderettes after they had missed it Christmas Eve. I had such a great time this year. I think the combination of being able to see my friends, family and boyfriend for Christmas in the most Christmas-y place ever made it an unforgetable year. I'm sad that it's over, but I'm looking for nothing but good things in 2009.
Here's a few photos from the week:
Dad and Adam Christmas morning (just after I'd gotten my new camera!)
Eduardo holding his nephew Victor
Mom and Adam at the South Street Seaport
Marylin and I skating in Central ParkHere's a little tip for you single ladies. The best way to attract attention at a bar is not to dance on tables. It is not doing body shots. It is not talking and laughing loudly with your friends. It is sitting by yourself reading. I have discovered this because I do this frequently at the bar where my boyfriend works. Often times when I am coming home from a day out, I stop by the bar where my boyfriend works for a while just to hang out. I don't usually drink on these occasions...sometimes I might have a little something to eat. But often I am just killing time and talking to Eduardo when he has a chance. So, I bring a book. I don't know if it's that guys like brainy chicks or just that a girl reading at the bar is clearly there by herself (little do they know that I know all the staff, so I'm never really ALONE), but I have had more guys start up conversations with me, some innocent and friendly...some clearly looking for some action...some downright creepy...just because I have my nose in a book. The irony is that I would think someone sitting by themselves reading is clearly enjoying some quality time alone and does not want to be bothered. I guess this is not as clear as I might have hoped. But, I'm letting you all know because even though I do not benefit from the attention, I'm sure there are some people who would love it. The next time you want to meet a guy, just bring a book!
Labels: Eduardo, men, Soldier McGeeI went to the gym today for the first time in my life! Well, pretty much. I've been in a couple workout rooms in my life, and I definitely ran on a treadmill at least once during college, but I have never really been excited about working out. But within the last year or so I have started considering that it might be a good idea to get on a regular workout program. I've done pilates in my apartment pretty regularly, and while that's better than nothing, I'd like to add a little more variety to my workout.
So, I had this lovely wish to join a gym in New York. The problem with that is most gyms in New York are freakin' expensive. Most monthly rates are between $100-200 not including the start-up fee which can be close to $1,000 in some cases if you don't catch a special. I did some research on cheap gyms in the city a while back and found that there are some parks and recs buildings that have workout rooms and you can pay just $50 a year! It sounded quite promising. But Eduardo and I went to check out the closest location and it was pretty much a dump with only a few machines. I guess you get what you pay for. We couldn't motivate ourselves to join.
At some point during my job search I filled out an application at Equinox, a popular gym chain here. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I figured the free membership perk would be nice. But I never heard anything and eventually got a different job (at Westside Theatre! I start Monday!) But a couple weeks ago I got a call from a woman named Lillian at Equinox wondering if I was still interested in a job. At first I told her no because I had found a job already (inside I was still thinking about that nice free membership, but figured health insurance is also important, so I'd stick with what I got). But Lillian pressed on saying this job would only be four hours a week. All I'd have to do is pass out flyers promoting the gym. And if I did it, I could get a FREE MEMBERSHIP! Yeah, I was in. And I got Eduardo in too.
So, today, we tried out that free membership for the first time, and let me tell you, it is a NICE gym. I think I might actually look forward to working out if I can go there all the time! There's two entire floors of cardio and weight equipment, personal TVs mounted on the equipment, locker rooms so clean you can eat off the floor, free stuff like shampoo, razors, hair dryers, etc, a huge class schedule, a healthy food and juice bar, an in house spa...yeah, I actually said to Eduardo, "We could live at the gym!" I'd be happy to just go there to drink juice and shower, but I guess I really should work out too. Yeah, I'm gonna do it.
Recently, Eduardo and I made it to Six Flags one last time this season, and in the flurry that was the last several weeks, I haven't mentioned it on the blog yet. It was a great day, the highlight being when I was able to drag him onto Kingda Ka, the scariest roller coaster I've ever experienced. Even though I went on it last summer, I was still scared out of my mind as I sat strapped into my seat, starring at the 456 foot coaster (the tallest in the world) looming before me. The wait was made even more scary by the fact that I was anticipating the "launch" in which I would be rocketed to a speed of 128 mph in 3.5 seconds (the fastest in the world).
I can't adequately describe the experience, but perhaps this video will help:
And if you still don't understand how incredible this ride is, I think this picture says it all:
In case you can't tell by looking, those are 100% genuine reactions on our faces!
