Looking up

Okay, things are getting better - which is nice as I sound suicidal when I reread that last post!

The new guy has started - and I'm not convinced that he's worth what I'm paid let alone £20k more!!

Not that I'm bitter.

Back in the UK

So I'm back in the UK for 2 weeks, leaving my lady wife to fend for herself in the Big Apple. It's the longest we've been apart in the 5+ years we've been together, so it's a bit weird.

On the plus side, our boxes of stuff are being delivered Monday morning so it'll feel more like home.

On the downside, we still only have an inflatable mattress and an armchair so we haven't actually got anywhere to put it all...

Finally!

No, our stuff hasn't been released by customs yet...but our phone is connected and our chair has arrived (the sofa is still a bit away...)

Take smal victories where you can...

Is this a dagger..etc, etc

Wow.

So after three and a half hours of queuing yesterday morning, I got tickets to the opening night of Shakespeare in the Park's production of Macbeth.

Liev Schreiber (of the Scream films, Sum of All Fears, the Manchurian Candidate and The Omen plus a load of other stuff) played the title role, while Lady Macbeth was played by Jennifer Ehle (best known as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice opposite Colin Firth's Darcy). They were both outstanding - and the rest of the cast, many of which I'm sure a more cultured man would recognise.

The entire play was great, and I think that I'll be hard pushed to see a better version of the play any time soon (although Gill was a bit upset that Liev Schreiber didn't get his shirt off as Sean Bean had done when we saw him in the role a couple of years ago).

All in all an excellent day - again.

Plus, I bought a kettle and a coffee maker.

Still no cups though....

Rain stopped Play

Well, not really - I just thought it was a clever title.

Monday morning, I got up and was ready to head over to Central Park to grab some free Shakespeare in the Park tickets. Luckily, I checked the internet before I went - and the start date had been pushed back to Tuesday.

My plans shattered, I headed downstairs to the Study (still no furniture) and did a good three-four hours writing, the best I've managed in quite a while.

After lunch I went for a walk (more photos on the way!) over to Central Park West and round the edge of the Park...

...to the new Apple Store, which was full of things I want but can't have.

After that, another stroll through the Park then back to the apartment and some more writing.

Later on, I was waiting for Gill to get off the subway at Broadway and 50th. I was leaning against the corner of a Duane Reade and looking south into Times Square, where there was the usual bustle, neon lights, big LCD screens and I thought:

"Wow. This is where we live."

I think that is only just sinking in properly for the both of us.

Oh, and we ate out at Joe Allen's...and that's always good.

All in all, an excellent day.

Manicure, you say?

On the way out of the Park on Sunday, we were passing a group of guys who'd been throwing a football (an American one, obviously) around - big guys, some of them, all kind of late twenties and I overheard an exchange that went something like this:

Guy 1: "You found a manicure shop?"

Guy 2: "Yeah."

Guy 1: "I like them. What'd you think?"

Guy 2: "It was okay. He was, like, pushing this thing under the nails and stuff. Kinda sore."

Guy 1: "Yeah, but it's nice, right, when they're all done."

Guy 2: "Yeah, it-"

Guy 3: "I'm like, all for manicures and stuff. But they put nail polish on you, and it might be clear but it's still nail polish. And that's just kinda gay."

Guy 1 & 2 fell into sheepish silence.

Another lazy weekend

We spent a lot of last weekend walking...but we finally got a TV and DVD (so now we're not hunched over the laptop) although no cable yet, so we're stuck with the main networks. Not to worry, though as we're currently working our way through the third season of NYPD Blue...

On Sunday, we went to Central Park again as it was another scorcher, and lay on the Great Lawn. We also managed to find the lake with the running track around it - photo proof:



She'll be thrilled that I put that picture up...

Anyway, Central Park was once again full of families, couples, friends and softball teams (although those flyballs looked hard)...more photo proof!

Okay, I'll admit - it's a lousy photo. I was lying down on the grass and it was half-hearted at best.

What, you didn't expect me to get up, did you?!?

Catch up again!

So it's Thursday, and I'm waiting for the Verizon guy to hook the phone up (apparently he's in the building somewhere...) and Pottery Barn to drop off a chair - our first legitimate piece of furniture!

Anyway, as I have literally nothing to do but stand at the breakfast bar tapping into this machine, I thought it was time to update some stuff - which means we're playing catch up again!

Language barrier

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Wednesday 8 June

Yesterday, I was ordering a bagel at lunch time; Gill had just ordered a tuna melt, and I ordered mine; “A plain toasted bagel please.”

The guy nodded and grabbed one. “You want anything on it?”

“Just butter.”

“What?”

“Butter.”

“What?”

“Butter.”

“Mustard?”

“But-ter.”

“Oh,” he said. “Budder!”

And they say there’s no language barrier…

Hurrah!!!

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Tuesday 6 June

Feeling much better (although its gone six and I’ve only risked two plain bagels today…) but more importantly, I also picked up the keys to the apartment!

Now we don’t have any furniture yet (a sofabed, chair and bed are all on order but won’t be here for a bit) but at least we have somewhere that we could put it if we did.

Instead I’ll be picking up an inflatable bed and some deck chairs tomorrow. And maybe looking into TVs….although we’ll need to settle on a deal first.

Ugh

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Monday 5 June

Lots happened today…almost none of it good.

Firstly, and I won’t go into details, but something I ate last night disagreed with me. Repeatedly. And to the extent that I spent a considerable amount of time on the toilet. Say no more.

