Very Touching Blog

This Saturday Phil's oldest brother, Marcin, and two friends from grad school stopped by and shared an amazing story about an extraordinary young woman, Erica, whom they attended grad school with. Erica was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) three years ago and until December 4th, 2008 was battling through it with a smile on her face. Her sister, Jaci, documented her story through a blog which includes posts created by Jaci, her mother and Erica herself. it is an amazing story and very interesting to read. I thought I would share: Erica's Blog

Mommy in New York

This past weekend my mama came to visit me in New York. It was her first time ever in the big apple and I greatly enjoyed the opportunity of being able to be her tour guide and show her around the city I have fallen in love with! We covered everything! I think I truly exhausted her with all the walking and excitement! But I think she went away with loving the city and realizing why I am still here!

I had enough points on my credit card to get a free ticket for her to fly out here. I booked this ticket back in July and it was her birthday present. So this trip has been long awaited! It was so nice to have my mama to myself all weekend especially since I haven't seen her in months! I really did miss her and what is nice is that while saying goodbye to her at the airport I was able to say "I love you! See you in a week!" because I will get to see her this Tuesday night when I go to California for the holidays! I can't wait!

Tree Lighting

Went to the Rockefeller Tree Lighting on Wednsday with a VIP pass. Not much different from when I went last year just better view of the tree. The crowds are chaotic and half the people are just crowded on a street staring away at a building right in front of them that is 2 blocks from the tree... wierd! I wanted to ask each of them "so what exactly are you looking at here?" We lasted about an hour and a half before our toes almost got frost bitten and then decided that we would get a much better experiance if we took this show to a bar and watched it on TV. Most of the performances are pre taped and the ones that are live happen down in the ice skating rink which only a select few can see but seriously who wants to see harry connick junior perform???? Britney Spears backed out last minute and did a one minute pre recorded christmas message :( poop!

on the lighter note: CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!!! woo hoo!

Britney

The city has Britney fever! She is everywhere and tomorrow we (Chrissy, Anna, and I) get to see her light up the Rockefeller Tree! AWESOME!

Happy Birthday Britney!

leftovers

This thanksgiving I decided since all my roommates are leaving (Phil to CT and M&M to Omaha) that i would host a Thanksgiving dinner for all the stranglers left behind in the city. I made the turkey and provided the setting and everyone else brought the wino and fixings. It worked out very well and I had an amazing time hosting and bringing everyone together. We all had a lot to be thankful for and after cheersing to everyone's mini speech the dinner was filled with great conversations and LOTS of laughter! We finished off the night with a sing along to Moulin Rouge which I'm pretty positive after all those bottles of wine we sounded like whining cats!

I am very thankful to have an amazing family on the west coast that understands why I cannot spend this holiday with them and the fact that we are all counting down the days until we will see each other again! 

I am thankful for my amazing friends; old and new. They are the ones that blow air on the fire inside me helping it stay aflame and keeping me happy while creating great new memories along the way yet still reminding me of the old ones so they always stay fresh!

I am thankful for my personal economic state in these rocky times and that I am still able to live out my dream of living in New York!

And I am MOST thankful to God who has protected me and helped me so much this year by surrounding me with amazing people and helping me maintain my positive outlook on life.

leather bound books

saw this in a store front window right outside my work building a couple weeks ago. Something tells me I should watch Anchorman again soon...

Brian Fontana

I tried to take Paul Rudd's cab last night! haha!

the "count back"

Funny thing happened at lunch today... half way thru eating our sashimi and spicy tuna roll OG and I were discussing babies and I mentioned that I wanted one before 30, but before doing so would want to be married for a couple years and travel... then we did the "count back" and realized that at this very moment I should be starting a relationship with the future father of my unborn children... funny how this discussion occurs the day after somebody tells me they don't want to be in a committed relationship and want to be "just friends." Now I'm not one that does the whole "planning" and "age deadline" thing but it was a little bit of a reality check. Now of course living in New York is also a whole different culture. People that are 40 still put up ads for roommates on craigslist and 30 year olds party as if they were still 21! 

