Fancy Feet

My girlfriend, Medina, and I visited in Bryant Park one afternoon after work. We got comfortable, slipped off our shoes, and propped our feet up on an empty chair. We were mid-conversation when a middle aged man sat down beside us.

He asked us about the nearest subway and then - without warning - reached over and started to massage our feet. Massage our feet! What in the world?!?!

Medina and I froze and looked at each other in complete shock. For a moment, I thought we were on Candid Camera, but no camera crew was in sight. Then, I checked my Coke in case it had been spiked and I was hallucinating. As I desperately searched for an answer, I realized that I had instead entered into an alternate/parallel universe where this was normal. That was the only possible explanation.

Suddenly, the man spoke mid-massage and began a long spiel about how he works with feet. How he just loves feet. Hmm...

I found my voice, after the feelings of shock and surprise wore off, and mentioned that our feet were pretty dirty from the subway. Subtly implying that he shouldn't touch them. He replied, "Oh, I don't mind" and continued to stroke our big toes. So much for a social cue.

Medina and I tried to maintain composure, but the whole situation was so out-of-control that we couldn't help but laugh. After a few minutes, the man abruptly stopped and excused himself, leaving us completely confused and hysterical. So bizarre.

My only explanation - foot fetish! I used to see ads for this sort of thing on Craigslist. I remember that I seriously considered applying for one when unemployed two years ago. Don't judge - I have nice feet and we were on a tight budget.

Needless to say, our afternoon was no a walk in the park that day.

Central Park Extravaganza

In July, we went to a (free) New York Philharmonic concert in Central Park. Ben, his parents, and I picnicked in the park and settled in with hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers for a great concert. The concert ended dramatically when a thunderstorm cut the last song short and sent concert goers in all directions in search of shelter. Quite a finale!

Below are a few pictures from the event. I like the picture of me eating because of the bright colors. I included the picture of the lady with the red umbrella because I like the method she used to help lost group members find their spot in the crowd. Cell phones tend not to work during these events because of the high volume of calls being placed, so people get creative when marking their territory. In the last picture, Ben contemplates song selections and reads the bios for each of the guest conductors.

Fleeting Moment

I froze in the hallway at school on Friday, the last day of summer school. My olfactory nerve detected an unusual, yet vaguely familiar, scent... one rare in New York City and never smelled before by me... FRESHLY CUT GRASS! I eagerly wrinkled my nose and sniffed again with the hope of getting just one more teensy tiny whiff.

But, the smell quickly passed.

Sigh.

Until that moment, I had completely forgotten about the delicious, clean smell of freshly cut grass. And, I didn't even realize that I had forgotten about it until that moment. That's what happens when living in a concrete jungle.

I will now spend the rest of my summer afternoons by grass, even if the closest patch is three blocks away. Time to google New York City's parks and recreation mowing schedule. I'm ready for summer!

New Digs

Our. New. Place. Rules!

We are finally settled in and enjoying the perks moving up the housing ladder. Our new place is a MAJOR upgrade from the last apartment; even one of the movers said that last week as he carried in the first box. His comment made me so proud and I beamed brighter than the New York City skyline at nighttime (corny line, I know, but so true).

Perks of the new place include:

5^th floor - The fifth floor puts us five floors up from the trash room, definitely an added bonus. We have good views of the street and sky, two things not seen from the windows in our last place. And, it seems, the higher we go the more entertainment we have. We can easily see into about 100 people's windows, and I already have seen two people naked! I put a telescope at the top of my wish list.

Lots of sunlight - This is the best part since we didn't get ANY sunlight in the last apartment. It no longer feels like a perpetual blizzard since our new view includes the sky and street. In fact, we don't turn the lights on until the sun goes down.

BIGGER space - My sanity stays intact longer in a bigger space. Enough said.

Location, location, location - Our building is next to the subway, crosstown bus, grocery store, and bank. Anything we need is literally within 2 blocks.

Cleanliness - The new place is way cleaner than the last apartment (i.e. NO COCKROACH sightings... yet). I know that every building in New York has cockroaches, but if I never see one then I can believe that our building is totally bug-free. And, that makes me very happy.

Rent - We also got, what we consider in New York City, a great deal for a true one bedroom.

I can’t believe our new apartment. We still have mini appliances and the building is older, but it's a great New York apartment. Life is definitely good.

More Coming Soon

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. We just got everything out of boxes and the internet is finally up and running. Check back this week for new stories!

Scavenger

Ben and I collected boxes this week from grocery stores, bodegas, Duane Reades, and the street to save money and pack for our big move on Saturday. On Tuesday morning, while Ben was at work, I hit the jackpot at Gristedes grocery store on 96^th street thanks to Darrell, the manager. He hooked me up big time and saved me from a lot of extra work and walking.

Darrell gave me 6 boxes at 9:30am that I stacked and carried home BY MYSELF to 93^rd street. Apparently, that was a big deal in New York City. People acted impressed to see a small blonde carrying a five-foot tall tower of corrugated cardboard down a New York City sidewalk.

Taxicabs and doormen whistled and catcalled as the boxes teetered precariously above my above head. Two moving trucks on 91^st street with small armies of men cheered me on as I scooted by. One guy even yelled, “You for hire?”

Needless to say, Ben was very proud to come home from work and see an apartment full of packed boxes. He’s always pretty impressed with my toughness. My brute strength definitely keeps him in line and lets him know who’s boss of our current, but soon to be old, apartment.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 2 year anniversary!

Happy anniversary to us, a very happy and very much in love couple.

Perspectives: Part VI

I wore a sleeveless shirt to work the other day. As I worked with an elementary age boy I noticed that he would poke the underneath side of my arm and then watch it swing back and forth. Poke. Swing. Poke. Swing.

“Are you poking my arm? Playing with my loose muscle?” I asked, stressing the words loose muscle. That’s what it technically was at one point. It was sheer brilliance for about two seconds.

Ever so nonchalantly, he slowly cocked his head to the side and said with quite assuredly, “That’s flab.”

Depends from what angle you’re sitting, I guess.