What's Good, Miss?

Spring time is here. Stoop snowbirds are returning to their perches. So you want to know what's good? Let me tell you.

1.

i hate ghetto people. the bitches on welfare with their wic checks taking forever at the grocery store but let's not forget their new and improved ugs, winter 2012 northfase, fresh mani and using their ifone 4... on speakerphone of course. yeah the face of welfare is actually white trash but damn it if the black people on public assistance aren't ostentatious as hell! you have four children before you reached 25 and ALL OF THEM ARE WEARING JORDANS; baby being pushed in a maclaren stroller... iCan't.

Speaking of ugs, what happened to just your standard sand colored classic boots? why does a winter boot have to have satin and sequins? and leave it to Starkeisha to get that pair and a matching set for her two daughters.

2.

our charter is being changed. well, just the brooklyn schools. priority in the lottery will no longer go to 'at risk' students. well damn. what's the point of opening a charter school for children who would otherwise be attending failing schools? 6 years of closing the achievement gap was good enough i guess.

3.

i have finally decided to do something the weekend before my birthday. Keep your calendars and stomachs open for Friday, May 4 thru Sunday May 6th. But don't keep it open for birthday cake, I want that on my actual birthday (make my cake, snitches!). I've already started on my beauty diet of vitamins, cocoa butter and a bottle of water a day. Bringing in 30 gorgeous!

4.

living soshul is going to be the death of me. you already know abt my 4-day mexican vacay i have to use before october but now i've been hitting up the restaurant deals as well. Those truffled fries I had last sunday????? OMG, I was in heaven. And let's not even talk about the baked potato soup amuse bouche, crabcake appetizer, or the most delish burger. then the fresh doughnuts with cinnamon sugar and whipped creme fraiche, AND the chocolate shortcake sandwiching salted caramel... (i don't like shortcake or salted caramel but everything else was so good, i just ate it. i tasted nothing but sea salt.) All for $30.

*weeps*

Soigne, I will be back.

I have a dozen oysters and a bottle of wine on tap, a 4 course prix-fixe dinner for two, and some tapas to enjoy this spring!

5.

yesterday evening, i text officer anderson cooper to ask him where a good place to enjoy the St. Pat's parade would be. he called me at 1030pm and I was knocked the fcuk out. What's really funny is how I just knew in my head, I sounded okay but he was clearly like, "Umm, I woke you up. I will call you in the morning."

Would you believe he called me on his way to the gym? I was like, "Sir! You're not doing the parade?! YOUR NAME IS PATRICK!" He laughed and said he's done it more than enough times, he's going to enjoy his day off.

I would find the one Irishman who doesn't drink more than a bud light and avoids the St. Pat's Day parade. No fun!

6.

me and the other 30 something teacher have decided to be in a heterosexual domestic relationship where each of us has a baby by a hispanic man. We asked Boo Thang and BeyAndre but they both grimaced, choked on air, and quite simply over-reacted to our proposition. Ew, it so would've been artificial insemination, duhhhh!

7.

I bought JJ some DVF. I'm so excited for her!!! and i'm even more excited to be that auntie! do country things with your momma's side of the family. when it comes to me and mini me, be prepared to get glamourous! The Glamourest!!! (shout out to trina!)

8.

counting down to Summer vacay! BRING IT! I EARNED THE HELL OUT OF IT!!

Liq'd Saturday

Like any and every other Saturday, I lie in bed for hours and around 4pm, get to getting. Yesterday started off a little differently. I didn't want to get up and go. Matter of fact, I was in such a bad mood, I wanted to stay home and feed myself papa jon's pizza. I cancelled plans to meet up with friends at 1st Saturday and chatted with my sister. we both decided we will get married under the radar. i used to wonder why people elope; make 200% sense now.

Anyway, around 6pm I knew I couldn't waste a precious saturday being pissed at family and in-laws so i text Lish to see what she's up to. she was with another teacher who just happened to text me at the same time. they asked what i wanted to do and i said, "The ideal place for me would be a lounge that happens to be a bakery and a bar. I want red velvet cake and red wine. I want dessert and drinks.

Well lo & behold, there is a place just like that. Well, minus the lounge vibe. The Chocolate Room in Park Slope Brooklyn was a bakery with wine (& one beer) pairings!! Are you freaking kidding me?! I can really get cake and wine only? And the cafe setting is perfect for you and a date or your girlfriends?!