I'm really interested to see where I will be in 5 to 6 years... but I do believe in living in the NOW and letting things fall into place as they happen. But I also believe that the actions and decisions one makes in the NOW do set the pace and tone of the future. So, for now I think I will try to be more open to taking a risks and going out of my comfort zone and see what happens.

Halloween

Halloween was awesome! Held a pre party at my apartment, went to the parade, and then partied in Brooklyn! Good fun!  

Boozy Brunch

My favorite Sunday activity in the city has definitely got to be the boozy brunch! I got this in an email once and thought I would share... I will do my best to try all and report back on the experiance! now, which one to hit up first...

Scottadito
788 UNION ST, NY 11215, USA
$14.95 brunch with unlimited champagne or mimosas

The Sunburnt Cow
137 NEW YORK AVE, NY 11213, USA
$15 brunch with unlimited "moo-mosas" or "moo-marys"

Bondi Road
153 RIVINGTON ST, NEW YORK, NY 10002
$15 for brunch with unlimited mimosas or bloody marys

Essex
120 ESSEX ST, NEW YORK, NY 10002
$16 for an entree with 3 bloody marys, screwdrivers or mimosas. After that, each drink is $3.

Maria's Mexican Bistro
669 UNION ST, NY 11215, USA
$9.95 for brunch with unlimited bloody marys, mimosas, or bellinis

Calle Ocho

446 COLUMBUS AVE NEW YORK, NY 10024
Unlimited jugs of white or red sangria.

HK
523 9TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10018
Unlimited bloody marys, mimosas, screwdrivers, bellinis, or champagne for a "low, set price" with an entree.

Sotto Voce
225 7TH AVE, NY 11215, USA
$12 gets unlimited mimosas and pound cake.

Waterstone Grill
79 PEARL ST, NEW YORK, NY 10004
$10 + entree gets unlimited bloody marys, mimosas, and champagne.

Maracas
33 GREENWICH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10014
$14.95 for unlimited bloody marys, mimosas, and margaritas

Arte Cafe
106 W 73RD ST, NEW YORK, NY 10023
$10 + entree gets unlimited champagne, mimosa, screwdriver, bloody mary, peach bellini, or strawberry sangria.

Umbrella Bat

So its one day away from Halloween and I have NO CLUE of what I am going to dress up as! I have in my closet "emergency" costumes (sex kitten and naughty school girl) but I really don't want to resort to using them... so I found the umbrella bat idea online... I'm strongly considering it... though I am a little skeptical... i need to figure out how to make it work first...

Sunny Cold Days

It is FREEZING outside... and I decided to wear a skirt to work... go figure! But when walking from Park Ave over to my office after my morning meeting, between trying to battle the crispness of the wind blowing up my skirt and making sure my scarf is positioned correctly and covering all exposed skin on my neck, I looked up and smiled! :) Today is one of those amazing days in the city where the low temperatures and winds are full force yet the sun is shining brightly and there is no cloud in the sky! It’s a beautiful day!

Yay me!

Don't mean to brag or anything but: I kind of kick ass!

I have been working 10 to 12 hour days for the past few days and I led a very successful meeting today! Yay me! All were impressed: Client (the one that I swear hates me!), Architects, and my boss! woo hoo! I had to coordinate and work around 15 people's schedules to get them to deliver the final product... Still have 2 more people I need to track down and "professionally beg" to do stuff and it will be a complete success. Things learned during this process:

PEOPLE ARE UNREASONABLE AND DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH!!!

side note: I should have become an dolphin trainer at least I can convince them to do stuff by dangling food in front of them!

After jumping through all the hoops and dodging the wrenches thrown all the hard work did show in the end, now... how do I do what I did within 8 hour work days not 12 and also with a lunch break... hmmm....

A Szajda of a Weekend

This past weekend I was invited to go up to Connecticutt to hang with Filip's Familia and attend the 50-cie Lecie Harcerstwa w New Britan, CT zabawa. It was such a great weekend! I drove up with Pawela and Marina I have never been to CT so the drive was really interesting and fun! It is full on Fall here so all the tree leaves have turned colors and it is so beautiful especially when driving on roads lined with trees!

