Father's Day Weekend, part 1

Wow, so another week has flown by. Don't mean to be so lame with the updates, but I have been really busy! I got a rather large and intense case dropped on my desk this last week, so I have spent a lot of time working on that after-hours, so it leads to not so much time to blog. As always, unfortunately, I cannot discuss the details. Security clearance, and all. Suffice it to say, I often thought Hollywood made up a lot of stuff about urban New York criminal elements. Um, nope. All I need is some popcorn and a couch, and I am perpetually watching/living in one of those crime shows on like, USA or TNT or something.

After a busy, busy week at work, Friday was a welcomed sight. It was particularly nice because I got to see one of my friends from college. She is a year older than me, and ended up also going to law school, at George Washington. And is apparently working at the Manhattan DA's office. Side note: the Law & Order courthouse steps actually do exist! Like, it wasn't just a set-- the show shows the actual front of the state courthouse. It's pretty cool. I half expect to see Sam Watterson pop out any minute... And, it is surprisingly close to where I live. And by surprisingly close, I mean like, 4-5 blocks directly south. Who knew?

So anyway, we met up and exchanged work stories, at least to the extent we could. She apparently had just helped convict a guy on trial (she was working on the trial team, basically doing everything but the actual oral argument). So, ya know, that's pretty BAMF. We went to Little Italy, because it is near where she works/I live, and she had never gone. I took her to the Italian place I went to last week (exactly a week from when I took my friend, in fact). I tried the pasta, and as the last time I went, the food did not disappoint. Also, ridiculously cheap for NYC: I think our meals each were like $23 post-tax, pre-tip. And generous portions. We gabbed about our law school experience, and exchanged horror stories about applying to law school (I was applying to law school at the same time she was applying to transfer from the school in Chicago where she went for a year. Honestly, I feel like this blog would have been a lot more interesting if I had started it like eighteen months before I did; senior year was nuts, like sitcom-level ridiculousness. Oh well). But it was nice to see a familiar face from "the old country," as I like to say, and to have someone to talk to who can relate to your current life experiences.

My friend wanted to get home early; apparently she is living over by Columbia in Morningside Heights, and last week these three guys were found shot to death in an 88K BWM convertible parked like, right across the street from Columbia, and not too far from where my friend lives. The guys were killed execution-style, so the cops think (or so said the NY Daily News) that it was some kind of pointed drug-related hit, and not random crime. But, they haven't found the guy, and I can't blame my friend for being nervous, and wanting to get home before dark.

I had my own little adventure into new parts of NYC on Friday. After my friend left, at around 8:20PM, I got on the subway line I take to get to work. Except I took it farther into Brooklyn, as my boyfriend's friend who lives on Roosevelt Island, had a "gig" at this lounge club thing. I was so sketched out, because I was having to go into an unknown area of NYC after dark. I probably shouldn't admit this on a public blog, but I spent the last 30 minutes at work researching New York/Brooklyn neighborhoods, because I wanted to know if this club-- or getting to this club-- would require my going through the 'hood. Despite certain parts of it getting more yuppified, apparently there are many parts of Brooklyn that are as shady as shit. Luckily, the club was in Park Slope, which is apparently yuppie land (note: I do no say this disparagingly-- I love yuppie land, because it is clean and safe and mostly insulated from crimes to my person. Yay yuppies!) It was cool-- apparently, my boyfriend's friend is a jazz singer, and she was there with a band. Although jazz is not my favorite music genre, she had quite a good voice, and it was enjoyable. I remember thinking to myself, "looking around, here I am, 10PM on a Friday night, in a intimate lounge, listening to a local live band, in NYC. This is what being a twentyssomething or young adult should be about." For the first time, I actually felt like an "adult," rather than a glorified college student; I felt like I was really *living* my own life, going out and doing and being. It was a nice feeling.

The really nice thing, though, was that by boyfriend showed up! He flew in for the weekend so he could visit his folks for Father's Day. He flew into LaGuardia, and then took the cab directly to Brooklyn so he could make his friend's show. I think she was really happy to see him; it is always nice when old friends can just show up, and infuse some of your old life into the new life you are creating for yourself.

More happened this weekend, but I think I will have to make this a two-part entry, since it is 1:30AM and, yo, I have work tomorrow morning.