I got the flourless chocolate cake with a Spanish port.

Fraser and Niles would be so proud!

The Weekender

my phone was tripping for most of the day. since it was saturday, i didn't really care. Around 10am when it went on the fritz, i said, "Okay, i'll go to ATT when i get up." Yeah, i never got up. I actually went back to sleep and didn't get up till 2 something. Phone was still frozen. Made the biggest and most delicious bowl of cereal (just corn flakes) and got an email my fave colleague (alisha) about a wing fest in brooklyn and hot chocolate fest in man. I SOOOOOO needed to be there! But that would mean getting up and getting dressed...

around 430pm, my a-hole phone was now dead. it committed suicide trying to unfreeze itself. i gchatted with alisha and we decided we're going into the city daggumit! i put on a see-thru shirt with sequined shoulders and made my way calle ocho in the upper west side for sangria and a shared plate of paella that had EVERYTHING in it... the best paella EVAAAAAAR!!! The portion was so huge we couldn't finish it but can i talk about the pulpo appetizer? the best grilled octopus i've ever had. i didn't even know octopus had fatty tissue but it was there and it was awesome; on top of a chickpea puree and a bed of diced smoked chorizo; get in my belly.

before that latin food made sweet, sensual love to my appetite, I was really thinking, "How crazy would i look with a bubble coat over a see-thru shirt? do those things go? isn't that like a coat with matching sandals?" Then I thought to wear the uniglo tank top underneath for an extra layer between me and the elements... didn't look right. Bump it, Hov said "en vogue with your skin out". Now was the time to try out my new NorthFase.

If you think I fell in love with my food, i am ENAMORED with my Upper West Side 700 Face!! YOOOOOOOOO, that is the most amazing piece of clothing I own!!!!! I love it more than my Jordans!!!!!! It was 37 degrees, drizzling snow and BLUSTERY AF when I left at 6pm. Ask me if I was cold...

Not a lick. The only part of me that was cold was the space between my boots and the bottom of my coat. So my knees were cold. Here is this Florida girl wearing a bra and a mesh top and a coat that by the way packs to less than 50% of its size. I don't know what space age technology they use but that coat is balloon light and does the damn thing! I am sooooo the biggest fan of NF!!!

I BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!

you know what hype i don't believe? the uniqlo heat tech. i had on the tights. might as well have left them off.

So after we eat and drink, we make our way to the east side. Park Ave to be exact. The Gansevoort. Rooftop is stuffy and boring, 35+ somethings. I see the Dunk Contest is on and that's the most amazing thing up there . Back down, Alisha's BF is off of work and he escorts us to the Champagne Bar.

I don't know where this has been my whole life but a bar that serves champagne is pure genius!!!! There were $6000 bottles of Cristal in my line of sight. I overheard the manager talking about this is a good time for rose champagne, etc and then he brought over a glass for me and Lish.

Cheers to the MF'in weekend.

Buenos Dias

It's 221 in the morning. Do you know where your Adei is?

1. Whitney died today. Such a shock! Everyone who was born in the early 80s loved them some Whitney. EVERYONE. Men and women. Her national anthem rivals that of marvin gaye's (I think hers is better, less "remixed") and of course she was the talent show go-to for YEARS. (Sexual Chocolate anyone?) But of course, the thing with social networks is you get some people who have to let people know they won't join the bandwagon of whatever the public sentiment is. Valentine's Day, Father's Day, 9/11; isht, even B.I.C.'s pics yesterday, there's always that one (or four).

2. Boo Thang told me he went to meet someone he met online and they went out for drinks in the upper west side. He seriously thinks dude put something in his drink cause he's never had margaritas that "strong" before. Because he was feeling weird, he didn't think he'd make it home (BK) on the train so they went to dude's house. Dude asked if he could ____ and BT said ok. When he woke up this morning, dude was trying to ____ some more and this time BT said no and left. I hate that these things happen and i've been lucky to not have any friends get drugged. I'm so upset for Boo Thang. I told him he needs to go to the police but he's trying to brush it off saying he ok'd it. "No! You were clearly under the influence..." but he's not tryna hear me. Probably cause even though he's gay, he's still a man and you don't know? men don't get raped! *sarcasm*