Filip's whole family got together for this event so we had a full house and you could see how ridiculously happy Mama and Tata were to have all of their kids + 1 grandkid under one roof!

We had a great time at the zabawa and even got to sing a few of my favorite Harcerskie songs at the "kominek" before hand. Kind of made me miss my mundur and LA harcerki! I saw Druhna Backiel who was komendantka of my Kurs in Wisconsin back in 2001! At the end of our 2 week lesbo-fest (the camp was girls only and we got to see boys only one weekend) she gave us these tiny wrapped gifts with a bow and a little note attached to it. I forget what the note says but it was somewhere along the lines of how these memories and friendships we formed during our time together were worth more then any materialistic item that could be wrapped and put in a box. I told her I still had my "gift" and that I really appreciated those 2 weeks!



Sunday we all went to church, hung out at dziadek's house and then went out to lunch for Chinese. It was such a nice weekend and being around Filip's family made me miss mine so much! I can't wait for Christmas!!



Also Adam's and Jenny's little man Tyler is so precious! He just gets cuter each time I see him!!

Wierd Nuggets

Friday Night I met up with some co-workers at Zum Schneider Renatka, Kasia and Wes came too! Its a really fun German beer hall on the lower east side with ginormous steins of yummy beer and lots of greasy sausage! mmmmm....

We then packed into a eric's car and went to Fiddlesticks. After escaping the College Crowd (I am positive I saw high schoolers as well!!) we past by a store window with this moving chicken nuggets... they were dipping themselves into BBQ sauce! DISTURBING!!!

Thailand!

Just bought my plane ticket to Thailand!! I will be flying out of JFK January 21st and Flying back February 8th! woo hoo!

Fuck Shoes!

Last night Anna and I got to witness something truely amazing! note: we are totally going to hell!

We were walking on 23rd and Lex yesterday and saw a woman get hit HARD by a bicyclist... and then noticed that her SHOE FELL OFF!

"Has any one seen my shoes? I kicked them off in a fit of joy! I'm going to go over here and puke shards of my own pelvis out!"

For the record we did try to help! I stood in the middle of the street and stopped the oncoming traffic until they moved to the sidewalk. So maybe we aren't going to hell so soon!

breezy office

so a couple weeks ago while watching Ugly Betty I was making fun of a scene where one of the actresses was sitting in an office with all windows closed and her hair was slightly being blown away...

My hair is blowing around and there is no open window or fan in site!!!!!!!! I am sitting in a cubicle people! wtf?

boy

I think I like a boy... but I don't think he feels the same way... poop!

The Start of Visitor Season

Mariusz and Archie came to visit me this past weekend! I had such a crazy week at work and didn't have any time to plan for their arrival but on Friday the genious in me pulled out lots of fun activities to entertain them with! Friday night we went to Live Bait by my work for Happy Hour and then we had drinks and Appetizers at 230 5th which is an awesome rooftop bar/lounge thats open year round. They had hooded robes and blankets since it was a chilly night! We then ordered Ben's Pizza and ate it at my place while chatting and relaxing! Then we hopped on the L and went to Williamsburg and ended up dancing the night away in our socks in Chrissy's bedroom! very fun!

Saturday after sleeping off our hang overs we went wine tasting around the West Village! Then we met up with Pawel and Marina and caught up at Daddy-O then we walked to East Soho to meet the rest of the fun party people at Moomia for sushi and hookah! We then ended the night at the UBER polish KLUB EXIT in greenpoint! Insane!

Sunday we did boozy brunch at Benny's Burrito in the West Village! So fun $10 for a GIANT brunch and unlimited mimosas! can't beat it! it was sunny and slightly warm so we opted to sit outside and people watch! it was a great idea everyone seemed to enjoy themselves! I had to run to work for a few hours while the rest went to central park. I then met up with them at a polish bar/restaurant on the East side Klimat. It's such a cool atmposphere inside (no pun intended) they have these huge wooden benches that you could swear came straight from Rynek in Krakow!