But, before I go, a few random thoughts about New York. Namely, ever since I have been here, I really can understand a lot of the references in the songs of one of my favorite singers, Billy Joel. Like, I always knew his songs were very heavily East Coast-driven, but there were references in them- many references- that I did not know were actually a thing. A good example is his song, You May Be Right. In it, he talks about being kind of a reckless person. First, until I came to New York and then listened to the song, I did not know it was New York-specific. It is. And, now I know why the song actually shows him being reckless. Like there is one line in there in particular, "I walked through Bedford-Stuy alone." And know I know: No. No, it is really not a good idea to walk through Bed-Stuy alone. Or in groups. Or just in general. Unless you have a death wish. I didn't even know that Bed-Stuy was a thing before I got here. I am pretty sure that, in the past listening to that song, I totally ignored that line, because it meant nothing to me. Additionally, I know have a kind of geographical point of reference for his songs, particularly The Downeaster Alexa. He sings about going to Montauk and the Long Island Sound, and I actually kind of have an idea of what and where that is! For a point of reference, until I started looking for housing for the summer, I had no idea that part of NYC-- namely, Brooklyn and Queens-- are actually technically on Long Island... Also, did anyone else know that "Mama Leone's" from another Billy Joel song is like, actually a place? Apparently it is a restaurant in Little Italy. I thought it was just some random reference from the singer's past or something, somewhere random. Or made up. Mind = blown.

Finally, did no one tell me AIDA, was a thing???? Seriously, I just discovered this musical exists (I had vaguely heard of its name, but had no clue what it was about). It is an Elton John rock/pop musical...set in ancient Egypt. Seriously, WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS EXISTED???? This is literally like my daydream, to somehow be transported back in time to live in that society. But the musical combines two hardcore nerd passions of mine-- musical theatre and ancient Egyptian history-- into one thing. Plus has modern, "rock" music. I have to see this show on Broadway or something before I die. *sigh* Honestly, part of the reason I like ancient Egypt so much, and find it so fascinating, is that I really feel sometimes that I should have been born in and lived in that society. It just is so fascinating, and not like anything we can know or experience today. PErhaps this is just me overly-romaticizing things, but I do really wish it were possible to live in that time and society. But, this is a deep psychological post for another day, not tonight.

To be continued...

One Week in New York City

So, unintended hiatus from blogging for almost a week, thanks in part to my residence building deciding to re-work the wireless connections, thereby rendering me internet-less for about three days. And then the boyfriend came and visited me over the weekend; so between all of that, I haven't had much time to just sit down and blog.

Despite my initial reservations about NYC (namely, it being dirty), I am coming to actually really like NYC-- it is basically everything I want in a city: there is always something going on, somewhere to go, something to do. If you haven't noticed, a big theme in my life is, "I don't want to be bored," and it is very hard to be bored in this city. Granted, I spend the majority of my day working during the week, but after hours and on the weekends, I really have no reason to stay inside and do nothing.

So far, I have been to Union Square and in and around Times Square, plus Central Park and Roosevelt Island. I like that New York has a lot of mini-parks and squares where one can sit for a while and just chill/people watch/hide from the heat. The first few days I was in the city were nasty-- hot and unbearably humid. Being able to sit in the shade at one of these places was a lifesaver. But, nothing beats Central Park. The last time I was (very briefly) in New York, I saw the Park from kind of a distance, and my memory of that view is hazy at best. While the boyfriend was in town, I was actually finally able to get there. And it was super cool! I had always known it was big and rather wild (in terms of just kind of letting things grow), but had no idea how pretty it was. Very lush and green-- quite the contrast from the rest of New York. And not kept up in the way that gardens and parks are generally kept in, say, France: while there is generally an organized scheme, and bits where there is grass and footpaths, a lot of the wildlife is left to just be, and grow. It does really give you the illusion of being in some kind of wilderness or countryside-type place. You will see lots of different animals (particularly birds) just chilling. There are old stone bridges that go over waterways and ponds. And yet at the same time, the park contains a zoo (which we sadly couldn't find), a mini-theme park for kids and, at least while we were there, a stage which was playing a Gavin DeGraw concert. It is quite the interesting mix of just rote nature, and planned human presence. We were only there briefly, as the sun was going down, so I will definitely have to make it back there to go to the zoo/ride the rides/take one of those old-school carriage rides through the park. My boyfriend told me that they do Shakespeare in the Park during the summer, and best yet, it is free (one of the few things in this town that are, apparently). Should definitely look into that. I also apparently got some of the grant money for the summer, so I am not a po' as I thought I was. Which is nice. Because thanks to buying set-up supplies, and a MetroCard, and doing get-to-know you social things, I probably dropped... lots of money this week already. A little piece of my Credit Card dies every time I swipe it here.

