This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn (literally--I set the alarm wrong and I was in the shower already before either of us realized it was only 6 a.m.) and headed towards St. Louis, Missouri. Just outside of St. Louis is the tiny town of Collinsville, Illinois, home of the World's Largest Catsup bottle. That's right folks. The bottle itself is about forty feet tall, plus it stands on top of a tower several stories high. You drive through this tiny little idyllic neighborhood, go up a hill and as you go over, the bottle simply appears before you, looking at first like it is hovering over the trees. It stands over a former ketchup plant. We jumped out, took pictures, and then jumped back onto the road again to race to the next attraction, Cahokia Mounds.
I accidentally spotted the Indian Mound site on the atlas and mentioned it to Joe, who had no idea what I meant by Indian Mounds, so we decided to go. It turns out that one of the mounds there, Monk's Mound, is the largest man-made earth contruction on this continent--even larger than mounds in Mexico. Cahokia was still a city of thousands of people in 1200 AD and the chief lived on top of Monk's Mound, which covers over 14 acres and is over 100 feet high. In the nearby burial mounds, archaeologists have excavated hundreds of bodies. It was very cool, but blisteringly hot, so we didn't actually climb Monk's Mound.
We pressed on into St. Louis where traffic was nasty. We had 2 possible food destinations: Ted Drewes frozen custard and C & K BBQ. We decided to go for custard first, since it was a little out of the way and BBQ would be on our way out of the city. The custard was amazing. It is located on the old Route 66, so they get a lot of attention, but they live up to it. I got a Cardinal Sin Sundae--vanilla custard, hot fudge and tart cherries, while Joe got a Hawaiian concrete--vanilla custard, pineapple, coconut, and macademia nuts blended into a mixture so thick that they hand it to you upside down for effect. There was nowhere to sit that wasn't in the sun, so we stood off to the side of the order window and devoured them in minutes. Even then we couldn't keep up with the melting. We seem to be following the heat wave.
Traffic had put us behind schedule, so we decided to forego St. Louis BBQ for lunch to be sure we didn't miss Kansas City BBQ for dinner. We made the right decision. Arthur Bryant's BBQ is the most famous BBQ in the country. It's in the warehouse district and is such a run-down plastic-chair kind of place that I wouldn't have even looked twice at it. Until I smelled it. We had a pulled pork sandwich, ribs, ham, baked beans, fries and a red cream soda. My favorite was the pulled pork, though I wasn't blown away by the ribs. I've had better. Same with the fries. But the rest of the meal made up for it. The ham was amazing. It was piled on white bread and it's perfect to dump their famous sauce all over. The restaurant was filled mostly with families and good-ole-boys, who sometimes sat down with more than one platter plus a pint of beans on the side.
We're relaxing in a cheap hotel now, waiting for it to cool off enough to swim in the outdoor pool--the first time we'll have spent more than 8 hours at a hotel. Today was an amazing day, the best of the trip so far. Tomorrow we head into Kansas.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
I Ate at the Nauti Mermaid
This morning we headed to Cleveland to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's beautiful, a glass pyramid on the shore of Lake Erie. It's somewhat pricey (counting parking, though my ancient student I.D. got me $2 off admission). It's intense in there. Music, movies, voices, displays come at you constantly. We saw outfits from David Bowie, Christina Aguilera, Prince, and more. We took our time through the special exhibit--two floors devoted to the life and work of Bob Dylan. I'm not much of a music person, but it was interesting to learn facts about him many people don't know. Like that he was born in Duluth, MN, and that he left MN to go to New York City to find his idol, Woody Guthrie. That's where it all began.
After the museum, which got to be a bit much, we walked a few blocks to find the World's Largest Rubber Stamp. First of all, it's not really rubber. It's made out of aluminum. Second, I thought it would be about as tall as me, not forty feet high. We were strangely impressed by this corporate art-like monstrosity. The stamp says "FREE". Hmm.
One thing we have learned about mid-sized mid-Western cities--they shut down on Sundays. Joe really wanted to go to a few nice, well-known restaurants, but every one of them was either closed or didn't open until 5 pm. We landed at one of the few open places we even saw, "The Nauti Mermaid." A nautical-themed (duh) restaurant/bar, they had good crabcakes and decent sandwiches. We were getting hungry and cranky enough to eat anything.
