Illness, Extensions, and the Ivy League

Basically all of last week I was sick. Not so sick to miss school, except for one day, but sick enough to be uncomfortable and reliant on throat lozenges, green tea, and theraflu for comfort. I was also sleeping a lot and certain that one day I would wake up and be all better. 

I was well enough to go to RebLaw, the Rebellious Lawyering Conference, at Yale University. I'd been looking forward to RebLaw since I learned about it last year but could not go because it conflicted with my cousin's wedding. My voice was a little froggy and I was coughing a lot, but I felt well enough to travel and attend the conference anyway.

RebLaw is awesome because it's put together by students in every way. Yale students are corralled to "volunteer" to host visiting students including showing us around New Haven, giving us a place to sleep, etc. I stayed with a very sweet girl who is a 1L this year and met a few of her friends. Aside from the coughing and feeling rundown I had a great weekend. Everyone I met was extremely nice and welcoming and I was impressed by how passionate everyone was about different issues. The panels put together for the weekend were diverse in topic and the members were impressive in their accomplishments. It was really exciting to hear about the type of work being done these days. 

By the time I got back to NYC on Sunday afternoon I was completely wiped out. I dropped my overnight bag on the floor and immediately took a 2 hour nap. By the time I woke up I already had a raging fever, swollen lymph nodes, and body aches. I started to get scared that something was really wrong so of course called Leigh in tears. After being told to calm down and that I would be OK, I took some medicine and passed out until nearly midday Monday. My fever broke sometime Monday afternoon and by this morning I was back in school. Today, after being sick for the better part of two weeks, I went to a walk-in clinic in the back of a Duane Reed Pharmacy to get antibiotics. Hopefully that will take care of things.

Now I'm less than two weeks away from flying for Costa Rica and I'm a little behind in classes because of being sick. I'm also completely unprepared for my trip at this point because I have yet to make a packing list, buy a bathing suit, etc. Really the only thing I have is my passport! I should probably get on the ball or else this will end up being a very frustrating two weeks leading up to a sub-par vacation...

OK, back to work so I can get my past due homework assignment done...or perhaps a nap first???

Bucket List

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X)Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X)Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
(X)Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
( ) Swam with Stingrays
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X)Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(X)Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the World Trade Center in NYC
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain-naked
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( )Driven across the United States
( )Been in a hot air balloon
( )Been sky diving
( )Gone snowmobiling
( )Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
( ) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(X)Seen the Grand Canyon
(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(X) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer
(X)Been in a rain forest
(X)Seen whales in the ocean
(X) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an elephant
(X) Swam with dolphins (I kayaked with dolphins)
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
(X) Saw and heard a glacier calve
( ) Been spinnaker flying
( )Been water-skiing
(X) Been snow-skiing
(X)Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
(X) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Swam with sharks
( ) Taken a Gondola ride in Venice

More lame surveys because I can't sleep...

Firsts:

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? 

I didn't go to Prom, but I did take Leigh to Cotillion one year at Hollins

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? No

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink? 

communion wine

4. What was your FIRST job? 

cutting grass for my dad's seasonal landscaping company

5. What was your FIRST car? 

1985 Toyota 1/2 ton pickup truck, white

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? 

I didn't get any texts today

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? 

Professor Schlegel, because he was lecturing today and I knew I had to go to class this morning

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? 

Mrs. Sifers

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? 

I think it was from Juneau, AK to Wenatchee, WA to visit my grandparents after I was born. I was probably only 2 or 3 months old.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them? 

Her name was Anya Zimkowski, we were 5 years old and I haven't spoken to her in nearly 20 years.

11. What was your FIRST sport played? 

Tee-ball

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over? 

Probably the Landvatters' house

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? 

Lorrie

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? 

My Aunt Beth

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? 

showered

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? 

New Kids on the Block! (I was 5)

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing? 

First piercing I was 1 year old, first tattoo I was 17 and used a fake ID (thanks for taking me, Uncle Doug).

18. FIRST foreign country you went to? Canada

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law? 

I was hanging out with some kids outside the bowling alley in Rocky Mount, VA and the other kids were trying to steal a moped. Next thing I know a cop comes by with his lights on and corrals us all together asking if we were stealing it. 

20. When was your FIRST detention? 
I never had detention, but I did have a lot of silent lunches in elementary school.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in? 
Alaska

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart? 
I'm not going down that road...