3. my saturdays have been AWESOME! Last week had two glasses of cab while at the BK museum and because Don Corn. died, it was an old school set the whole night. You'd've thought I never heard the Jackson 5 before! IDK, there's something about hearing your faves on loud speakers that make the songs THAT much better! even songs you don't like hit in the clubs (this timbaland, timberlake, hilson song sticks out right now...). After that, speech pathologist and another 1st grader teacher and I hit up Manhattan. I got a peach cosmo at some cool lounge near Times Square and then we went to a club. A bit housey for my taste but we had VIP/bottle service so I wasn't complaining. We know how that night ended. phone left in the cab,

4. speaking of phone, i haven't been too pressed to get a new one. although there are times when I NEED to talk to people, I can still communicate and that's all that matters. No phone makes me more accountable for where I'm going to be at what time. I have to order my steps b/c if I don't, I'm late to work or lost with no-one to call. yeah, that happened on Thursday. (It had to be thursday, didn't it?) I took my assistant out to dinner for all the hard work she does in the classroom and when it was time to go, I had no idea where I was and where I should go. I walked forever. In that part of Brooklyn, there are nothing but yellow cabs. (close to Man). I HATE yellow cabs. They know nothing about the other boroughs. I climb into one and tell him my cross streets. Nothing. I finally tell him I live in Bed-Stuy (most yellow cabs don't go there) and still nothing (I think he was faking.) He asked if I needed to go to Queens so then i ask, "Do you have GPS???" He says no. I get out and slam the door.

OH THIS IS WHY I LOST MY PHONE IN A CAB LAST WEEKEND!!! I TOOK IT OUT TO GET DIRECTIONS TO MY HOUSE FROM FUCKING MANHATTAN!!!!! BUT DRUNKY ME FORGOT TO PUT IT BACK IN MY PURSE!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! I HATE YELLOW CABS!

So I'm walking what seems like forever in luckily, the nice part of BK. But it's cold, late and a school night. I don't know how many blocks I walk, I finally see a livery cab. I tell him my cross streets, he tells me his price, i talk him down $2 and it's all good in the neighborhood.

5. I can't wait to go home and get my car. It has been consuming my mind since Christmas break.

6. I found a salon that does relaxers for $45 ($35 on Mon-Wed!) and she's a block away from my place. Yeah, basically the opposite direction as my Domi salon. She uses Mizani... what's a girl to do??????????????????? I really don't need to relax so why should I? cause it's there! and my hair is shinier with a relaxer! and I can do roller wraps with relaxers! and my edges won't look like Baa Baa Black Sheep!!!
Y'all know I'ma go back and forth with this. It's my hair, what else am I going to talk about??

7. My principal wants me to teach kindergarten next year... IDK how I feel about that. After having a taste of 1st grade, will I be able to go back to Where the Wild Things Are???? And in NY, you can be 4 y.o. in kinder. #HolUp

8. I don't know what has taken me so long but I am soooooo ordering Ugly Betty s3 and s4 from amazon! I watched a totally random episode and it brought me sooooo much joy! Thank you B. Suarez for adding to my love of Saturday!

9. Tomorrow is brunch day. I think I will have a brunch of baked goods. There's a pie place in Park Slope (BK), my patisserie in SoHo, cookies in Midtown and Oprah's cake place in Harlem. Wait, seeing how the high will only reach 32 degrees, I need some 'strategery' on how to make all that happen...

10. I cooked last week. Ribs, baked beans, corn, cornbread. I don't think I cooked the ribs long enough (too hungry) and they make me sick. Maybe my body isn't used to pork anymore. Oysters and sushi it is.

Alright good people, this was your weekly update! XOXO :-)

NY in NY

Trying to decide if I want to go to Times Square... I know it will be utterly bananas down there; ish, the subways were crazy for the Rock tree lighting!! Officer Anderson was telling me i'd have to get there around 6pm and basically stay in one spot till the ball drops. He was also saying when the time comes, he can get me close but let's review: You want me to willingly be exposed to the elements for hours on end? I dunno about that. Plus, allllll those people might get on my nerves. I'm not one to shy away from crowds, I love being where the party's at but... I'm feeling some kinda way abt Times Square. I would rather be in a club or bar and watch from the TV, like what I did in ATL, DEN, and MIA in the past. Good times, good friends, good drinks, WARM!

I'm sure anywhere I go will be fun. I just want to wear sequins and have a drink in my hand, is that too much to ask?? Not in NY! So far I'm debating on a see-thru shirt with gold sequined shoulders or a silver sequined beret... decisions decisions! LOL

Update

1.