Then we drove south to Columbus (stopping at a truck-stop so shady it was funny) and then west to Indianapolis, IN. Here we had a destination. Mug N Buns, a drive-in burger joint on the edge of town. We got majorly lost, which ended up not being a problem, since the streets were EMPTY. We just drove around until we found the right street. In the process, we got to see downtown and the rundown part of town under the El Train.
Mug N Buns was glorious, the kind of place we dream of. Their rootbeer is homemade and their onion rings are hand-battered; both were stunning. We got a cheeseburger, which was fine, and a tenderloin, which is a CD-sized disc of pork breaded and deep-fried and put on a bun. I was good, though I don't know if I would eat it too often! We finished off with a chocolate malt and are now crashing at our decently priced, adequate hotel just a mile away from the restaurant.
A shaky start of a day with a great finish. Tomorrow: Kansas City, MO
After the museum, which got to be a bit much, we walked a few blocks to find the World's Largest Rubber Stamp. First of all, it's not really rubber. It's made out of aluminum. Second, I thought it would be about as tall as me, not forty feet high. We were strangely impressed by this corporate art-like monstrosity. The stamp says "FREE". Hmm.
One thing we have learned about mid-sized mid-Western cities--they shut down on Sundays. Joe really wanted to go to a few nice, well-known restaurants, but every one of them was either closed or didn't open until 5 pm. We landed at one of the few open places we even saw, "The Nauti Mermaid." A nautical-themed (duh) restaurant/bar, they had good crabcakes and decent sandwiches. We were getting hungry and cranky enough to eat anything.
Then we drove south to Columbus (stopping at a truck-stop so shady it was funny) and then west to Indianapolis, IN. Here we had a destination. Mug N Buns, a drive-in burger joint on the edge of town. We got majorly lost, which ended up not being a problem, since the streets were EMPTY. We just drove around until we found the right street. In the process, we got to see downtown and the rundown part of town under the El Train.
Mug N Buns was glorious, the kind of place we dream of. Their rootbeer is homemade and their onion rings are hand-battered; both were stunning. We got a cheeseburger, which was fine, and a tenderloin, which is a CD-sized disc of pork breaded and deep-fried and put on a bun. I was good, though I don't know if I would eat it too often! We finished off with a chocolate malt and are now crashing at our decently priced, adequate hotel just a mile away from the restaurant.
A shaky start of a day with a great finish. Tomorrow: Kansas City, MO
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Outside of Cleveland
We drove for 9 hours and didn't quite make it to Cleveland. It was a long haul, and will hopefully be the longest of the trip, but we wanted to really push to get as far away as possible on our first day.
Loading the car was intensely hot, to the point where I felt sick a few times, but we got everything we needed in, plus half of our maybe pile. As soon as we cleared New York, I fell asleep for 2 hours. I couldn't help it. I couldn't have stayed awake if you paid me.
Pennsylvania is beautifully, but a bit uniformly beautiful. Layers upon layers of green mountains are constantly unfolding before you.
I'm exhausted, so this one is going to be short. Hopefully we'll continue to have decent internet.
Loading the car was intensely hot, to the point where I felt sick a few times, but we got everything we needed in, plus half of our maybe pile. As soon as we cleared New York, I fell asleep for 2 hours. I couldn't help it. I couldn't have stayed awake if you paid me.
Pennsylvania is beautifully, but a bit uniformly beautiful. Layers upon layers of green mountains are constantly unfolding before you.
I'm exhausted, so this one is going to be short. Hopefully we'll continue to have decent internet.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Chaos Theory Part 2
Our. Elevator. Is. BROKEN!
On the day before we move, when it is 102 degrees out with 99.9 percent humidity, our elevator breaks. This morning we had to bring our books to the Post Office, which meant we had to carry 8 incredibly heavy (remember what a good packer I am?) boxes down four flights of stairs (OK, so down is much easier than up, and I really only carried 2 while Joe had to take 6). Still. It was annoying.
We saw the super and he swears it will be running by tomorrow morning, when we have to do the actual move. Then he laughed and said, "This is a record. It's never been down this long." Great.
On the day before we move, when it is 102 degrees out with 99.9 percent humidity, our elevator breaks. This morning we had to bring our books to the Post Office, which meant we had to carry 8 incredibly heavy (remember what a good packer I am?) boxes down four flights of stairs (OK, so down is much easier than up, and I really only carried 2 while Joe had to take 6). Still. It was annoying.
