I am at this moment, sitting on the stoop outside my apartment, keeping watch over my vehicle. It would feel foolish in any other place but here it is commonplace. The majority of people sit in their car for the 90 minute stretch. It’s illegally parked as I wait for the street cleaner to come by so I can illegally park it again and wait and watch to make sure that it is not towed away and/or ticketed until 11am when it is safe to leave it again (relatively safe that is).

Lately I’ve had a string of freakish good luck when it comes to parking. Not that I haven’t had to work for it (as i am now). But I’ve been able to park it right in front of my stoop for the past 3 weeks or so. I have a feeling that I will be doing a lot of sitting and watching in the next few months as I just took a job in NJ yesterday. That’s right. I am now a part time worker bee, part time drone with a long commute and a mini cubicle. And I’m going to need my car in the city fulltime to drive across the bridge every tuesday and thursday.

I really would have liked to keep my freelancer status and maintain my slacker schedule. But the truth is, I’m broke. Really broke. The life of a freelancer is not so glamorous when you can’t afford to buy dish soap and you’re dishes pile up in the sink unwashed. Or when you don’t have money for food to eat off those dishes. This job will triple my salary. It’s like a real job almost. And I’ll be making a real salary! That part I am VERY excited about. Up until this point in my life, I’ve existed off “missionary salaries”, a salary that is padded with “God will provide” and a fake smile when you can’t pay your bills. I can barely imagine what it must be life to have enough money for ALL your bills. In one month.

a little joke.
“Why are New Yorkers so depressed?”
“because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.”

So growing up in the Dirti Jerz, I have always felt that “the city” was somehow included in “where I’m from”. Sometimes I would just say NYC when people asked where I was from. Well apparently, NYC doesn’t feel the same way. I’ve been noticing some strange reactions from people in regards to the bastard step child that is NJ.

from the new roommate….
“Ohhhh you’re going home TONIGHT??! Be safe. See you SOON!”

or overheard in a coffee shop…
“New Jersey scares me! I’m pretty sure there are still cannibals there!”

I often get the…”you’re going all the way to Jersey!” phrase, as if it were miles and miles away, not just over the bridge. But then again New Yorkers rarely get off the island anyway so I guess it is far for most of them.

I always just found it funny, all my life, I pretended that I was part of this crowd, only to realize they were making fun of me behind my back. My world is shattered.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/07/oh_no_british_people.html

Here’s a post about how waiters hate British people. It’s true. We do. Some people I know refuse to even wait on them. The comments are pretty rough, lots of British people defending why the system’s flawed, they shouldn’t have to tip us blah blah. I had a hard time even reading them. It sucks not getting paid. It’s demeaning and makes you feel worthless. I love my British friends, I don’t want to be racist. But I hate waiting on British people.

Meet “The Code”.

Codey is a fine gentleman from the midwest. He is an actor/bartender (such a cliche, I know). But he’s for REAL, he even tap dances! (We’re working on getting him liquored up enough to prove this to us but so far have been unsuccessful). He lets us talk about boys and even gives sound advice! From the moment I first met him, I knew that he was the type of person that needed an article before his name. Not everyone can sport it. But Codey can. And he has brought all sorts of positive things to the house. Things like a wii! and a big tv!

He also brings a hammer and a screwdriver and the natural boy sense in actually knowing how to use them. Before he moved in, he would come over and measure every possible corner of the house, apparently there was a reason for it and he was dreaming up possible things to do to the house in his head. Like build counters! and redo the kitchen floor! No complaints here.

Here’s a picture of the desk and shelf set he built in his room.

He even put up my shelf that has been sitting in my room(s) unused for far too long.

This list could go on for more than you would want to read but allow me to mention one more very important thing. Codey fights mice. This makes me want to hug him. Tightly. He also fights cockroaches and other crawly things, sets traps, cleans diligently and will stand with me in “THE FIGHT”. Now they don’t stand a chance! BEWARE EVIL CREATURES! you will meet your DOOM!

not get paid sucks. seeking alternative or maybe less alternative job options.

Sometimes I feel like NYC should be a little more understanding of the parking issue. For one, they seem to make it increasingly difficult for people to live and reside here. Most nights it is impossible to find a spot. With changing hours and days, meters, construction, I am always surprised that my car is where I left it when I return. I decided to bring my car in after the holiday, Caroline and I had no other way into the city and we had a few days of free parking. I found a spot to park it until Tuesday am. So last night, I walked around for an hour and saw not a single free spot. Not one. And this is unfortunately the norm. So I decided to set my alarm and move it in the morning. I woke up in a full on panic at 6:45am, thinking I missed my alarm and forgot to move it by the allotted time. After driving around in my pajamas for 30 minutes, i parked on Broadway at the meter, which was of course broken so I got a $65 dollar ticket for that. Left it there for an hour and waited outside until the street cleaner went by and snagged a spot in front of my house before the rest of the locals did. I was still nervous because even though the street cleaner had gone by, technically I was still illegally parked. So I had to sit outside my house for 45 minutes and watch it, just in case a cop came by. The things we do to live in this city.

We went to Sunset Beach the first night there. As usual, there were a bunch of people there but of course, the sunset was gorgeous anyway. THis year there was a flag raising ceremony which I was a little put off by. An old sounding man on a loudspeaker commanded us to pay homage to the flag and our armed forces. I felt a little imposed on. I’m always wary of people who are all “rah rah america!”.

Jenny Loves Peter

This was the bathroom in J and P’s rental house.

I KNOW!!

So on my drive down to Cape May, my phone fell out of my backpack and was lost in the neverlands of the GSP, wherever things that fall along the highway go to. I was thinking about upgrading eventually so while I was bummed, it’s not the end of the world. I really would like an iphone. It makes sense for me. I have the worst sense of direction and the iphone would pay for itself in wasted gas costs due to being lost ALONE. One could say I would use it for my business, to check websites, be more accessible, blah blah.

But the craze that has surrounded this product amazes me. Here we are, 5 days after they have come out and there are still lines of up to 5 hours, people waiting overnight on the streets to get this phone. They have run out of them in almost every store. Apparently apple.com is updating their sites every night on which stores will have them in the morning so people can line up to get them. Ridiculous.

If you don’t want to wait on line, they are selling on ebay for around $900 dollars right now. The old model is selling for around $500. It amazes me that people will really pay this instead of waiting a few days/weeks whatever.

Mania.

I could rant on about how there are people starving just around the corner, people are being raped and murdered, sold into slavery (read this post by TIMMY BROWN if you want to know more) at this VERY MOMENT while you throw away your money. The marketing committees dreamed up this scheme and you are pawns in their hands, consumerism at its worst. But no one is going to listen. No one cares. They will “have to HAVE IT” until the next product comes out. It makes me want to boycott the whole thing on principle alone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great product. If someone handed it to me I would probably take it. But I can’t help but wonder if we’ve gotten a little out of control.

I think she’s cute as a button.

I drove the motorcycle down this weekend. Aside from a wicked sunburn and a lost phone, the trip was great. So if you call me, be sure to leave your number because i probably don’t have it.