Year in Review

Happy Anniversary to me! Exactly one year ago today, I arrived in New York… without a return ticket in hand. That’s right, October 29, 2006 was the day I gave Special K a fierce hug at the Long Beach airport, said “See you in three weeks for Thanksgiving!”, and boarded a Jet Blue flight (the first of what would turn out to be MANY) to head east for my new adventure in Gotham.

So, now that I’ve been here a year, let’s review a few of the highlights:

• Have lost all modesty about other people seeing (and touching) my skivvies and now regularly send all my laundry out for washing.

• Got food poisoning within my first week in New York (on the day the movers arrived with my truckload of stuff from California, thank you very much) – and have not had Thai food since.

• Have cooked a proper meal in my apartment exactly once. (In spite of the food poisoning, I continue to eat out … all the time.)

• Have seen P. Diddy a few times when I’ve happened to pass by his office building just as he’s coming or going. (I see his Maybach with much more regularity.) Have also seen a handful of other celebs, including Andy Rooney, Wanda Sykes and my personal favourite – Rupert from the Hello Deli.

• Have learned that I can live quite comfortably in 650 square feet and there are a lot of items that we think we need, but we really don’t. But I still want a bigger place and a yard so I can get a dog.

• Have adopted “New York Time” – I walk everywhere faster and have even caught myself getting unnecessarily impatient when the tourists in front of me in line at the corner deli are taking a bit too long to order their sandwiches.

• Finally learned that “on line” does not mean “online”; it means “in line”, as in “I’ve been standing on line for hours at TKTS”, not “You can’t order tickets online from TKTS”.

• Have seen a ton of shows, both on and off Broadway including some gems such as Mamma Mia, The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Spamalot, The Scene, Avenue Q, Altar Boyz… the list goes on.

• Reconnected Special K with a high school friend who is now a successful actor. (Special K’s brother and I stalked Chris in the theater lobby after a show, and shocked the you-know-what out of Special K when I handed my cell phone over to Chris and had him say ‘hi’.)

• Broke a number of heels on shoes… and as a result, have rediscovered shoe repair shops… and flats.

• Logged approximately 12 trips back to California (so far), traveling almost 60,000 miles on those trips alone.

• Made “friends” with the construction crew up the street since I walk by every day to go to work. Started pretending to be on my cell phone when I walked by so my new “friends” would stop “chatting” with me.

• Had the unbelievable fortune of being selected as a “Dove Girl” for a Dove Hair advertorial and viral video.

• In the last mile of the New York Marathon, saw a guy get down on bended knee and propose to his girlfriend who he was running with. She said yes.

• Was quoted in Women’s Wear Daily.

• Had a number of fun rendezvous with Special K in Chicago, Dallas, Calgary and New Mexico.

• Was one of many victims of the Valentine’s Day Massacre – was stranded in New York over President’s Day long weekend because of severe snow and ice storms that started on Feb 14.

• Discovered that the two best food deals within a block of my office are the combo deals at Café Metro and at Subway. Discovered that the worst deal is the $3.50 bottles of Vitamin Water in the café in the base of my building.

• Bought more winter clothes than I have in 10 years.

• Promoted into a new role at work.

• Most importantly, have made lots of great new friends and have rekindled a few old friendships as well.

• And I saw a man poop in the street. What more could I possibly ask for??