We saw the super and he swears it will be running by tomorrow morning, when we have to do the actual move. Then he laughed and said, "This is a record. It's never been down this long." Great.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
One Hot Italian
New Favorite Music: Regina Spektor
I am listening to her in our almost-empty apartment. The bed actually sold, upstairs is empty and the computer is sitting on the windowsill. The next time you hear from me, I will probably be On the Road.
I said goodbye to one of my best friends today. Last time we parted, it was when she left Wisconsin to go back to New York. When I left her house that night, I paused every few feet to turn and wave. She stood at her living room window and watched until I was out of sight.
Today we did the same thing on the subway. I was still sitting on the train, smushing my face against the window to watch her walk down the platform, as she turned and waved every few feet.
"That man was one hot Italian," a woman next to me said.
"Huh?"
"That man was one hot italian."
"Uh, yeah."
Apparently she thought I was staring at some guy who got off the train at that station too. Doesn't she know there are more important things?
Of course, the last time we said goodbye, I followed her to New York just over a year later. So who knows what will happen this time?
I am listening to her in our almost-empty apartment. The bed actually sold, upstairs is empty and the computer is sitting on the windowsill. The next time you hear from me, I will probably be On the Road.
I said goodbye to one of my best friends today. Last time we parted, it was when she left Wisconsin to go back to New York. When I left her house that night, I paused every few feet to turn and wave. She stood at her living room window and watched until I was out of sight.
Today we did the same thing on the subway. I was still sitting on the train, smushing my face against the window to watch her walk down the platform, as she turned and waved every few feet.
"That man was one hot Italian," a woman next to me said.
"Huh?"
"That man was one hot italian."
"Uh, yeah."
Apparently she thought I was staring at some guy who got off the train at that station too. Doesn't she know there are more important things?
Of course, the last time we said goodbye, I followed her to New York just over a year later. So who knows what will happen this time?
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
New Technology
The day after I arrived in New York, still reeling from the people and noise, I went to a Verizon store and bought my first cell phone. You can't survive here without one.
I've had that same phone ever since. It was getting to be time to get a new one, plus Joe and I wanted to get on a family plan together. We figured we would wait and do it in California, in case we specifically needed a California plan. I thought it would be very fitting for me to buy a new phone the day after I arrived in San Francisco.
Unfortunately, Joe's phone did not agree with my cosmic alignment. It decided to die yesterday (see the Chaos Theory below for an idea of why). There was no reason for him to get a new T-Mobile phone if we were just going to switch, so yesterday we ran to the Verizon store and signed up.
My new phone is sooo pretty. It takes pictures! And video! When Joe calls me, I made a picture of a hamburger pop up! And it was FREE!
Yes, my $150 phone was free because I re-signed with Verizon. Joe had to pay a little for his flashy black phone because he's not technically a customer, just an add-on line to my account, and of course he wanted a fancy-ish one. But he got all that fun stuff too.
Both of our phone numbers stay the same, which is awesome. It's cheaper, and free for calls between us. The only annoying part is that free minutes still don't start until 9 pm. Which, once we're in CA, is midnight on the east coast (though Joe's mom, Jen, and many of our other friends have Verizon anyways, so it doesn't matter) and 11 pm in Wisconsin. Guess I'll be calling home on weekends more often.
I've had that same phone ever since. It was getting to be time to get a new one, plus Joe and I wanted to get on a family plan together. We figured we would wait and do it in California, in case we specifically needed a California plan. I thought it would be very fitting for me to buy a new phone the day after I arrived in San Francisco.
Unfortunately, Joe's phone did not agree with my cosmic alignment. It decided to die yesterday (see the Chaos Theory below for an idea of why). There was no reason for him to get a new T-Mobile phone if we were just going to switch, so yesterday we ran to the Verizon store and signed up.
My new phone is sooo pretty. It takes pictures! And video! When Joe calls me, I made a picture of a hamburger pop up! And it was FREE!
Yes, my $150 phone was free because I re-signed with Verizon. Joe had to pay a little for his flashy black phone because he's not technically a customer, just an add-on line to my account, and of course he wanted a fancy-ish one. But he got all that fun stuff too.
Both of our phone numbers stay the same, which is awesome. It's cheaper, and free for calls between us. The only annoying part is that free minutes still don't start until 9 pm. Which, once we're in CA, is midnight on the east coast (though Joe's mom, Jen, and many of our other friends have Verizon anyways, so it doesn't matter) and 11 pm in Wisconsin. Guess I'll be calling home on weekends more often.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Our Furniture is Gone!
No, it hasn't been stolen! We sold it!
