Happy Father's Day!!

So so sad that I am so far away from my Dad on this special Sunday. Definitely been missing him (and the rest of my family) a little extra today.

Dad, I love you so much and I am bummed that I missed the big crab feast this year, but I have to say thank you because without your love and your support and your encouraging voicemail messages, I wouldn't be here, getting to learn so much and being able to have such an amazing experience. And this is just one of the reasons why you are such an amazing father.

Here are a few more reasons:

You're sense of humor.

 You're ridiculous sleeping habits.

 Your sportsmanship. And your mad golf skills.

 Your fever for dance.

Your Mr. Cool good looks. And our currently matching haircuts. 

 And how much you love your girls.

LOVE YOU, DAD! 

Mustache Man

I've seen this man a few times on the my morning ride on the L train to Union Square. He is always so interestingly dressed. I wonder who he is and where he works that inspires such a strong aesthetic point of view in him every morning when he gets ready for his day. Or maybe it just comes naturally. 

After work today, I walked a block and a half to Georgetown Cupcakes Soho and enjoyed a latte and a peanut butter chip cupcake while I sat on a stoop and people watched. A pleasant gift to myself for it being Friday. 

This is what I was sitting across the street from. Boy oh boy do I love me some brick. 

Be In it.

After a monumental 2 hour Skype date with my mom and sister this evening (with a little bit of Donny P sprinkled in for a few minutes) I have decided that it is imperative for me to truly be in this summer with full force and full conviction. Whether it is hard or easy does not matter. What matters is that I am here. And that I soak up every ounce that it has to offer.

With that being said, I am going to do my best to blog at least once a day. That may mean a whole post or it may mean two words or even just an image, but I feel that if I do not take active steps to record and document the intense incubator like growth process that is this summer, I will forget it. And forgetting this and everything that has come and will come with it is something that I already know I do not ever want to happen.

Oh, the wonders...

Today, I learned that Trader Joe's delivers groceries. To your door. For $2 dollars extra.

WHAT?

Yes.

Rain makes me happy

Today was wonderful. I had work (of course) until the reasonable hour of 6:30 (ok-- sort of reasonable) when they released me of my duties. I decided that it would be in my best interest to walk home. Although it was slightly raining, the cool breeze and sputtery droplets of water felt so nice on my cheeks as I listened to music all the way home.

I even took an alternative route and discovered a really beautiful street that I had yet to see.

After I came home and dried off for about 15 minutes, I decided that I hadn't had enough fresh air for the day so I set off down 1st Avenue to the Meatball Shop-- a restaurant that has been on the top of my list since I read about it last week-- to pick up some eats to go.

I walked there. Ordered. Took my food. Walked back home and enjoyed the rest of my evening in my pj's watching the Bachelorette.

What a glorious evening.

I am happy. And I'm getting into the groove. Finally. It's happening. I knew it would.

That's a lie. I knew it would. Then I didn't think it would. And now-- it is.

I am getting into the groove.

Here's to an even groovier tomorrow!

My first day in New York.

Today is Saturday. The Saturday that I have been simultaneously praying for and dreading. I have no work today for the first time since I've been here-- really longer than that because of how rushed this last 10 weeks has felt. And with all the possibilities of the city finally available to me, I feel this overwhelming responsibility to spend these moments carefully. And really- to spend this summer carefully. In this single week that I've already been here, I have felt so much and given so much and changed so much. Something that is not easy for me to admit to.

I can already tell this summer is one of growth and challenges and pains but an incredibly special time.
Last night, I got home from work around 6:00- much earlier than the late nights I have been pulling since market started. I sat there, on my small bed, in my small room in the silence before I realized that all I wanted to do was sleep. So I did. I slept for 5 hours. When I woke up at midnight, I felt like I was trapped. Maybe I was still dreaming. So I went back to sleep.

I woke up this morning knowing that I must explore today. For some reason, the phrase "Explore or explode" kept running through my head. That made me laugh. So I got up. Changed clothes three time. Left my apartment and my two sleeping roommates and started walking. Towards the L train. I must go to Brooklyn. Brooklyn has been taunting me. Every day, at the end of work, I get on the L train to go home from uptown Spring St. and I always get off the train just before we reach Brooklyn. So I knew that I had to start there.

I've never felt so alone. I've never felt so alive.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop on Manhattan Ave. It's cold outside and a man with a three legged dog is eating the most delicious looking sandwich. How amazing would it be if I just walked up to him and his dog, said hello, took a bite of his sandwich and left. Ha! Maybe I will. I feel a bit reckless.

The tone of this post is like nothing I've ever shared before on this blog but I feel like its ok. This summer is already such a surprise compared to anything that I was expecting and an important experience and it calls for complete transparency.

I apologize for being less accessible to you all this week- blogwise, texting, calling. I promise I'm doing good.



(one last thing: I have a feeling that I'm going to maybe get a lot of concerned texts/ phones calls in the next 24 hours. Seriously. I'm fine. Haha. This is the first time in my whole entire life that I have been challenged in this way. It's good! I promise!)

Triathlon

Remember when I called finals a "Marathon"? Well, apparently the game makers decided to turn it from a marathon to a Triathlon because I'm still going. Since I arrived here a week ago today, I have worked every single day from early morning to sometimes 10:30 at night. I am very very tired. And I am pretty overwhelmed. I will blog more extensively soon, but right now, I have to get out of bed and get dressed because work starts at 8:00.