All in all it was a great weekend! I was really sad when the boys left. Michal is getting shipped off to the middle east in April I want to cry each time I think about it! I hope to see him again before he leaves!

Crytal is coming to visit in a few weeks so I am excited about that! I <3 visitors!

The end of warmth...

Yesterday marks the end of warm weather! Its all going down hill from now! I just pulled out all my winter coats last night from under the bed! and today I wore the scarf and hat my mama made me for christmas last year! I also pulled out my electric heater cause my cubicle at work feels like a meat locker!!!

On the up side the sun is still shinning! I love sunny crisp days!

Review time

Today is my review for work. I'm freaking out a bit! What are my long/short term career goals???? I don't know! how about I don't like what I am doing now and just want to learn as much from it as possible so I can apply my knowledge to something else??????? ugh!

Amish spotting and apple picking

This past weekend Filip, Piotrek and I made a dash out of the city on Friday night and drove to Lebanon, PA to visit Adam, Jenny and baby Tyler. When we got there around midnight we found pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins waiting for us and a note saying "welcome to the country!"

We woke up the next day to the smell of banana pancakes and the sounds of baby Tyler pushing around his new truck! After breakfast we explored around the barn and had some photo ops with the John Deere lawn mower, which I got to ride around in later. Who knew going 5 mph around the lawn would be so much fun! We then went to the tractor supply store and the farmers market! During the afternoon we met up with Jenny's co-worker, whose father owns an orchard and went driving around in an old school pick up truck with no overhead cab and picked bags full of apples, which we later made pie and crisps with! On our way back from the orchard we went Amish spotting but weren't fortunate to see any, only evidence we found was fresh horse manure on the side of the road, so we must have missed them by only a few minutes! maybe next time. After our delish dinner we rolled outdoors and had a bonfire and ate smores! *note: this weekend pretty much revolved around food.

On Sunday we pilled into the Pacifica like the big happy family we were and went to church. Then it was off to the Renaissance Faire with "me lords" where we harassed a few wenches during wine tasting and gobbled down giant turkey legs while cheering for the English at the jousting tournament! We finished off the faire drinking ale and watching the off beat explicit comedy shows which involved lots of inappropriate sexual humor! Who knew the renaissance fair could be so raunchy!

We got back to the city just in time to watch Entourage and Californiacation! All in all a fantastic weekend! Its nice to get out of the city, especially now that the weather is a little crisp and the leaves are starting to change colors!

Things I don't like

People with BIG umbrellas make me angry!

New Jersey!

Things I learned about New Jersey:

1. It seems so close yet is so far away

2. The road signs are NOT always right

3. The road signs are sometimes missing

4. The speed limit is a variable and changes frequently, making it very confusing for drivers from normal states (lets say California) to abide by the law; resulting in a speeding ticket... I wonder how much it will cost me...

5. The whole toll thing is just annoying

6. Middle aged people drive as if they were in their 80's... hmmm maybe they should look into lowering their age limit for driver license holders

... to be continued...

all in all I drove out to Jersey today for work and got lost and got a ticket and was a little upset with the state... off to celebrate October 1st right! Bar hopping in Brooklyn! woo hoo!

Sober September Update #3

So last weeked I had a little bit of trouble with the "sober" part of September... I believe it all started with a tequilla shot! hehe but no worries i felt fine the next day and had a fantastic time! Piotrek, Ania and I went to BB Kings to listen to some jazz and then booty shake for Tiffany's birthday! Then we went to Brass Monkey and bumped into Mike and his friends so we finished off the night there and were pressured to leave due to Peter's hunger! Damn, that boy is not happy when hungry at 4am!

Got some studying time in on Sunday, it was such a nice day so I took my book and read by the Hudson River. Very pleasant!

Habrat!

Anna is officially in NYC! so fun having Cali people in the city! makes it that much more funa nd interesting. now lets hope she stays longer then 30 days...

Sober September Update #2

Have been doing pretty good with this whole sober thing! I have had a few drinks here and there but very minimal. If I go out then I limit myself to two beers, and so far its been pretty good. Mickey Gajewski is in town this week and he is a huge beer enthusiast so I tasted some beers with him at the Blind Tiger my favorite was this pumpkin flavored beer. it tasted and smelled like pumpkin pie! mmmm...

