Adam helped me perform some minor maintenance on the new blog yesterday, and now it looks just lovely. It's nice to have 2 web designers in the family. He told me he'd just charge me $20 for our consultation. I told him he'd get it...never. Ah, family.
In case you were wondering, still no AC installed. I contacted one guy who never showed up when he was supposed to, but that's ok because I was beginning to think he couldn't really do it anyway. I've since contacted a second person who responded quickly and enthusiastically initially, but I haven't heard much from him since. I don't really think I should be chasing HIM down if he really wants the job, you know? So I might be moving on to contestant #3 soon. Why do people have to be so flaky? At least it's not really hot yet.
Eduardo and I are momentarily heading to the Boat Basin for the first time this season. I LOVE that place. If you ever come visit me, I will probably take you there.
I thought after several years of the same look on my blog, it was time for a redesign. It's a bit of a work in progress, so forgive things for being a little messy at the moment. I'm going to keep working on it, and hopefully everything will be looking pretty soon!
I'm on a quest to get an AC unit installed in my window. I have lived in this tiny apartment for three years now. Each summer this room reaches unbearable temperatures. I turn on the fans, take multiple cold showers every day, and walk around with little to no clothing on. The reason I have put up with this and not installed an AC, is because this is my window:
As you can see, there is no easy way to do this. The window doesn't slide up. I need to hire someone to build a new frame for the window that will fit around the AC unit. I got an estimate a while back from an AC installation company and they said it would be $750! No way. I've hired someone through craigslist that I think will do just fine. The other night I got a Zipcar and Eduardo and I drove to his place to pick up his old AC unit that is a bit too small to cool his room, but will be perfect for mine.
Hopefully by the end of the week I will have a nice "after" photo of the AC in my window. And it will be a more pleasant summer for me...and Tangent.
Some of my blog readers may be interested to know that Ana Yang, star of Gazillion Bubble Show (where I work!) will be on the Today Show tomorrow morning during the 10am hour hosted by Kathie Lee and Hoda. If you've been curious about the show, this would be a good opportunity to see what it's all about!
I stepped out of the theatre on Saturday to get some air and make a phone call, when I noticed crowds of people sauntering down 9th Ave. That could only mean one thing: Street Fair! 
Ah, this warm weather New York tradition is one of my favorites. And it was perfect weather for it on Saturday. The fair featured the usual impossible carnival games, raffles, and large inflatable slides, but as with most fairs, it's mostly about the food. Local restaurants extended their seating out to the street with umbrella covered tables and drink specials. Food stands popped up everywhere offering everything from fresh fruit to fried oreos. One of my favorite New York street fair foods are MozzArepas.
These are like grilled cheese sandwiches with a twist; mozzarella cheese between two sweet corn cakes. Mmmmm. Delicious. Now I want one again! Well, it's only a matter of time before the next street fair!
I love New York, and I love sports...particularly baseball. And I love this commercial:
It has been raining for DAYS here in New York. I mean, I think it's been over a week. Seriously. It's a sad time to have a new bike. I just want to ride it, but I don't want to ride in the rain! Oh well.
I've gotten into the habit lately of watching documentary films instantly on Netflix. There's a big selection, and I've found hearing the real stories interesting. When I was younger, I usually heard "documentary" and thought "boring". But lately, I've enjoyed these stories more than fictional ones. Here are my top 5 that I've watched recently, and highly recommend.
#5: My Kid Could Paint That
I really enjoyed this one because it made me question what I was seeing and come to a conclusion for myself.
#4: Who The #$&% is Jackson Pollock
#3: Dear Zachary
This might be the most poignant, beautiful, gut wrenching, heart breaking movie I've ever seen. Watch it with a box of kleenex.
#2: The Education of Shelby Knox
The trailer really just scratches the surface of a much bigger storyline which is that of a young high school girl from a conservative town in the Bible belt trying to figure out what she believes. I personally related with Shelby, although I have to say she was a lot smarter and more well spoken in high school than I ever was. She's planning to run for president someday, and I think she would have my vote.
#1: King of Kong/A Fistful of Quarters
This is not only a great documentary, but a great MOVIE. The characters are so great, no one could have made them up. The drama is over a video game, yet it seems somehow greater than that. It's an underdog story. A hero's tale. If you see one movie on this list, this should be it. Labels: Bike, documentaries, movies, netflix
I have discovered a definite perk of working at Gazillion Bubble Show. It is common practice in New York to rent out theatres on dark days for events and so forth. At New World Stages (the theatre complex where the Bubble Show resides), when they rent out the theatre, they hire the crew from the resident show to work whatever event takes over the space. So, on Monday I was hired to come work on my day off for a benefit event for Rosie's Broadway Kids, a charity and outreach program run by Rosie O'Donnell. Not only was it fun to hang around backstage with Rosie and a bunch of Broadway stars, but I got paid $30 an hour! I can tell you right now that is WAY more than I get paid for Gazillion Bubble Show. And the job was WAY easier. I'll come in on my day off for that kind of easy money anytime!
Today I made an exciting purchase. I bought a bicycle on craigslist. Last night I surfed on the site and started looking at the bikes for sale. I've been thinking for a while about getting a bike, and now that the weather is good, it seemed like a good time to buy one. The very first listing was for a cheap women's bike, not too fancy, but it did have a basket. I sent an email to the seller and he called me right away, so I arranged to go look at it today after work. I took it for a test drive, and it seemed ok to me, so I took it home!
My plan is to stop buying monthly Metrocards, which are currently $81 but may soon jump in price to $103. Instead, I want to ride my bike to and from work every day. Not only will I save money on train fare, but I'll get a workout too!
Here is my planned bike route:
There is a bike path running through Riverside Park that continues all the way down to the southern tip of Manhattan. I figure I'll stick with that path for now since I'm not a kamikaze delivery driver (those guys are crazy) and am afraid of getting hit by a taxi or something. But at least it should be a pretty ride along the water.