Monday, March 7, 2011

Snow Suprises

People seem to think that when it snows they don't have to pick up their dog's poop. Well, you know what happens then? Turdsicles. Then the snow starts to melt a little after a few days and it's like walking through a freakin minefield. If anything, picking up frozen doodie should be easier than fresh doodie... just saying.
The snow was so pretty at first- then it turned so nasty. Just gray slush that soaked all pant bottoms and shoes. My favorite was the seemingly solid puddle! That's when the water is the same color as the road so you don't think twice about stepping off the curb- only to find yourself ankle deep in water with chicken bones and bandaids floating in it. It'll ruin your day. I'm also a huge fan of the iced-over incline. This thing of beauty makes you have to walk like an idiot so you don't slip on the frozen sidewalk while heading up or down hill. Your footing never seems stable. You fear busting your ass with every stride. You clench your butt the whole way- you know you do. I like when you do hit an icy patch and slide on one foot for a few seconds- wondering if this is going to be the one... and the jerking motion of your leg is so unexpected that you over-correct and pull a groin muscle. It's ok- you just grab a handfull of snow and ice your pained parts... nobody thinks twice.

New York New Years 2011

Who doesn't want to be in NYC for New Years??!! Time Square... the giant ball... Dick Clark or Ryan Seacrest or whoever the hell they use... (we actually had a major debate if Dick was still alive or not- inconclusive) but anyway- I was gonna be there for it all! I was going to be one of those dunken people blowing whistles, covered in confetti, and making out with strangers on TV! It's really every little girl's dream... But then some of the most upsetting news was made known to me: YOU CAN'T DRINK IN TIME SQUARE ANYMORE! You also go through security and have to be there early early early to get a good spot. Gross. That sounds like no fun- and I only like fun. I got a call from Leighanne saying that they were heading down to TS at 11:00 am to sit... I got a call later to inform me that they had left around 3 pm. Clearly this was not the way to do New Years. I'm sure that some of you reading this are probably getting really worried that my New Years was a bust- but fear not!
Buddy's friend's sister happens to have a bad-ass apartment with an amazing split-level rooftop patio just blocks from Time Square... and we were invited to party there. SCORE! We loaded up with the essentials- a bottle of Jameson and a 2 liter of Diet Coke- and set out. The TS station was packed and there were cops everywhere. Once we finally found an exit we were swept into a sea of people-not moving because some idiots kept yelling there were famous people exiting from limos. We put our heads down and pushed our way through the crowd- pissing people off with every step we took.
The view from the rooftop was perfect. The skyline was all lit up and we could hear the mass celebration. We had a fire pit complete with hotdogs and S'more ingredients, coolers of beer, dance party music going, and beerpong set up. There was no question that 2011 was going to be AMAZING!
I had a blast for sure... I know this because I came home with a bottle of Jack Daniels, glittery 2011 glasses, and the pictures on my phone say so... I also made some new friends according to my pictures :)
New Years Day for us started about 5pm. Hell yeah!

Flying, Flurries, and Forsaken Footware

10 days on the Texas/Louisiana circut for the holidays was fun but there was a part of me that was really looking forward to getting back to New York. It had it finally snowed a big snow while I was away and I was super stoked to try out my new boots! I had visions of me bundled up with my adorable jackets and scarves and hats and gloves frolicking in a winter wonderland, starting snowball fights, and building snowmen with the neighborhood children... But before all that fun could be had, I had to make it back...
My flight out was not until 5:30 PM so I had plenty of time to get last minute visits in and pack. Getting everything to fit in my bag was a challenge but "Professional Packer Julia" stepped in! She rolled everything into little balls and shoved shirts and socks into all my shoes and every crevasse of the bag. I had received two decent sized skillets and a set of sheets which she fit in there too. My bag weighed exactly 49.5 lbs- if it it over 50 lbs you have to pay extra... WHEW!
The flight back was boring but I did have the new Professor Layton DS game so I stayed busy. The guy sitting next to me was playing some sort of racing game that he was really getting mad at. There I was trying to complete puzzles and unlock secrets on my quest of "The Unwound Future," and there he was yelling "dammit" and stomping his big feet. Not ideal.
I knew it had snowed while I was gone, but for some reason I did not take that into consideration when dressing for my flight back. I was sporting a T-shirt, cotton pants, and my crocs... comfortable on a warm plane, stupid when standing in a taxi line for two hours ouside the airport in a blizzard. Luckily my backpack had a sweatshirt in it (spillover from my bulging suitcase.) I finally made it into a cab and told him 121 Seaman- by 207 and Broadway... where does he take me??? 121st street in Harlem... not even close. After I correct him and he throws a little fit, I told him to just drop me off at the train station and I'd hit up the A. He told me no. Wow. He then proceeded to yell at some woman crossing the street- he actually opened his door, and in heavily accented and broken english, insulted her with pretty much every explitive I've ever heard of. Great... I'm about to get gunned down in Harlem... Welcome home Sara...
We make it out of there and arrive in front of my building. He totals up my ride and the asshole includes a toll AND does not take off for taking me to the wrong place. I considered putting up a fight but really I was just gald to finally be back. I paid... and then he bitched about the amount of tip I gave him. I just glared at him until he drove away.
So 8 hours after leaving Houston, the only thing standing between me and my apartment was a 2ft mound of snow. I stood there quite a while trying to figure out how I was going to conquer this frozen fortress. My only option was to barrel through it. My feet immediately sunk and slipped- Crocs and socks- once again, not ideal... Then I had to try to dead-lift my heavy bag over the mound... Going 10ft had never taken me so long...
I made it in, had a beer, and thawed my feet.