I have been more active! Last weekend I went to the gym on both Saturday and Sunday. This week has been a little rough since I have worked pretty late and had guests. I haven't committed to studying as much as I would like but I have done some reading. I think I am going to try to go to Columbia University next fall for masters. I have great connections through work; all my coworkers are somewhat involved with the university and said they would give me recommendations. Now I just have to figure out which direction I would want to go: technical or managerial.

Ants, Genitalia, Chinese Art & the Rockefellers

Had a very cultural weekend went to the MoMa on Saturday and to the Rockefeller Estate on Sunday.

Things I learned about Dali at the MoMa on Saturday:

1. His main passion was film

2. His drawings and paintings were mostly used to conceptualize ideas for his films

3. He liked ants 

4. He liked ants crawling out of body parts (esp. hands)

5. He liked to paint/draw things out of genitalia

6. He was into guys on bikes with orbs/rocks on their heads

7. He must have taken many hallucinogenic drugs

Things I learned about the Rockefellers:

1. Ridiculously Rich

2. Liked to golf

3. Collected lots of Chinese Art

4. Enjoyed Tiffany glass

5. The senior Rockefellers where strict baptists and didn't party AT ALL!

6. Grandson (Nelson) changes the whole not partying thing

7. Had lots of money and time to make tree branches grow up (not to the sides) in order to preserve the views of the hudson.

Sober September Update #1

So far so good! I haven't drank any alcohol since Sept. 1st! woo hoo! Its actually easier then I thought! I went out after my soccer game (I play for FC Stantec!) with the team and i drank water and kicked ass in shuffle board! it was fun times!

I have yet to start studying for the LEED AP test though... maybe I will start that tonight. Tomorrow OG and I are going to go check out the Dali exhibit at the Moma and go shopping after... its supposed to be shitty weather tomorrow so it will be nice to do indoor activities.

Sober September

I am not drinking alcohol for the whole month of September! DON'T TEMPT ME!!

Things to accomplish this month:

1. Be more active

2. Prepare for the LEED AP exam

3. Figure out things to do in the city that don't involve alcohol

4. Start thinking about Master programs

Spontaneity

I could have not asked for a better labor day weekend! Right before leaving for the game (Pats vs. Giants) I checked one last time to see how much a RT ticket to Cali would cost for the weekend. This time I went to www.travelocity.com and SHOCKER only $278 ($327 w/ tax and fee)!! So with a shaky hand I give Mariusz a call and tell him to arrange for an airport pick up and a ride to Mono Hot Springs as I fill in the empty boxes and provide my credit card number and click SUBMIT!  Next thing you know I am in my apt slightly buzzed from the game doing laundry, cleaning and packing! 

I shocked the hell out of my mom! I really did! She had no idea I was coming home! We went down to Main St. got ice cream and walked the HB pier. It was so nice to see her and be able to spend those few hours with her! 

Mono Hot Springs = Tim

e of my life! every single trip to that place has never left me disappointed! No matter how many romances sparked or heartaches endured, time in Mono is a m

agical thing that only leaves you wanting to cry as you drive down the beautiful mountain back to the reality that is life. I will at some point, and I will make sure I stand to this promise, spend two weeks to a month exploring the area and falling in love with it all over again! I will first have to recruit at least one more person to take this mini life break preferab

ly someone that can make splints out of sticks and a husta and who isn't opposed to drinking iodine tablet water, oh ZHP how I miss you! 

Coming back to the city after being in Mono left me in a bit of a funk... don't know if it was just my liver trying to recoup or if the crazy of the city was a shock to my system after the serenity of it all. Though once Sunday came 

along I was back to "happy Asia" not only was football back full force but the day was gorgeous and I was able to sneak a bit of a tanning session and get some color before the cold starts to creep in! 

Football!