Times Square was...Times Square. I had been there before, that one time I came out here, and that is where I spent most of that day, so I remembered it pretty well. Although I had not been there yet on this trip. It is pretty much what you have seen on TV, in movies, etc. One thing I didn't remember (although I am sure it was there) from the last time, was all these random people just dressed up as random characters, for photo ops for money. I don't know what to say about that, other than it is random. I have seen people like all painted one color and doing street dances for cash before, but this is literally people who just go out and buy a Spongebob costume or something and dress up and mill around Times Square. I wonder how much money these guys make. The thing that really was weird to me about Times Square, was that while I was in one of the stores, the sun had set and it was dark out, but looking out to the people on the street, it was so light that I couldn't tell. Because of all the crazy lights in Times Square, it was so bright that it literally seemed like it was still day, even though it was 9:30 at night. I have never seen anything like that before, pretty much ever.

We also went to Roosevelt Island to go to this party hosted by a friend of my boyfriend. First, I didn't even know this Roosevelt Island existed. It is kind of strange; it is like literally an island of basically "urban" suburbia (apartment buildings and condos, but not high-denisty or hi-rises) surrounded by New York. First, it is an amazing view of the NY skyline. And it is very quite and like, way cleaner than Manhattan. The island literally has one street. Apparently it was all built up as a planned community, and it definitely looks like it: all the buildings, whether stores, condos, apartments or like, the local school, all are built in buildings that are very nice, but clearly built using the same plan. They all look very similar, and are all kind of related or attached to each other in some way. The only exception is this one church that, by the looks of it, is about 100 years old. The annoying thing about the island, is that it only has one subway stop serviced by one subway line, which thanks to construction on that line, made getting to the island ridiculous (we had to go halfway into Queens so we could get on the line going back in to Manhattan, then get off at Roosevelt island. I think we ended up going like a mile or two more East than we would otherwise had to have gone. Luckily, we did not have to actually leave the station while we were in Queens...). Otherwise, it was very pleasant, and I could see why people who like the city, but want to get away from its craziness, would choose to live there. So, never a dull moment. Which, honestly, is how I prefer things.

The coolest thing about New York, though, is the fact that you can just meander around, and randomly walk into something happening. My boyfriend and I had no idea that a Gavin DeGraw concert was happening in Central Park; we just happened to wander into it. And when we were walking around Rockefellar Center to get to Central Park, we randomly found a cool street fair, that had handmade wares and art and stuff being sold (the boyfriend even got me a cool retro pocket-watch type necklace by haggling with this lady, something I am not very good at. Haggling always feel so awkward to me. Like isn't the price of something like, what it says it is? I thought in America you could only haggle for like, cars and houses). Chicago even really doesn't operate like this; it does so more in the summer, but even still it is usually more formal things like a Taste of Chicago or the Blues Festival. I have yet to wander upon a random street fair (as opposed to a farmers market, which do randomly happen in Chicago as well as NYC). I love how here, you must expect the unexpected.