Most of our furniture has left the building as of Saturday. Alex came to take everything that belonged to him, I sold a few things, we all trashed a few things, we gave some away, and I hope to sell the bed soon. The apartment looks so much bigger when it's not filled with random inefficient shelves and ugly tables. The rest of our things are slowly being condensed into essential, managable parcels.
Someone FINALLY took the futon today. It was such a piece of junk, we actually debated PAYING someone to come take.
Zero planning has been done for the actual roadtrip so far. I think the decision is "We're going to wing it." We have our route mostly mapped out (except we may or may not detour through Memphis, TN, rather than Kansas. Although I've been to Graceland, The Boy has not, and Tennessee has to be all-around more interesting that Kansas), and we have AAA books for every single state we're going through along the way, so we'll be fine.
We had our first going away part on Saturday for The Boy's extended group of friends. Wednesday will be Karaoke with MY friends. But Saturday was lots of fun, despite the first place not having AC, the second one being expensive, random tensions among friends, someone throwing a bottle off the roof of a building at a house party, and most everyone drinking more than they should. I was fine, and one of the few who was ready to keep going after we stopped to eat potato pierogies. I was fully awake and un-drunk, but happy to go home.
I'm going to miss that crew, particularly Zad and Oriana. They are definitely not dime-a-dozen type of friends.
Most of our furniture has left the building as of Saturday. Alex came to take everything that belonged to him, I sold a few things, we all trashed a few things, we gave some away, and I hope to sell the bed soon. The apartment looks so much bigger when it's not filled with random inefficient shelves and ugly tables. The rest of our things are slowly being condensed into essential, managable parcels.
Someone FINALLY took the futon today. It was such a piece of junk, we actually debated PAYING someone to come take.
Zero planning has been done for the actual roadtrip so far. I think the decision is "We're going to wing it." We have our route mostly mapped out (except we may or may not detour through Memphis, TN, rather than Kansas. Although I've been to Graceland, The Boy has not, and Tennessee has to be all-around more interesting that Kansas), and we have AAA books for every single state we're going through along the way, so we'll be fine.
We had our first going away part on Saturday for The Boy's extended group of friends. Wednesday will be Karaoke with MY friends. But Saturday was lots of fun, despite the first place not having AC, the second one being expensive, random tensions among friends, someone throwing a bottle off the roof of a building at a house party, and most everyone drinking more than they should. I was fine, and one of the few who was ready to keep going after we stopped to eat potato pierogies. I was fully awake and un-drunk, but happy to go home.
I'm going to miss that crew, particularly Zad and Oriana. They are definitely not dime-a-dozen type of friends.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Something Goes Right
I called BlueCross today and I am officially approved for health insurance. About $100 for decent coverage in California, and it will start July 27th, just like I wanted it to. The email telling me must have gone astray, since I was approved last week. Whew! That means Joe still has plenty of time to sign up for the same thing.
Someone looked at our entertainment center, but hasn't decided if she wants to purchase it.
I cleaned out the desk upstairs entirely.
I am off work tomorrow to do things like sell books to the Strand, pack Alex's dishes for him, watch "The Color Purple", and donate the rest of our books/movies to the library.
The high temperature today is a sickening 98 degrees. With a humidity index of a thousand. I can't wait to leave this stinkin' city. There was a Heat Advisory on the news for crying out loud! I think that means you're not supposed to leave Air Conditioning if you are old, have a heart condition, or are from Wisconsin.
My brother's roommate in San Fran just wrote me an email saying this is the coldest summer she has ever experienced. I say Hallelujah.
Someone looked at our entertainment center, but hasn't decided if she wants to purchase it.
I cleaned out the desk upstairs entirely.
I am off work tomorrow to do things like sell books to the Strand, pack Alex's dishes for him, watch "The Color Purple", and donate the rest of our books/movies to the library.
The high temperature today is a sickening 98 degrees. With a humidity index of a thousand. I can't wait to leave this stinkin' city. There was a Heat Advisory on the news for crying out loud! I think that means you're not supposed to leave Air Conditioning if you are old, have a heart condition, or are from Wisconsin.
My brother's roommate in San Fran just wrote me an email saying this is the coldest summer she has ever experienced. I say Hallelujah.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Chaos Theory
The theory is that everything must happen at the most inconvenient times. For instance, everything in our apartment starts to fall apart right before we move out. Why not right after?