Football season is almost here!!! Can't wait! Tonight I am going the the Patriots vs. Giants game! Soooo excited! I hope the Patriots win and redeem themselves of what happened at the Superbowl earlier this year!

in a daze

I just spent 15 minutes at the wrong subway station waiting for the wrong train never once thinking about my destination until it was time to get on the train.

mental note...

... check blogs for errors before posting.

Now they are gone...

They came and went so fast! Just a month ago I was helping Aggie and Ewcia carry their ridiculously huge luggage to the Lexington Palace and now they have moved back home. I wanted them to love it here so much! There were so many things that I wanted for us to do together! Its a bummer I wish they tried harder, but then again it shouldn't come forced I guess. We did get to have a few crazy nights together and saw Mario Lopez in A Chorus Line which was awesome! It was my first Broadway show and I can't wait to see more!

I wish them all the luck in their further ventures! Aggie is going to look for jobs LA and Ewcia is back in Portland trying to plan her next steps.

Now I wait for Anna to come! I hope she will find New York more enchanting then the other girls and stick around a little longer!

I just think back on when I moved and how weird it was to adjust to being alone and to experience these new things and places by myself. I guess I was hoping that since they had each other it would make it easier for them to adjust. They did make me second guess my reasons for sticking around here. But I really can't see myself anywhere else at this point in my life. I want to get as much out of this experience as possible. I am going to start getting really serious about getting my masters and preparing for the next adventures to come once this one is over!

Birthday Weekend

Last weekend I celebrated my 24th birthday! I organized a brunch at Essex. After wards we went bar hopping in East village. I don't entirely remember which bars we went to but I did have a great time. The night before I went out to sushi with Olga and that was insane as well we met fun people at the restaurant and ended up having birthday champagne back at their place and then appearantly went dancing afterwards... I don't quite remember the dancing part of the night...

I hate to make a big deal out of my birthday. I think it is because I don't quite know how to handle attention. I don't like to plan big things because I then feel it is my obligation to make everyone have a great time. I would rather just randomly do stuff where there is no pressure to have a good time. I enjoy celebrating others birthdays but my own... I am still working on that.

Meetings

So I have come to realize why it is that after putting in a 60hour work week I only have about 20 hours of work to show for it: MEETINGS.

This week I have had over 10 meetings that I had to attend, all which took up mostly all of my days. Then I come back to the office and have to turn the items discussed at the meetings into reality; this usually happens outside the 8am - 5pm window. Its so interesting how people who are in the meetings with you all week will have the audacity to ask you if you have finished the thing asked of you at a previous meeting when they clearly have been with you the whole time since and know that you have not had the opportunity to even start on the task!

this is just me venting! Though today I got to meet with the CFO and CEO of our client. Had a little bit of sweaty palms for a couple minutes but got the results my boss was looking for so go me! Its awesome to have an opportunity to get to work with such higher up people being so new to this "working world".

back in the NYC

California was really nice! It was great to see my family! Though the whole trip was quite stressful and not at all a true vacation because the whole time I wanted to be at the beach sipping a margarita and sun bathing... but i did get to squeeze in seeing lots of people and even got to go to Ramona for one night! so all in all it was a fun trip!

The rest of the month is really busy lots of work stuff, fun stuff, and my birthday. I was thinking maybe a trip to Boston or a birthday brunch... i don't want to do anything crazy just enjoy the day!

They're Here!

They're here! This is crazy and still unreal! Aggie and Ewa have officially arrived in New York City with a ridiculous amount of baggage! I found them on the street corner yesterday and they were practically taking up the whole sidewalk! If you've ever been to NYC you know the people on the streets were NOT happy!

Today I fly back to Cali for the weekend to visit my parents. Also my godmother, her kids and my ciocia are visiting Cali from Polska so it will be nice to see them as well! My brother is picking me up from SNA and then we are going to Chronic Cantina to meet up with the boys. On Thursday I get to get my hair done by Dyanna! I am so excited to see her and I've been needing a haircut for the past 6-mo!

roller coaster

What a week... it sure had it's ups and downs. Yesterday I was prepared to quit my job but the second half of today has definitely made me realize that its all part of the learning process and I can't get frustrated once something goes wrong. 

