10 Adar/24 February, 2010
Feb. 24th, 2010 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bearshortyJon Stewart’s analysis of credit card use and credit card reform - priceless
Today I went to dinner in the city with the girls. We’ve been planning this for a few weeks. I was nice to get out of the house. It has been snowy and cold the whole month and I mostly stay home lately. At one o’clock in the afternoon lots of plans collided together, which called for some last minute changes. A few weeks ago, my Mom offered to host a daughter of her classmate who was coming to New York to audition for a music school. (She is a high school senior) She lives in Minnesota, or some such northern state, but she was in Boston in the beginning of this week for auditions to other music schools. She was planning to come to New York by train on Thursday or Friday for her Sunday audition, but due to upcoming snowstorm, she got last minute ticket out on Wednesday. Since I was going to Manhattan for dinner anyway, and her train would get to Penn station by 8pm, it was up to me to pick her up. I called the girls to move up the dinner to 6pm, and luckily no one had a problem with this. So my evening became much more scheduled, which slightly elevated my anxiety level. But other than some unsteadiness by the end of dinner (which was possibly cause by impromptu workout), I was fine and I’m just happy about that.
The whole evening was filled with randomness. First, on the subway, on the way to dinner, we were entertained by two guys, one of drums and one on guitar, who not only played but tried to engaged a train full of New Yorkers in a conversation and tried to get all to be polite and say “good evening.” Now, most people in New York subways are trained to mind their own business and not to react to anything. So most of that was like pulling teeth. Still, they played a nice song and I gave them the change I had. It did pass the time.
In the subway station, where I got out, the escalator was not working. Normally, this would not be a huge issue, but this particular station happens to be very deep underground. So I had an impromptu stair master climb. It was long. I went for consistent and steady but still, I have been sitting at home since it is winter, and my body is not in a shape it is in the summer when I roller-blade every other day. By the end I had to drink my whole water bottle and I think it might have contributed to general malaise feeling by the end of the evening. It did energize me for a bit, though and it does remind me to get up and walk more.
Dinner itself was great. We got a table in a restaurant where we ate before and where usually you need to wait a while to get a table. I didn’t want to leave early but I had to get to train station. I didn’t realize it until much later (when I was on the ferry heading home) that I forgot my scarf at the restaurant. Luckily, I called Marianna, who found the phone number for the restaurant and they found it. She will pick it up for me tomorrow.
I then picked up the girl in the train station, which was actually hassle free. We took the subway, the ferry and the train back to my house, since it is cheaper and easier to do with a suitcase and it has such pretty views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. By the time we got home, I was exhausted but happy with my evening.
Women’s aerials – Belarus in fourth, one woman fell.
Women’s bobsled – two sleds overturned but otherwise fun to watch. The German crash was a bit horrific, but they were all ok.
Today I went to dinner in the city with the girls. We’ve been planning this for a few weeks. I was nice to get out of the house. It has been snowy and cold the whole month and I mostly stay home lately. At one o’clock in the afternoon lots of plans collided together, which called for some last minute changes. A few weeks ago, my Mom offered to host a daughter of her classmate who was coming to New York to audition for a music school. (She is a high school senior) She lives in Minnesota, or some such northern state, but she was in Boston in the beginning of this week for auditions to other music schools. She was planning to come to New York by train on Thursday or Friday for her Sunday audition, but due to upcoming snowstorm, she got last minute ticket out on Wednesday. Since I was going to Manhattan for dinner anyway, and her train would get to Penn station by 8pm, it was up to me to pick her up. I called the girls to move up the dinner to 6pm, and luckily no one had a problem with this. So my evening became much more scheduled, which slightly elevated my anxiety level. But other than some unsteadiness by the end of dinner (which was possibly cause by impromptu workout), I was fine and I’m just happy about that.
The whole evening was filled with randomness. First, on the subway, on the way to dinner, we were entertained by two guys, one of drums and one on guitar, who not only played but tried to engaged a train full of New Yorkers in a conversation and tried to get all to be polite and say “good evening.” Now, most people in New York subways are trained to mind their own business and not to react to anything. So most of that was like pulling teeth. Still, they played a nice song and I gave them the change I had. It did pass the time.
In the subway station, where I got out, the escalator was not working. Normally, this would not be a huge issue, but this particular station happens to be very deep underground. So I had an impromptu stair master climb. It was long. I went for consistent and steady but still, I have been sitting at home since it is winter, and my body is not in a shape it is in the summer when I roller-blade every other day. By the end I had to drink my whole water bottle and I think it might have contributed to general malaise feeling by the end of the evening. It did energize me for a bit, though and it does remind me to get up and walk more.
Dinner itself was great. We got a table in a restaurant where we ate before and where usually you need to wait a while to get a table. I didn’t want to leave early but I had to get to train station. I didn’t realize it until much later (when I was on the ferry heading home) that I forgot my scarf at the restaurant. Luckily, I called Marianna, who found the phone number for the restaurant and they found it. She will pick it up for me tomorrow.
I then picked up the girl in the train station, which was actually hassle free. We took the subway, the ferry and the train back to my house, since it is cheaper and easier to do with a suitcase and it has such pretty views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. By the time we got home, I was exhausted but happy with my evening.
Women’s aerials – Belarus in fourth, one woman fell.
Women’s bobsled – two sleds overturned but otherwise fun to watch. The German crash was a bit horrific, but they were all ok.