Met up with Officer Anderson* on Sunday. We watched the Pack and G-Men play and he was pleasantly surprised with my football knowledge. But I didn't know what exactly a 'Pick 6' was so I think he felt good being able to explain something to me.

While on the subject of females and football, I think I know what happened.

Hella chicks started pretending to like football so they can seem like that cool ass chick. The Marine? His ex wife used to watch football with him ALLLLL THE TIME. The minute they got married, she fessed up and said, "Ugh, I hate that ish. I'm going to the mall." When we used to hang out, he was very skeptical of me liking football and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Whatever the case, guys got played into thinking their girls like football. It became a pandemic! But now that the fluff has been weeded out, guys are still like, "You like football? For real?" and I stay getting the side-eye! I don't your approval to like football!

So yeah, we met at the Brooklyn Bridge and walked to a pizzeria in The South Seaport of lower Man. As we were walking, there was a tree lighting and carolers in the street! Then before we sat down to watch the game, we looked at the skyline of Brooklyn at dusk. Walked to the other side of the pier and saw Lady Liberty! It was actually surreal. I couldn't believe I was meeting up with a member of the NYPD to eat pizza and watch the Giants play with the sun setting on Brooklyn in the background. Sounds like a cliche' bit in a rom-com!

So we've been chatting but our schedules are complete opposite. Oh well, there was talk of attending a Knicks game and getting me close to the action at NYE :-)

2.

I love flying. I haven't been scared the past two times. There was one time I didn't even know we were landing till I felt the *bump* of tire meeting asphalt. I hope I will always be able to afford to fly and eventually move up to first class as my standard. This weekend, I will be in the DMV for my grandfather's states-side memorial service. I'm more excited at all the family I'm going to see, including my brother :-) I haven't seen him since Labor Day weekend!

3.

I'm going to be an auntie! My very first niece is scheduled to arrive in march and I CAN'T WAIT! I've named her Staceyita and I'ma call her that cause I have a feeling she will be like me:

overprotected.

4.

I've been wearing my hair pinned up and whenever I start removing bobby pins, I'm surprised by how long my hair is :-) No, it's not what it used to be but it is so getting there! I told y'all, Operation Long Hair Don't Care was in effect!!! I can't wait for my hairdresser to see it!

5.

30th birthday. I've decided it will be in either Philly or DC. When I think of those two cities, I think of the birth of a new nation, independence, freedom, all that patriotic stuff. It will most likely be in DC so start planning for GHoGH Parte Deux!!!! Oh, the theme? Red, White, and Loub. Yes, I'm 30, tricks! Gimme my shoes!

6.

Sometimes I love where I work, sometimes I don't.

7.

I really love going out in NYC. I feel so alive and like this is how I'm supposed to be living. Sometimes, it may be a dive bar or some hood spot or some cool lounge in Manhattan. The yellow cabs, the hustle and bustle, guys and girls in their cutest fits, feeling good off of work, the whole vibe. SO ALIVE!

8.

I can't wait to go home and be in some sunshine. but first, the hair on my legs is Fcukin Ridiculous. I saw this on twitter and RT'd promptly: if the PETA people saw my legs, they'd throw paint on them.

*STAMP*

*I call him Officer Anderson b/c he reminds me of Anderson Coop. Small and piercing blue eyes.

take time to breathe

I have to remind myself to do that. Take time to breathe, talk to loved ones, eat... if not, this NY pace will eat me alive.

even in the boroughs, I feel like i'm in constant movement during the week. I really feel like i don't have time to do anything but go to work and come home to sleep. i get meals in when i can and the only communication i have is via twitter. yeah, i don't talk on the phone during the week. definitely not a complaint; i'd rather text or IM anyway but for those people who don't text or IM, man.

but it's saturday. my favorite day of the week. regardless of the weather, i'm going to take the bus in the opposite direction of where i usually go and just ride around. or maybe i'll take it farther than my usual stop (lafayette [target]) and see what's beyond.

what i need to do, kind of like my food wish list from this summer is write down all the things i want to do on the weekend. visit the brooklyn academy of music is one. try a new restaurant is another. and my co-workers have drinks every friday but they've gone to the same watering hole 3 weeks in a row. project p.arlour on myrtle (the hipster part) is cool but can we venture out? also, even though zag.at has thoroughly gone in on drinks that are doing the most, those drinks with interesting ingredients actually interest me. yes, I want to try a tenocht.itlan, a drink with hot mexican cocoa powder, a hint of gunpowder, and coconut milk (comparable to a white russian, lol. this was at project parlour but i already had three drinks).

blue note. i have to go there.