First our toilet seat cracked. Random, right? And not such a big deal. But we didn't want to ask the landlord to replace it because of our whole illegal-subletting-thing. I swear, from this day foward, never to sublet from friends again. I eventually replaced it and now it looks clean and beautiful and only cost $10. Plus, I was proud of myself. OK.
Last night, I was drifting off to sleep, feeling cool breezes wash over me, when suddenly the air conditioner made a loud and disturbing sound. WHAA WHAA WHAA...then the compressor (or something) shut off, and all you could hear was a fan. A few moments later it kicked in again. Still, I was disturbed. It had never made that noise before, and it didn't sound right. Last year it didn't always work so well, and Joe and I had discussed how it probably needed a filter change. Discussed, but never did anything about because suddenly it was winter again.
I woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. and realized I couldn't hear the air conditioner. I went downstairs and I could hear the fan, but not the compressor. I turned it off, waiting a minute, and turned it on. Again, only the fan. Shit. I'm guessing it made that noise again, which is what woke me up.
Then Joe gets up and starts freaking out a bit. Alex's sister bought this air conditioner, and of course Alex insisted that we have to sell it and put that on our heads (OK, Joe's, but I'm the one who has to hear about it). If we don't sell it to the incoming resident, they are throwing away money because it's only 3 years old and cost $800, blah, blah (which I'm not sure I believe) etc. And we can't remove it, because then there will be a giant hole in the wall, open to the outside.
Joe tried to open the front of it, but it wouldn't budge. Finally I saw a small, handle-like hole on the front of the AC, with slots on either side.
"That's it," I said. Joe pulled and it slide up and out, like the lint trap from the top of a dryer. And it was just as disgusting as a lint trap too. It doesn't look particularly disposable--the filter part is attached right to that plastic handle, so Joe tried to wipe off some of the dirt with a damp cloth until we could see through it again. He put it back in and the whole thing started right back up like normal.
Sigh with relief.
It runs a lot quieter than before. I was terrified that that noise was the sound of the motor burning out. Who knew it was so easy to fix?
What's next?
First our toilet seat cracked. Random, right? And not such a big deal. But we didn't want to ask the landlord to replace it because of our whole illegal-subletting-thing. I swear, from this day foward, never to sublet from friends again. I eventually replaced it and now it looks clean and beautiful and only cost $10. Plus, I was proud of myself. OK.
Last night, I was drifting off to sleep, feeling cool breezes wash over me, when suddenly the air conditioner made a loud and disturbing sound. WHAA WHAA WHAA...then the compressor (or something) shut off, and all you could hear was a fan. A few moments later it kicked in again. Still, I was disturbed. It had never made that noise before, and it didn't sound right. Last year it didn't always work so well, and Joe and I had discussed how it probably needed a filter change. Discussed, but never did anything about because suddenly it was winter again.
I woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. and realized I couldn't hear the air conditioner. I went downstairs and I could hear the fan, but not the compressor. I turned it off, waiting a minute, and turned it on. Again, only the fan. Shit. I'm guessing it made that noise again, which is what woke me up.
Then Joe gets up and starts freaking out a bit. Alex's sister bought this air conditioner, and of course Alex insisted that we have to sell it and put that on our heads (OK, Joe's, but I'm the one who has to hear about it). If we don't sell it to the incoming resident, they are throwing away money because it's only 3 years old and cost $800, blah, blah (which I'm not sure I believe) etc. And we can't remove it, because then there will be a giant hole in the wall, open to the outside.
Joe tried to open the front of it, but it wouldn't budge. Finally I saw a small, handle-like hole on the front of the AC, with slots on either side.
"That's it," I said. Joe pulled and it slide up and out, like the lint trap from the top of a dryer. And it was just as disgusting as a lint trap too. It doesn't look particularly disposable--the filter part is attached right to that plastic handle, so Joe tried to wipe off some of the dirt with a damp cloth until we could see through it again. He put it back in and the whole thing started right back up like normal.
Sigh with relief.
It runs a lot quieter than before. I was terrified that that noise was the sound of the motor burning out. Who knew it was so easy to fix?
What's next?
Monday, July 10, 2006
I am an excellent box packer
I really am. I twist and turn and squeeze and measure and repack until everything fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Heavy books on the bottom, small books saved until last to fill in the cracks.
As a result, I packed a Strand-size box full of Joe's cookbooks until it was so heavy I couldn't pick it up. Joe heaved it onto the scale and we discovered it weighed over 60 pounds. The Post Office in San Francisco had already warned us that, even though book rate goes up to 70 pounds (which is could have been, since our scale is not too acurate) the boxes have to be able to be lifted by one person for General Delivery. So picked through the remaining pile of Joe's books to find all the lightest ones, then ripped open the bottom of the big boxes and did a switcheroo. Then I took a box that we thought would be too small for books and filled it with the heaviest ones. As a result, they weight almost the same amount.