Except that as we were also moving hotels, it wasn’t ideal timing. The Ramada was only booked till Sunday night, and as we don’t expect to be in the flat properly till the end of the week, we had to book somewhere else. The only problem is that the entire city of New York is booked out – I blame Spring Break.

We managed to get one in Great Neck, Gill’s work town (and it’s actually really nice) but transferring half the bags over here was a pain under the circumstances.

Gill went first, taking some bags with her. As I wasn’t feeling great, I followed a bit later and on the train – and got very acquainted with the restroom onboard, as I spent about three stations worth of the trip hunched over it spewing my guts up.

At least Long Island Rail Road keep them clean…

After dropping the bags, I then headed back to the city to take our remaining bags to the apartment building – no easy task as these are four heavy, heavy bags. But I made it…and then they refused to store them (despite the concierge the day before saying it would be okay). I managed to talk them round, then realised that I’d left a shirt back in the hotel…so I had to go back to get that, then head back out to Long Island to check in to the new hotel. Where I was early so I had to go somewhere and wait.

I decided to risk a piece of cake at Starbucks, and it seemed to stay down. After I checked us in, I had a shower, read a bit and crawled into bed (at about 4.30). Gill got back from work about 7, and she had some take out pasta while I languished feeling sorry for myself.

Then I threw up all the lemon cake…

Honestly, my wife is a saint.

A-walkin' we will go...

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Sunday 4 June

The rain has stopped! The day’s been cloudy but dry, and not too humid so we went for a walk – across 34th and up a block now and then till we got over to the East River, then up to the 70s and across Central Park, across to the Hudson and back down.

We came across a couple of parades, too…a Filipino (or Philippino, depending on the spelling) parade, with lots of floats and marchers from schools, unions, that kind of thing…and then in the middle, bizarrely, an Irish section.

Parade crashers? Maybe…

We also stumbled across a Jewish parade. No Irish gatecrashers, but one float did advertise a Jewish dating website – http://www.jlove.com/. And frankly, that just sounds wrong…

Apartment view...

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Saturday 3 June

We got into the apartment today, which needs some touching up doing to it – and it still looks good, thank god!

You know when you see something, decide you want it and then don’t see it again for a while and when you do it’s awful? I thought that was going to be how it was with the flat – but no, it’s all good!

Pet Peeve #2

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Saturday 3 June
You know, just because your hotel has been around for 75 years - and you seem so proud of that as it's displayed on all the hotel keys - doesn't mean you don't need to redecorate in that time!

Having history - such as 'this is where Muhammed Ali stayed following such-and-such fight' - plastered all over the walls of the hotel is fine too; just don't expect to use that as a reason not to update the rooms!

A trickle of water does not make a tap (or faucet!).

And spending a fortune on a huge lobby does not make up for spending NOTHING on the rooms!

Redecorate already!!!

Manchester Weather

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Friday 2 June

We got off the train at Penn after picking up the check from Gill’s work and were all set to go and drop it off at the apartment, but the weather appears to have followed us from Manchester. After a downpour last night, it opened up again while we were on the train.

The hotel we are staying in, Ramada’s Hotel New Yorker, is only across the way so we managed to get there, although we were still drenched.

But we’re now going up to the apartment with the check tomorrow…

A special place in hell is reserved for them...

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Friday 2 June
Let me go on record as saying that I hate telephone queuing systems. I hate even more the ones that make you jump through hoops, pressing various buttons to get through menus.

And most of all, I hate the ones that do that and then tell you only that you can’t get connected to an operator.

All I wanted to do was ask if I could apply for a work permit referencing my I-94 when I was going to leave the country on it in two week’s time. But instead, I spent five minutes negotiating my way through a chirpy American menu system only to be told that I should ring back when they’re less busy, and a good time might be on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday – and it was Friday!

That aside, it looks like the work permit application will have to be delayed until I get back from Manchester again.

Bugger.

Will the real Jackie Chan please stand up?

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Friday 2 June

I went with Gill to get her Social Security number (I can’t get mine till I get my work permit sorted).

As we were sat in the little office with a couple of dozen other people, people were called either by ticket number or by name. Then the call went out: “Jackie Chen”, with the ‘Chen’ just strangled enough that it could have been ‘Chan’.

A slight, pretty Asian woman in her twenties stood and went to the door. I tried to suppress a smile at her name – but suddenly Gill was smiling too. I looked up at the two security guards. One, a short, stocky, African-American, was grinning at me broadly.

“False alarm, folks.”

Hollie Hopeless

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Thursday 1 June

So we got to the apartment this afternoon to sign our lease and Hollie (of the estate management company) proved once again that – despite being very nice – she’s not that smart.

For a start off, despite emails saying and agreeing that we would be there at 4.30, we had been booked in at 11.30 – a bit difficult as we would have been trans-Atlantic at that point. Not only that, but despite being asked, Hollie had neglected to tell us that we would need a check (see, I’m even spelling it American-style!) for the security deposit plus the first month’s rent.

That’s right, she’s an idiot.

Pet Peeve #1

Just so you know, I realise there's a lot of entries with this date - since getting to NYC I've had connectivity issues so I've been keeping track of stuff on Word - but now I'm posting them all!

Thursday 1 June

We got in this afternoon after an uneventful flight from Manchester. As an aside: pet peeves now include jumped-up flight attendants who look like Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler's Mom, left - only the attendant was more bloated and plasticy!) who don't let you go for a pee while the seatbelt light is on even though there's no turbulence - I've been peeing standing up for quite some time now and if I want to risk splashing on my shoes, then dammit, that's my right!!

Okay, end of rant.