MoMA and 'nem (i wish they were free like the smithsonians, *grumble*)

eataly. have to go there to eat, not just marvel like a kid in a candy store.

must go back to grand central and eat some more oysters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so many things to eat and see, so much time!!!!

anyway, trying to make the most of this new york life i chose to live. and i need to before i totally shut down for the inevitable winter!!! Yes, your girl bought another down bubble. it's just like green one i bought two weeks ago but it goes down to my shin. and this is in addition to the x-ray jacket like peacoat my uncle bought me last week. what i really need are more sweaters and pants! maybe that's what i will do today... go to somebody's macy's.

ooop! today is saturday! MEXICAN CORN!!!!!!

alright y'all! make the most of today! it's yours!

I Survived!

Really? I come to NY and the city has a hurricane? It hasn't seen once since 1938 but 4 weeks into this mug and here come Irene with alllll the pandemonium to boot.

It must be the south florida in me. I do NOT believe ANY of the hype. I was very surprised my brother text me, "You ok?" Yes, why wouldn't I be? We used to HATE fielding phone calls from UK, Ghana, and the US whenever hurricane season was on 10. Yes, we did appreciate the concern but we're here and we know sensationalism sells. Boy, does it sell.

Then there was TMI getting all up in arms b/c I was sooooo nonchalant about I.rene... like, he really got an attitude with me cause I started laughing at him trying to tell me how to live during a hurricane. "Make sure you have water! Stay away from the windows! Charge your phone just in case the power goes out! Get some flashlights! They say this will be the storm of a lifetime!"

-_-

Really? Cause I haven't been living in hurricane ally for the past 29 years. You know what my storm of a lifetime was? Hurricane Andrew. Cat 5. You know what another storm of a lifetime was? Katrina, Cat 5. She tore up the gulf while I was in Tally.

This is my thing. There is an exact science to hurricanes. As random and powerful as Mother Nature can be, there is no such thing as random. Let me explain myself and her for a split second.

1. I.rene was a Cat 3 when she was down in the warm waters of the Atlantic. Guess what happens to storms as they come up the east coast? the water gets cooler and they get weaker.

2. Her eye was never really developed. A bout-it hurricane has a definitive eye, as clear as a doughnut. She didn't have one. the literal center of her being was raggedy. When it is not crystal clear, dry air gets swept up into the bands/storm and basically deflates it.

So cooler water + dry air... you see where I'm going?

Now the argument TMI and others were trying to make was, "Well, the buildings aren't built for hurricanes like they are down in Florida! you need to make sure you're on the 10th floor or lower!"

I live on the 3rd floor in Brooklyn. Please calm down.

Now maybe there will be a time when a hurricane comes and shows my behind what it's made of. I am definitely not doubting nature and it's power. I will tell you this, I am NOT one of those people who say "Oh yeah, we're going to tough it out." (see: white trash in their trailer homes). If I was back home and the mayor of my town told me to evacuate or find a shelter immediately, I will heed. I just seriously doubt that "hurricane of a lifetime" will be up here. I truly believe NYC went into a frenzy as a pro-active instead of reactive measure. For that, I applaud the city. Someone brought up the Blizzard at a press conf and Bloomberg said, "What does the blizzard have to do with this? That was unexpected. This, we plan for and we take action." Get it, Bloomy!

Now we have to stay tuned for winter and the snow that is sure to come! I know Jameil cannot WAIT for my suffering :-(((((((

On another note, school has been canceled for me tomorrow! I am excited! I get to go to school and finish up the last details I didn't get to and just shoved in teacher storage, lol! I will print out some activities and throughly plan my day :-) Summer vacay is almost over!!

Rants, Ramblings, Whatever

So last week was a bit more positive than this week. Chill out, I'm allowed to not be cheery miss sunshine every once in a while; I believe in balance, thankyouverymuch.

1. The school i will be working at is the newest in the System. So for some weird reason, our principal feels like we should see the 7 other schools and how they get down. i live in BK. for me to be at the BX school by 7am means i have to get up and going by 430 am. it's still dark. that can't be safe. my main gripe is this: you have to have 3 years teaching experience to become a teacher in the System. Why would watching another teacher go thru her routine help me in mine? Yes, I can pick up a few pointers here and there but ma'am, traveling to harlem and BX is just plain ridiculous.