Anyway, I started my job on Tuesday, as it was Memorial Day on Monday and thus a government holiday. I have to say, for all my grousing about law school, at least so far I actually quite like it. Because unlike school, it doesn't have the daily monotony of class-homework-bed, and with a few minor exceptions, it functions like a job: when I go home at 5:30 every night, I am basically home, and don't have to think about work until the next day. Obviously this is not always true, as sometimes the lawyers stay late to prep for trial, but it is not the same as school, where even when you are home, you work has just begun. My typical day will be spending a few hours doing research, then going to observe a trial, then going to something like a witness prep. I really appreciate that the internship people have tried to organize it so that the interns aren't just doing research gophering, but actually get to see and participate in the many different parts of criminal litigation. On Friday, I got to go to a sentencing hearing. And by go to, I don't mean just sit in the public audience section. One of the attorneys I have been assigned was litigating a sentencing hearing for a guy who had convicted a couple months ago. As her intern, I got to go with her and actually sit at the prosecution table. My name was read and recorded as being in attendance and everything. Obviously, as I am not a lawyer, my role was watching and observing, but still... it was pretty sick. I think if I ultimately stick with it (which is seeming more likely, as none of the jobs I applied to have come through, and I am actually enjoying the work I do. It is such a shame that one cannot apprentice for being a lawyer any more, and that one has to be in school. I think my problems are more to do with the school part, not the actual lawyering part. It is so much more satisfying to do work that you know actually means something in the real world, and isn't just being submitted for a grade) I will definitely try to go into something in the criminal vein. I is just so...fascinating, particularly since it is so much of what you see on TV or something, now actually being played out in reality.

Anyway, that is probably enough for tonight. I do have work tomorrow. So I am going to read some Vanity Fair then hit the sack. The one thing New York hasn't been good for (aside from my wallet), is my iconoclasm. With all the fabulous things to buy, plus my discovery of Manhattan magazine, I am again falling into, "money is awesome!" mentality. Because it is. I love buying things, and so many cool, awesome, expensive things to buy. And I hate being a poor student. Seriously. I like doing my own thing, I like having fun, and I like doing things, and I like not being boring, but doing all of that costs money! Particularly after reading Manhattan, I was like, "hmmm maybe I should consider selling my soul for a few years doing transactional law for obscene amounts of money..." And then I pinched myself until the notion went away. Still, there is something to be said for not totally negating or writing off the benefits of trying to find a financially stable and lucrative job. Wouldn't it be nice if I could find a financially lucrative job that wasn't boring AND allowed me free time? Unfortunately, criminal work is usually paid for by the government, so I won't be raking in the dough any time soon. But at least it is really interesting; I won't be bored. That's got to count for something.

Actually, this all kind of reminds me of one of my favorite quotes ever, taken from The Sound of Music (even though I kind of hate that musical): "I like rich people. I like the way they live. I like the way I live when I am with them."

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made

New York City. The Big Apple. That place I used to see in a lot of movies and TV shows. And now, I am here. For the next two months. This should be interesting.

I got in to the Big Apple at 6:30 AM local time, after a wonderful night flight/red eye out of SFO. My theory was, "Oh I will take the Red Eye, get like 5.5 hours of sleep, and be generally good to go." Except that I had been staying up kind of late the previous two nights, and was therefore not entirely sleepy at 10:30PM Pacific Time, when the flight took off. And then, some ASSHOLE on the plane was listening to their iPod so goddamn loud that I could hear their music through their m-f-ing headphones. I couldn't figure out who it was, or I would have bitched them the hell out right then and there. Something you should know about me: When I am tired, and want to be sleeping, and someone or something is preventing this from happening for a stupid reason, it is kind of an exercise in Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Kristin. AKA, I turn into a huge bitch. Sorry. Needless to say, I got about an hour of sleep. Maybe. At some point, it became pointless to try to sleep, so I watched 30 Rock on the plane instead. I had never seen 30 Rock before. I don't get why everyone likes it; Alec Baldwin was good, but the episode I saw was kind of stupid and not very funny. Like, it seemed like it was trying too hard to be funny, or something, and that made it not funny.

Anyway, I am currently residing on Lafayette Street, near Canal Street. My residence is at this odd juncture between Chinatown and SoHo, so it is this weird mix of super tacky/slightly sketchy/very dirty and like, at least on West Broadway, super upscale boutiques and art galleries carrying goods I probably will never be able to afford. On the plus side, I found an awesome burger joint on LaGuardia Place, a bit south of Washington Square. I can see it becoming a hangout of sorts. Plus, at least tonight, the waitstaff was super cute. And I couldn't tell if my waiter was flirting with me, or just doing good, attentive service. He fist-pumped me. Maybe it's a New York thing. I tipped him well, at least. And West Broadway is cool because there are artists on the street, selling their canvases right then and there. Some of them are quite good. Which would be awesome, if I actually had any disposable income to spend. Canal Street itself is an experience: it is basically a bunch of tourist shops selling "I Heart NY" stuff (I must admit, I did buy an "I Heart NY" keychain, so I could keep my room keys together) and a bunch of mostly Nigerian and Chinese people selling knockoff pretty much everything. If you are in need of a fake Louis Vuitton, let me know. Except not, as I will be a pseudo-officer of the court this summer (I will be interning in an office that prosecutes federal crimes), so I probably shouldn't be supporting or encouraging blatant patent infringement.