23. Who was your FIRST roommate? 
Technically my brother, Asa, when we lived in Port Angeles and only had a two bedroom house. But in college it was Sarah.

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride? 
I've never been in a limo

25. Who will be the FIRST to respond this? 
probably nobody. I'm just wasting time.

The Quietest Apartment in Harlem

A few days ago my roommate came down with a nasty flu complete with high temperatures and slight delirium. The next day I started getting something similar, minus the high temperatures. I spent about 80% of last weekend in bed snoozing and reading trying to nip it in the bud. As of yesterday I had overcome the body aches and upset tummy and was left with the sniffles, sore throat and a froggy voice. I thought I was in the clear.

But no, I wake up this morning a complete mute. All day I cannot participate in class, I have to get a friend to order for me at Starbucks, and I'm bumming throat lozenges and tissues left and right. I can't even squeak. 

When I get home my roommate had come home early from work, still feeling a little ill. Turns out she has no voice either, but sometimes she can squeak and even croak out an audible word. At one point I had to text her to ask if she wanted in on the hot water I'd made for tea. 

Pathetic? Just a little.

Later we went to the dirty little Chinese takeout place on 3rd Ave. The other day I discovered a magical won ton soup that cures ailments for $2.50 per quart and have decided to give it another shot. With my roommate's help ordering the soup I am now in my room working on my second bowl of steamy broth and filled chinese pastas...yum.

If my voice doesn't come back at least I got a good dinner out of it. 

Can't sleep....

So I'm filling out another survey. Enjoy!

IN HIGH SCHOOL...

1. Did you date someone from your school? 
- No, I dated someone from the next town over which also happened to be in another state

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? 
- Hell no. 

3. Did you car pool to school? 
- No, I rode the bus then drove myself when I turned 16

4. What kind of car did you have? 
- 1985 Toyota half ton pickup truck, then a 1999 Dodge Neon my senior year

5. What kind of car do you have now? 
- 2007 Toyota Yaris, hopefully I will not own that either pretty soon

6. It's Friday night...where are you now? 
- out for drinks or home watching a movie

7. It is Friday night...where were you then? 
- at the movies, at my girlfriend's house, "camping" with friends (i.e. setting up tents in the middle of nowhere so we could get drunk and be loud) or at a church retreat. Take your pick.

8. What kind of job did you have in HS? 
- waitress at Shoney's, then McDonalds crew member 

9. What kind of job do you do now? 
- law student/law clerk, and possibly waitress again pretty soon

10. Were you a party animal? 
- at times, but I was a pretty good kid too

11. Were you considered a flirt? 
- I don't think so

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? 
- I was in band in middle school and choir for one year of high school but I was not a die hard musical type

13. Were you a nerd? 
- um, define "nerd"?? I was the kid who skipped junior year to take college classes instead because I needed a "challenge." What do you think?

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? 
- Nope, I flew under the radar in every way

15. Can you sing the fight song?
- No, but I think it had something about a falcon in it....

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? 
- don't remember

17. Where did you sit during lunch? 
- with the Christians, oh wait, it was the south....we were all "the Christians." I sat with an odd group- a few "nerdy Christians," the jazz choir guy, me (the lesbian), and a Catholic girl originally from Pakistan. Yeah, we were cool...

18. What was your school's full name? 
- Which one? I had Abingdon High School and Virginia Highlands Community College (freshmen through junior years), Franklin County High School and Virginia Western Community College (senior year)

19. When did you graduate? 
- um...2003? the jury is still out on this one, and between you and me I'm not so sure I was eligible because I lacked a few math courses but nobody has called me out on this one yet.

20. What was your school mascot? 
- a falcon at AHS and an eagle at FCHS

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? 
- I'd rather die. It was awful. The only way I'd do it over is if I could beg my parents to send me to boarding school

22. Did you have fun at Prom?
- Didn't go.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with?
- See above

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? 
- no way

25. Do you still talk to people from school? 
- a few

26. School Colors? 
- Blue and white (AHS) and red and white (FCHS)

27. What celebrities came from your high school? 
- no clue

Evenings Out

Most of my life I have been considered a homebody. It's just easier to stay in and watch a movie than to get dressed up, pick a place to go, call friends, etc. Then when you're single there's the added stress of possibly talking to someone new. I'm just not cut out for it. Add on the fact that lesbians travel in packs when they go out and you've got an awful lot of incentive to just stay home, especially since I just moved to NYC all by myself. 