The point of this slightly boring explanation is that we are packing very, very carefully. Space and money is tight. It is going to take a long time to get it all right, but in the end it will be worth it, making for a smoother move. Wait until the morning I pack up the rental car. It will take longer than it should, but in the end, there won't be an inch wasted. I just hope the axels aren't scraping bottom.
In other news, Multivision called today. Multivision is the company I worked for before this one, and their main office is in San Francisco (well, actually Oakland, which is sort of like the Brooklyn of SF). I had emailed my old manager to let her know I was moving out there and to ask if she could do anything, but never got a response, so when I saw them advertising jobs on Craigslist, I sent my resume. A guy who worked at the NY office for a while, then moved back to SF was the one who called and he said he remembered me. He said my manager did mention I was coming to SF, plus he saw my resume. He gave me his cell phone and told me to call when I got there and he would work something out for me. They have a very high turnover--finding a position for me is not a problem.
So that's taken care of.
It's reasuuring, though I'm not sure I want to work there again, even in the interim. It would be taking a step back, and I'm pretty confident that getting another job is not going to be a problem. Then again, they are part of a much larger company now (they were bought out just before I left) so there might be more opportunities that didn't even exist last time I was there. We shall see.
As a result, I packed a Strand-size box full of Joe's cookbooks until it was so heavy I couldn't pick it up. Joe heaved it onto the scale and we discovered it weighed over 60 pounds. The Post Office in San Francisco had already warned us that, even though book rate goes up to 70 pounds (which is could have been, since our scale is not too acurate) the boxes have to be able to be lifted by one person for General Delivery. So picked through the remaining pile of Joe's books to find all the lightest ones, then ripped open the bottom of the big boxes and did a switcheroo. Then I took a box that we thought would be too small for books and filled it with the heaviest ones. As a result, they weight almost the same amount.
The point of this slightly boring explanation is that we are packing very, very carefully. Space and money is tight. It is going to take a long time to get it all right, but in the end it will be worth it, making for a smoother move. Wait until the morning I pack up the rental car. It will take longer than it should, but in the end, there won't be an inch wasted. I just hope the axels aren't scraping bottom.
In other news, Multivision called today. Multivision is the company I worked for before this one, and their main office is in San Francisco (well, actually Oakland, which is sort of like the Brooklyn of SF). I had emailed my old manager to let her know I was moving out there and to ask if she could do anything, but never got a response, so when I saw them advertising jobs on Craigslist, I sent my resume. A guy who worked at the NY office for a while, then moved back to SF was the one who called and he said he remembered me. He said my manager did mention I was coming to SF, plus he saw my resume. He gave me his cell phone and told me to call when I got there and he would work something out for me. They have a very high turnover--finding a position for me is not a problem.
So that's taken care of.
It's reasuuring, though I'm not sure I want to work there again, even in the interim. It would be taking a step back, and I'm pretty confident that getting another job is not going to be a problem. Then again, they are part of a much larger company now (they were bought out just before I left) so there might be more opportunities that didn't even exist last time I was there. We shall see.
Friday, July 07, 2006
I Want Summer Fridays
This week at work has been boooooring. But I have officially put in my (3 weeks) notice!
I had to tell Rick, my boss, first. I wasn't going to tell him until this past Wednesday, but last Friday afternoon he sent out an email saying he would be out all this week on vacation. So Friday, twitching with nervousness, I went into his office and told him the news.
He was very calm, just said congratulations and we'll miss you and opened up a calendar to figure out my last day. Then suddenly he turned to me and said, "Did you tell Dan yet?"
"No."
"He's going to lose it."
So on Wednesday I had to tell Dan, the production manager. He is, you could say, my direct boss, but is also the person I work closest with here. He was just back from vacation.
"Dan, can I talk to you?" I pointed at the audio room. That's where we go to talk about serious things, like the time someone got fired, because it is soundproof in there. So he knew something big was up.
He shut the door. "Please don't say your quitting," he joked.
I smiled at him.
"Oh no!" He fell over into a chair. My quitting is not coming at a good time for them. Adam is just starting to become competent. The new receptionist is slowly coming to be hated by everyone. Dan is going to have a helluva time doing his job and mine, unless they can get a replacement in here soon enough for me to train them, which I said I would be happy to do.