I got to see the New York Phil Harmonic perform at the great lawn in Central Park followed by fireworks! AMAZING! i was very happy! I went with some people from work and we had a whole wine, cheese, and fruit party on our blankets, there is another one July 15th and I am already looking forward to it!

Today was the last game of the Spring Volley Ball season i have been playing all spring on the Jacobs Engineering team (my old company) we did OK overall we had a tough couple of games in the beginning but we pulled it through in the end. We won 2 out of 3 and I am looking into signing up for Zog sports for the summer season. it's a great way to meet fun people and get exercise!

Inspiration

K-Rad came to NYC for the weekend and has inspired me to write in my blog more often then I do... I am going to attempt at least 2 entries a week. One to sum up my weekend and one to sum up my week. So here's a shot at the first entry of the week...

Friday night the plan was to stay in and sleep... around midnight it turned into a bar hopping, beer and Jager bombing frenzy followed by spicy hiccup inducing falafal chow down for Konrad and then finishing up with a slumber party in my living room with a showing of "Blades of Glory." I now will have to invest in a copy of "Talledega Nights" for Konrad's next visit!

Saturday I experienced my first tanning session in central park with Renatka followed by drinks and chips & salsa on the upper east side. I was invited to a "Beer and Sausage Birthday Fest" to celebrate Konrad's and Marcin's (K.Rad's childhood friend) births! it was on Marcin's rooftop... my first rooftop party and it was a hit but then again mix beer, kielbasa and vodka and how can that not be fun?

Sunday I brunched it up with new friend Olga at Essex and walked around town and then just parked it on my couch and caught up with the Weeds season 3 and chowed down on Ice Cream and Guacamole... I don't think Sundays can get better then that! Oh and Olga and I have decided that we will have to start looking for dates through out the week in order to raise our new city adventure level! I'll let you know how that goes...

summer is ALREADY here!

I can't believe that Summer is practically here! So crazy to think that exactly one year ago i had just graduated college and was anticipating my move to New York City!! I have lived in NYC for 8 months already! And I am enjoying every minute of it! This week Aggie officially stated she is coming out to New York in July and looks like Ewcia is going to be joining her as they both venture out to find jobs in the city. I am so excited to be able to spend my summer with the girls from back home. There is so much to do in the city in the summer time! There are countless concerts in the park and also every once a week at Bryant park they show old movies! I can't wait to experience this with my good friends!

Mary, one of the roommies organized a girls brunch and movie in order to celebrate Sex and the City! It was definitely the best way to experience this fantastic movie. We all got dolled up and had brunch! After some eggs benedict and a few martini's we headed to the theatre and laughed and cried! Aggie and I used to watch whole seasons in one night so the 2.5 hours i sat at the theatres went by in a breeze! I loved it! I think now a days I appreciate any movie or TV show that accentuates the greatness of the city i live in!

The past couple weekends have been quite productive. I rode in the NY 5 Borough Bike Tour with my coworkers. soooo much fun! I kept up with the boys there was 7 of us, afterwards we all went out to stone street for brunch and beer. it was nice. This weekend did some aimless walking and drinking around the city and ventured out to Hoboken to celebrate Elas bday. it was nice to see the Jersey girls! Next weekend i am flying out to see Kasia and Aggie in San Francisco! I cannot wait! we are going to have such a great time. Sunday we are planning on attending the Bay to Breakers... i still have to figure out a costume! should be interesting!

Ewa and Sports

Ewcia is here! yay! she is here for her 2nd round job interview which i know she is going to totally get and then she will be moving here!

i have joined the softball team at the new job. And also have joined the Volleyball team at my old job. it should be a fun summer!

pope

I saw the pope cruising down 5th ave. this saturday! not as many people as i thought there would be. it was a beautiful day and i busted out the rollerblades and rode from my apartment to central park, watched a concert, rode around, watched some more concert (Matt Pond PA was playing) and then i rode back home. it felt so good to finally be able to wear shorts and a tank top again!