My first impression of New York was one of shock, and a little bit of disgust. Perhaps I have been spoiled by San Fran and Chicago (which, for all its other issues, is a very clean city), but New York is super dirty. Like, trash everywhere on the street, bags of trash just piled on street corners, and graffiti everywhere, particularly on those metal grate things they pull down after stores close. Some places are worse than others; Canal Street is absolutely gross in this regard, but West Broadway, Washington Square weren't so bad. And the subway. Omg. After 5 minutes in the station, I felt like I needed to shower right then and there. I try to avoid stepping in any liquid-looking things, as one can't tell if it is water or...something else. And this dirty feeling probably wasn't helped by the fact that it was like 90 degrees out today, and about 99% humidity, so I was permanently covered with a thin layer of my own dampness. Ew. But, after about a day, I got over my pristine-ness and the sometimes-grimeyness of New York doesn't bother me as much. And therefore, the city is starting to grow on me. I suppose in reality, it probably isn't much dirtier than Paris. The streets have a bit more litter on them, but the subways are about the same.

The interesting thing about New York, from my limited observations anyway, is it seems like people here are just generally more interesting, or at least have more interesting things going on compared to other places I have been. Perhaps my perspective is skewed by numerous TV shows and the fact that I arrived over a holiday weekend, but it seems like people here are always up to something, or always doing something, always seem to be engaged or going somewhere. There is a constant sense of busy and stuff happening. Even on Sunday nights. And yes, there is a bit more of an "edge" to people here. One of the first things I saw when I got to New York yesterday, was some guy dragging a cart just shove a lady out of his way because she was in his way. Nice. But, that kind of behavior has actually been in the minority. For the most part, people have either been nonchalant or actually nice. I think part of it might be positive reaction to my being polite and generally thoughtful; people seem to very positively react to my saying "please" and "thank you," moreso than in other places I have been. Maybe they aren't expecting it. Like, today I had to go to Nordstrom Rack because I noticed yesterday that a skirt my mom had bought me in December (I hadn't had an opportunity to wear it or look at it much, as it is a business skirt) still had the stupid security tag on it. I had called the Nordstrom info number, and was able to get the purchase info on the skirt to bring to the store, so I wouldn't be accused of stealing. Except that the lady at the counter didn't even question my story, and seemed surprised/appreciative that I had gone through the due diligence.

So, tomorrow starts my job. Today I did a "dry-run" to Brooklyn Heights, where I will be working, so I don't have to spent time tomorrow morning trying to find my way around as I get to work. Equals more sleep for me! The plaza with all of the state and federal buildings is pleasant; it has its own little park thing, and a lot of greenery. And it is not very hard to get too, thankfully. I did not have to make any transfers or anything. Very easy. I am so not looking forward to the subway at rush hour, during the hot an humid summer. I experienced hot, crowded, nasty subway commuting while I was studying in Paris, and I imagine it will be basically the same here, too. Ew. And I should probably bring an umbrella, because it might thunderstorm. I guess quick weather changes/surprise rain shouldn't really be a surprise to me as I have lived in the greater Ghicago area for five years, and it pretty much does the same thing. Still, one thing I have always appreciated about California, is the fact that for 5-6 months, it will pretty much reliably not rain, and we never really get humidity.

That's about it for today. Even though I have been to New York once before, it was only for a day and a half, and basically all confined to Times Square. It was such a whirlwind experience that it kind of exists as a blur in my memory, so I really feel like I am really experiencing this city for the first time. We shall see what tomorrow brings, and what this whole job thing is going to be about. Goals for tomorrow: find out where I can legally buy and register pocket mace (because as a solo lady in NYC, who will probably have to walk places after dark, if someone tries to mess with me, I want to be able to temporarily blind them. Because that is just the kind of gal I am.) and find out when, how, and how much my grant money will be getting to me, because living in New York City = burning money like its kindling (seriously, they weren't kidding about NYC prices).