After he recovered, Dan said good luck and all that. He said they are always looking for producers on the west coast, and I can definitely produce RMTs as a freelancer, since they're just over the phone. So I will have some money to tide me over between jobs. That made me really happy. Also Rick said he will contact people he knows and the studios that my company uses now in SF to see if they have any openings. It would be fun to work at a studio, and both Rick and Dan will give me great recommendations.
So now I'm spending my days freely hating the new girl and trying to teach Adam everthing I know.
I had to tell Rick, my boss, first. I wasn't going to tell him until this past Wednesday, but last Friday afternoon he sent out an email saying he would be out all this week on vacation. So Friday, twitching with nervousness, I went into his office and told him the news.
He was very calm, just said congratulations and we'll miss you and opened up a calendar to figure out my last day. Then suddenly he turned to me and said, "Did you tell Dan yet?"
"No."
"He's going to lose it."
So on Wednesday I had to tell Dan, the production manager. He is, you could say, my direct boss, but is also the person I work closest with here. He was just back from vacation.
"Dan, can I talk to you?" I pointed at the audio room. That's where we go to talk about serious things, like the time someone got fired, because it is soundproof in there. So he knew something big was up.
He shut the door. "Please don't say your quitting," he joked.
I smiled at him.
"Oh no!" He fell over into a chair. My quitting is not coming at a good time for them. Adam is just starting to become competent. The new receptionist is slowly coming to be hated by everyone. Dan is going to have a helluva time doing his job and mine, unless they can get a replacement in here soon enough for me to train them, which I said I would be happy to do.
After he recovered, Dan said good luck and all that. He said they are always looking for producers on the west coast, and I can definitely produce RMTs as a freelancer, since they're just over the phone. So I will have some money to tide me over between jobs. That made me really happy. Also Rick said he will contact people he knows and the studios that my company uses now in SF to see if they have any openings. It would be fun to work at a studio, and both Rick and Dan will give me great recommendations.
So now I'm spending my days freely hating the new girl and trying to teach Adam everthing I know.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Fourth of July BBQs
Despite the running around and craziness, this was one of the most relaxing Fourth of July weekends I've ever had.
My first year I worked because I got holiday pay. I ran out of the Strand at 9 pm, leapt onto a train, and arrived in Williamsburg just in time for the fireworks. I was on a seriously crowded rooftop, and Jen and I stood on top of a cooler to see, holding onto each other to keep from falling off. Then, I had a magical NYC moment. I said, "The only thing that would make this better, is if I had an ice-cold beer." And a guy standing in front of me, without even turning around, reached behind his back and handed me a 40oz Bud. Ask and ye shall receive.
The next year Christy was visiting. She destroyed me in many ways (see Flesh Eating Diseases from last year) but I will never regret sitting out on the FDR to watch fireworks. It is not exactly relaxing, but I highly recommend it for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This year was the parade of BBQs. On Saturday, we went to Sonal's loft (Joe's friend Rupal's sister) and drank for 8 hours. It was me, Joe, this random guy who kept blending drinks in a frenzy of 3 blenders in front of him, and about 50 Indians. A super friendly crew who puts on a fancy BBQ. Rupal was about to explode with child, so we spent a lot of time sitting inside (where there's AC) chatting with her.
Sunday we went to Joe's mom's house in Jersey. What is normally an hour and a half bus ride, turned into over 3 hours with a combination of holiday weekend traffic and a nasty motorcycle accident ahead of us. A few girls had to jump off the bus to go pee in the woods, then run to catch up with the bus again (okay, walk. We were going half a mile an hour). I was fine, but Joe didn't feel so great (after 8 hours of drinking--see Saturday) and he was worried about his mom waiting for us at the station and the guys home alone. Everyone was fine in the end, as I knew they would be, and we had a really nice time. Joe fired up burgers, Nancy blended Margaritas, and I eventually whipped up some really tasty Orange-Rum Juliuses, if I do say so myself. A really wicked lightning storm knocked out the lights for a few minutes at the end of the night. It was amazing to watch. It was the last time I'll see Joe's mom before we move, and the last time Joe will see that house, since they're moving the same weekend we are. His mom held up admirably though, and only cried a little.
Monday Joe worked and I watched TV all. day. long. I was in heaven. Also managed to finish polishing my resume and apply for a few jobs.