2. i've been here for two weeks now. in those two weeks, i've been talked at and lectured every.single.workday. from 8am to 5 pm. what more is there to learn that i just checked my work email and found out we have another session at 8am... MY GOSH! DO YOU PEOPLE EVER STOP TALKING?!!?

3. 3 hour meetings must stop. call us together at the end of the day for a hour debrief every day. don't call us one day at 10 am and keep us till 120pm and then call another meeting at 3pm. that can't happen. people stop listening after 2 hours. and i get hungry for some real food, not some freaking cheesits you pass around. i've already devoured the almonds i had in my bag, let me go eat some food.

4. $95 for a retouch?? GTFOOHWTB

5. $103 pp for a prix fixe menu? GTFOOHWTBS

6. people who don't take out their wallet before the bus gets here.

ma'am. you know you're getting on the bus in t-minus 6 minutes. why must you stand in the stairwell, fumble thru your purse and take out $2.25 in change? OMFG.

7. some say it's better to use cash but not me. I have cash in hand, it disappears. I like using my card cause i have a running total of my balance in my head. with cash, i think, "Oh, it's already taken out *SPEND*" the lack of businesses that takes cards appalls me. i understand we're in Bed-stuy and most people don't have a bank account but cash their checks at the bodega, but is the fee that much that you can't have a card reader? i hate you. but i love you at the same time cause Lord KNOWS i'd be fat off of pizza, ribs and fried fish if my food spots took cards! Yum!!! LOL

wasn't that a good segway into positive?

8. like my dearest friend Jameil, I loooooooove a good meal. where she finds utter joy in collecting the esoteric ingredients and preparing delectable dishes, I want to find a restaurant that will feed me well. throw in awesome atmosphere and a good drink, i'm yours forever. New York has alllll that. It has the zagat rated hole in the wall rib joint in bed-stuy. it has the always fun habana outpost in ft. greene. then... it has kittichai in soho

*fans self*

Dani and I will be going there next week. I'm going to pee on myself if Sunday doesn't get here right now!!!!

9. events.

yo, talking to my dad, he was like, "Don't forget to catch a Knicks game. And tell your uncle Spike to sit down!" LOLOLOLOL!!!!!! I AM IN KNICKS COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO CATCH A GAME!

ummm, there are free music fests here like, alllll of the time. i missed when mos def had his free concert in BK and then the morning shows always have someone performing during the summer... (i missed maroon 5 too)

10. i have more friends here :-) it was tough being so far from everyone. with my mom gone, it was me and pops and koko. but that was more likely me and koko with my dad's voluntary work schedule. up here, i can hop on a train to see at least 4 friends or see my family in LI. and flying anywhere out of NY is cheaper than flying out of PBI, i know that for a fact.

Ok, here's to focusing on the positive and minimizing the negative! negative is going to happen, as long as i vent, put it in the air and be done, i should have a great year!

Things I Know Now

This will be a piggy back off of (lol, I was about to '@' you) Dani Colored Glasses' post about moving to NY and not knowing what the deal was.

1. Flo Jo beneath every NYer.
So true. I WAS too cute to run up a flight of stairs yesterday and that made all the difference in an air conditioned seat, getting to the city in a timely manner, not being harassed by the late night locals and... my car having DCG's uncle serenading us in Patois. Not again.

2. The Cute Commute.

I thought I could make my commute to Harlem in my nude patent leather pumps and back. After all, I'm just walking a few blocks to and from the train stations...








FACE.






Those stairs and platforms and more stairs and more platforms and breezeways and under-underground tunnels and transfers via a totally different platform and construction on the platform leading to detours to a split level platform? Then the standing and waiting for a train or for your walk signal? *whimper* I wore cr.ocs for 48 hours straight. Not even my trusty steve madden flippies but crocs. I wanted to marry them, they were so good to me.

3. The all encompassing Tote.
I don't know how they do it. They have these lone-shomp totes with EVERYTHING in them!!! They talk about running to work in their asics, break out the full tupperware of salad, toppings, and dressings, the camelb.ak water bottle, two pieces of fruit, their mac, molesk.ine, iP.ad, umbrella, and tor.yburch flats. Where does it all go?? I have this denim GAP tote which I ADORE and all I'm carrying is the mac, my wallet, and my keys. and I want to die. I'm a wristlet kind of girl. Adjustment is tantamount to survival.