I have always prided myself on being a person who does not do weird things in my sleep. I don't talk. I don't make weird noises. I don't walk around. Sometimes I might kick, steal the covers, or snore lightly if I have a cold. But that's about it. But the other night I did something totally weird. I was over at Eduardo's place in Queens and it was late and we were watching TV. He suddenly announced that he was hungry and wanted to go get something to eat. I wasn't hungry and it was cold outside, so I told him to just go and I'd stay at the apartment. So, he left for the taco stand across the street and I, of course, fell asleep. I'm sure I was only out for 15 min tops, but I definitely was totally asleep. So, Eduardo returned with his food, which woke me up, but I was so groggy that I said, "Did you buy the place?" What the hell was I talking about!? I have no idea! So, when Eduardo replied, "What?" I said what I meant to say the first time which was, "What did you get to eat?" Seriously! That's what I wanted to say! That was the sentence that was somewhat formed, but apparently not formed enough, in my head when I said, "Did you buy the place?" It's like my mouth just spit something out before my brain had a chance to catch up. It was really weird. For those of you who have all kinds of night time shenanigans, this is probably nothing. But, like I said, that was a first for me and it was a totally weird feeling!
Labels: Eduardo, QueensTrips to Childhood and Foreign Countries...Without Leaving New York
I would like to give the best idea ever award to the inventor of the Treats Truck. The other day my day was brightened when I saw the big silver truck parked in my neighborhood. The treats truck is a relatively new staple in New York. There is only one truck (named Sugar) and it travels to different locations around New York City every day...sometimes it moves several times a day. It brings back the idea of the ice cream truck from childhood. In the summer, when I was little, the ice cream truck drove by my house occasionally, but I never knew when it was coming and there was a good chance of missing it. That's what made catching it such a rare and wonderful treat, even if we had ice cream right in the freezer at home. Such is the Treats Truck. You never know when or where you might see it, but when you happen to catch it, it's quite satisfying. The Treats Truck doesn't sell ice cream though. It sells home baked treats like peanut butter sandwich cookies, home made oreos, giant gooey rice krispy treats, and raspberry chocolate brownies. No wonder sometimes the line runs all the way down the block!
I've been spending some time with my boyfriend in his neighborhood in Queens lately. Just to give you some background on him, since I haven't really said much about him on this blog, here's the quick facts:
Name: Luis Eduardo Gutierrez Jimenez (he goes by Eduardo)
Age: 21
Country of Origin: Mexico
Years in U.S.: 2.5
Favorite Food: Chilies Rellenos
Occupation: Bar Back/Cook at Soldier McGee
So, given the facts about Eduardo, it might make sense to you that he lives in an area of Queens that is basically Mexico. When I go there to visit him, I feel like I'm in another country. No one speaks English. No one. Or if they do speak some English, they certainly don't lead with it. The juke boxes play Mexican music. The TVs all play Telemundo. The restaurants serve traditional Mexican food. We're not talking about Don Pablos here. Even the products they sell in stores come from Mexico from drinks to snacks to household cleaners. Here are a few visuals for you:
Finding out that there is a neighborhood in New York that is just like Mexico makes me wonder how many other hidden countries there are in this vast city. Perhaps I might find India in the far reaches of Brooklyn or Romania in the heights of The Bronx. Sometimes I forget, or maybe I take for granted, that I live in the most diverse city in the world.
Well, it's been a little while. I've been getting caught up on life the past couple days because my brain has been on vacation the last couple weeks. It's summer. I don't have a job (to speak of), and sometimes when you don't have anything to do...you don't do anything! Well, the truth is, I've been going on a lot of "day-cations" with my friend Eduardo, who is a boy...(boyfriend? not sure yet). We went on the row boats in Central Park, the pool, the Bronx Zoo, I spent a couple days at the beach last weekend. I'm just enjoying my city that I was away from for so long on tour! Ah, it's so nice to be back.
The other day I got to hold a tiny baby! Who doesn't love that? Eduardo's first nephew was born and we went to see him. Oh, he is so cute and tiny!
Continuing with the theme of vacations, I got to house sit recently at my friends' AMAZING house in Harlem. It was SO nice. I just had to feed the kitties and water the plants, and all weekend I just lounged around, watched TV, did my laundry, and pondered things like "Shall I go to the second floor or the third floor?" "Shall I peruse the library or sit in the gardens?" "Shall I watch premium cable or take a long nap in the air conditioning?" Oh, it was a tough job, but someone had to do it...