Tuesday was the Day O'Brooklyn. We went to Dina and Noah's for a Kosher Vegetarian cookout in their backyard. It was incredibly hot, but they filled up the kiddie pool and I splashed around with Mya, their 18 month old daughter, and some neighbor kids. Later, I saw Mya about to stick her fingers in the fan and I grabbed her and pulled her away. I expected her to start shrieking because normally she doesn't want much to do with me. Instead she held tight to my hand and dragged me into the living room to play. Jump to ten minutes later and I'm swinging her around by her ankles while she screams with happiness. I was sweating buckets. I was afraid her little legs would slip out of my slimy hands and she would go sailing across the room like a discus. But she did not want me to stop and when we left she cried.
We cut across Brooklyn on the G train and arrived at Bibbi's BBQ just in time for food. Turkey burgers (where's my cow?!?!?) but real hot dogs and a tasty strawberry shortcake someone showed up with later. It's always fun hanging with the gang. Then we rushed to Oriana's rooftop in time to see the fireworks over in Brooklyn. They were underwhelming, considering we were almost directly beneath them last year, but there were enough fireworks being shot from our rooftop and the rooftops around us to still be exciting.
My first year I worked because I got holiday pay. I ran out of the Strand at 9 pm, leapt onto a train, and arrived in Williamsburg just in time for the fireworks. I was on a seriously crowded rooftop, and Jen and I stood on top of a cooler to see, holding onto each other to keep from falling off. Then, I had a magical NYC moment. I said, "The only thing that would make this better, is if I had an ice-cold beer." And a guy standing in front of me, without even turning around, reached behind his back and handed me a 40oz Bud. Ask and ye shall receive.
The next year Christy was visiting. She destroyed me in many ways (see Flesh Eating Diseases from last year) but I will never regret sitting out on the FDR to watch fireworks. It is not exactly relaxing, but I highly recommend it for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This year was the parade of BBQs. On Saturday, we went to Sonal's loft (Joe's friend Rupal's sister) and drank for 8 hours. It was me, Joe, this random guy who kept blending drinks in a frenzy of 3 blenders in front of him, and about 50 Indians. A super friendly crew who puts on a fancy BBQ. Rupal was about to explode with child, so we spent a lot of time sitting inside (where there's AC) chatting with her.
Sunday we went to Joe's mom's house in Jersey. What is normally an hour and a half bus ride, turned into over 3 hours with a combination of holiday weekend traffic and a nasty motorcycle accident ahead of us. A few girls had to jump off the bus to go pee in the woods, then run to catch up with the bus again (okay, walk. We were going half a mile an hour). I was fine, but Joe didn't feel so great (after 8 hours of drinking--see Saturday) and he was worried about his mom waiting for us at the station and the guys home alone. Everyone was fine in the end, as I knew they would be, and we had a really nice time. Joe fired up burgers, Nancy blended Margaritas, and I eventually whipped up some really tasty Orange-Rum Juliuses, if I do say so myself. A really wicked lightning storm knocked out the lights for a few minutes at the end of the night. It was amazing to watch. It was the last time I'll see Joe's mom before we move, and the last time Joe will see that house, since they're moving the same weekend we are. His mom held up admirably though, and only cried a little.
Monday Joe worked and I watched TV all. day. long. I was in heaven. Also managed to finish polishing my resume and apply for a few jobs.
Tuesday was the Day O'Brooklyn. We went to Dina and Noah's for a Kosher Vegetarian cookout in their backyard. It was incredibly hot, but they filled up the kiddie pool and I splashed around with Mya, their 18 month old daughter, and some neighbor kids. Later, I saw Mya about to stick her fingers in the fan and I grabbed her and pulled her away. I expected her to start shrieking because normally she doesn't want much to do with me. Instead she held tight to my hand and dragged me into the living room to play. Jump to ten minutes later and I'm swinging her around by her ankles while she screams with happiness. I was sweating buckets. I was afraid her little legs would slip out of my slimy hands and she would go sailing across the room like a discus. But she did not want me to stop and when we left she cried.
We cut across Brooklyn on the G train and arrived at Bibbi's BBQ just in time for food. Turkey burgers (where's my cow?!?!?) but real hot dogs and a tasty strawberry shortcake someone showed up with later. It's always fun hanging with the gang. Then we rushed to Oriana's rooftop in time to see the fireworks over in Brooklyn. They were underwhelming, considering we were almost directly beneath them last year, but there were enough fireworks being shot from our rooftop and the rooftops around us to still be exciting.
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