4. Weather Expert.
Yeah, I came home and ordered the isht out some rain boots. Why I didn't order them the FIRST time I got rained on and feet street wet, I have no idea but just know that I am on the hunt for an ankle length northfase bubble with a hood/snorkel BEFORE winter gets here.

and I'm going to find it.

5. Scarves

I have no problems with scarves. I love my solid color jones new york joints with a passion. I have red, dark pink, orange, yellow, wisteria, black, and cream (need blue and green, peeps). How many of them did I bring with my in my packing haste last week? Nun. But, for whatever reason, my leopard print blanket of a scarf was in my carry on from when I bought it in the DMV this past June and that's what i decided DIDN'T match my dress and therefore wasn't coming with me last night.

Then the sky opened. I had nothing to protect my hair, I had nothing to keep me warm on the train, I had nothing. Again, back to that "too cute to commute" tenet. Ima learn, lil mama, Ima learn. There is NOTHING cute about a skinny black girl shivering on the train looking like a drenched kitten.

7. Personal Space

I'm African. There is no such thing as personal space. We leave all doors open and damn you to nigeria if you think you're going to close/lock the door while you're taking a shower (that's what shower curtains are for). I've told you years ago, the first time I slept with a door closed was my first night at Hampton. This issue doesn't bother me at all. I just want to get on the train. Let my ass in. I missed the last one trying to be cute, remember?

I have even thought of asking guys if they would mind me sitting on their laps. I would never EVER do that but this has crossed my mind:

I wonder if he would mind me sitting on his lap. My feet are killing me in these damn pumps. I should just sit and see if he would object, yeah...

Not only that, but if you do happen to get a seat on a crowded train, be prepared to have someone's junk in your face. Yep. The seats are that low. Full.frontal.

8. Up/Downtown

It makes so much sense to me now. I was truly confused for the longest time and it's because I'm not used to the word 'uptown'. We have a Downtown. It's where City Place is. Oh yeah, the courthouse but more importantly, City Place. Here, uptown is going... up! Downtown is... down! I used to think all of Man was 'Downtown' just based on my schemata (where the action and business take place) but many many train rides and begging MTA officials to let me in cause "I know I just swiped my card but that was across the street and that was the wrong way", I got it all figured out. If I want to go home, I go Downtown and keep going till I'm not even in Man anymore but in BK, across the water. If I want to go to the System, I go Uptown till I'm damn near in The BX.

9. Cabs.

I've taken two. I'm not there yet. If I can't get there by bus or train, I don't need to be there. I'm kidding. That's a stupid way to think but I need to wrap my head around using cash and then I think I'll be more open to them. Lord knows, I could've used one last night.

9. Personal Entertainment.

There was a point in time when I didn't charge my itouch until I was going on a trip. I used it that infrequently. Now, I am PISSED if I didn't charge it the night before. Music... shit, just the headphones alone give you personal space. I know you see my earbuds in, don't talk to me about my superman tattoo it's not that big of a deal. It's a tat. I'm in NY and VERY mild compared to the population.

I do like reading the AM NY (or something like that) just to get a heads up on what's going but what usually happens is i play bejeweled and listen to itoons on shuffle. I've been hearing some songs I didn't even know I have and I like them!

10. Be present

Yo, this came to me as I was walking home from the train station. BE PRESENT. As I was swimming home and thinking about the wonderful shower I was about to take in BLEACH, I thought, "Yo. I just left freakin Manhattan after a night with some girlfriends. I am walking in the rain in Brooklyn, New York. I am walking HOME in BK. I am here. It rains. So what?

Enjoy each moment as they come b/c it could've been a totally different ball game. TOTALLY different. I don't have that much money. Buying plane tickets with less than 48 hours turn around (and checked bag fees, grrr) is pricey. Trying to make your new place as comfy as possible and freaking transportation costs money. My MTA card def had $0.50 and I knew if I used my card I would be left with the negative absolute value of that in my account (FRIDAY, I NEED YOU HERE LIKE I'VE NEVER NEEDED A FRIDAY BEFORE) but whatever, I am freaking HERE.

and there is my first week in New York! LOLOL i'm loving every moment of it!