Urinals

I'm working toward getting my LEED AP (LEED AP = Leadership in energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional). While doing some research on a preject i discovered that one of the buildings we are constructing is using waterless urinals its pretty amazing! at first i was grossed out thinking about pee just sitting there and smelling but looks like they have it all figured out.

Next on my agenda: invent a waterless toilet that isn't an outhouse!

out of hibernation... hopefully

so when i last wrote that i was hibernating for the weekend i didn't realize it would be this long. but alas! spring has come and it is time to start writing again! 

The city is full of daffodils and tulips and pink trees! it is an amazing time to be in New York!! i haven't seen seasons change like this since i was 7! 

started working for a new company same boss mid march. lots and lots of work so i am keeping busy! VERY busy! no more googling through work all day! facebook and myspace are blocked as well so even if i had time i still can't explore other peoples happenings. 

More bad news... the love of my life Mr. Misiu my puppy has a perianal gland tumor  on his pupcia and had to get his juevos removed today! poor baby! i miss the little pooper and now he's never going to be the same dog!

hibernation

Taking it very mellow this weekend. Just hanging out around the apt and running a few errands here and there. Ewcia's return back home was sad! i love when people come visit but hate when it is time for them to go! I still have yet to get my parents their 25th anniversary present. i'm planning on getting them a his and hers massage in whistler when they go there for their celebration. I;m planning on buying a laundry hamper since i've been using my trader joe bags to store my laundry in. and i need a gym bag that i can take to work so i can go to the gym after without having to go home and change. 

Work is going fast and crazy i've been put on this challenging project that requires me to work directly with the office manager so lots of pressure there! but its exciting to be actually working and not googling all day!

The New Year

January so far has been a good month. I finally signed up for the gym and have been going regularly. Also since New Years Eve I haven’t gone out too much. I think of January as my recovery month from the craziness of the holidays. Right now I am eagerly awaiting Ewa’s arrival in New York, which is next weekend! I cant wait to see her and go off exploring BEAUTIFUL New York with her!

I am looking for a new hobby or activity that I can get involved in this year; haven’t really thought of anything great yet but am working on it.

This is a quote from “The Secret” it’s going to be my rule to live by for this year:

“Think of a car driving through the night. The headlights only go a hundred to two hundred feet forward, and you can make it all the way from California to New York driving through in the dark, because all you have to see is the next two hundred feet. And that's how life tends to unfold before us. If we just trust that the next two hundred feet will unfold after that, your life will keep unfolding. And it will eventually get you to the destination of whatever it is you truly want, because you want it.”

boys -> new years

The boys (Mariusz, Arek, Dawid, and Dominik) came and visited me a week before Christmas. What a weekend! Thursday night and Friday night were a blast. Then Friday at around 4am Arek got put into Jail and Mariusz had a bottle broken over his head! Crazy long story but in the end everyone is ok and Mariusz and Arek have to come back in March for their Court dates to resolve the whole thing!

Going back home for Christmas was amazing! Warm California sun and all the people I’ve missed! I couldn’t ask for a better holiday! It made me realize how much I miss it and all the people in it. It was really hard to leave. I got to go to Q’s, have a girls night out (Ewcia, Basia and Ania), went to Bodega, The Room, and the Beach. Saw two movies. Hung out with family for two days. And got to hang out with my mama all day on Wednesday after Xmas. It was so nice to relax and to see people I love!

New Years brought Ida and Hani to come visit me in NY. We did all the touristy stuff and we did lots of drinking to accompany all the touristy stuff. We had a really good time! We went to Azuki for free Saki and did a mimosa brunch at Benny’s burritos. And we ate pizza from Pizza Booth twice in one weekend! New Years Eve we went to Suzie Wong’s in Chelsea for their grand opening and took advantage of the open bar! Filip got sent home at 11:30 and at the stroke of midnight was walking home on the streets of NY. I on the other hand was standing at the bar and made out with some random guy (not too random, it was filip’s friend). Ended up being an early night due to all the drinking done the days before and the fact that my feet were killing me!

New Years Resolutions:
- Get Gym Pass and USE it
- Plan out meals for the week and spend less money on eating out
- SAVE SAVE SAVE (aka stop spending $$ on booze)