However, I am a brave soul and trying to turn over a new leaf, so I've been forcing myself to at least take a look at the bars and see where I feel comfortable. If all I get out of these experiences are a few new friends or an evening out of the house then I'll call it a success. 

So far I've checked out four different places with varied success. First I went to girlNation, a ladies night at Nation near Grand Central Station. To put it in a word: "Lame." It was very typical with clumps of overdressed, barely 21 year old lesbians standing around talking over a pretty shitty selection of music. There was no bar seating, so people watching just made me feel creepy, and then there were these TVs above the bar playing a psychedelic stripper-esque loop of women's silhouettes dancing. It was lame.

Then I checked out Cubbyhole, an honest to God lesbian watering hole in Greenwich Village where people have actual conversations and the drinks are cheap and tasty. I was impressed and felt very comfortable. I see a lot of $2 sloe gin fizzes in my future....

Last night I decided to check out an Irish bar called Failte (pronounced "falcha", I think) near my classes in Murray Hill. Reviews of the place had painted a picture of a chilled out neighborhood bar with a great beer selection, pool tables, etc. I thought it might be a good place to stop in after classes or in the early hours of a night out. I got there around 9pm and it was absolutely packed with recently graduated young adults. After about 10 minutes it became clear that I had unwittingly stumbled into a frat party of sorts, and the beer selection was terrible: Bud, Guiness, Harp, and Blue Moon on tap with about 10 other varieties available in bottles (but who wants a bottle in a bar? I can have that at home). The good news is that it was so packed that I'd finished my drink before the bartender made her way back and she seemed to forget I hadn't paid so I just left.

After the disappointment at Failte I made my way back to the west side to wander around Greenwich Village (which is much safer feeling at night than one would think) to see what else there was. I found a bar called Lips, which I can only describe as a drag queen's wet dream. The decorations are girlier than any girl would go for and the staff are all drag queens completely decked out. The drinks were very, very strong and there was lots of entertainment. Plus the bartender, Frankie Cocktail, was very sweet to me and welcomed me to New York City with tips of other places to check out.  My roommate's boyfriend later told me their food is surprisingly good and I should check them out for a late night meal sometime. I was also told that straight people love Lips, which I think is funny but kind of makes sense, but on the weekends it absolutely fills with lesbians. 

So I guess finding two good places out of four isn't too shabby, especially in the first two weeks of being in town. I'd like to find some non-gay places that are fun too because I don't like the idea of being one of those gay people who only associates with other gay people. That's just silly. If a place is fun and easy going then I'll probably enjoy it. 

This being our first Friday of classes I don't have anything scheduled for today. I'm thinking I'll eventually do my laundry (fun, fun) and then try to get into a yoga class a in the early evening. I also have a fair amount of homework to do before Monday....

First Full Week of Classes

Classes started Monday and things went pretty well. We were told this would be the most hectic week getting settled and running around the city a lot. We had lots of appointments, met with sponsors and mentors, had orientation to our "campus" and were given a number of small assignments. 

My group's sponsor meeting could have gone better- we were unprepared and did not take the opportunity to let our sponsor get to know us at all. Hopefully next time will be more fruitful. I'm also hoping that once we've worked out the initial kinks in our individual situations getting settled in the city that everyone will be equally on board and enthusiastic about the work we're doing here. 

I think I'm going to enjoy this program quite a bit. Both my individual and group projects are mostly left up to my own tastes, so I get to pick most of the topic areas based on current events and what I'm interested in. So far the greatest challenge has been not freezing under the pressure of trying to not look stupid in front of really smart people and remembering to read the Wall Street Journal every morning. Ideally I'd purchase the paper on my way to the subway each morning, but Spanish Harlem is noticeably void of newsstands and the Wall Street Journal in general. Perhaps this weekend I will go newsstand hunting and then change my morning route to the 6 Train. 

Curry

Over the past two days I have completely stocked the kitchen here in NYC. My goal is not to test the cubic volume of the pantry and refrigerator, but to encourage me to eat at home a lot this semester and save my money for more important uses or unforeseen expenses/emergencies. I bought about $180 of bulk items at Costco and then hit up Whole Foods for more detailed items or things that should never be bought in bulk (ex: curry paste). 

Tonight I cooked my first full meal here and it was, well, disappointing. I made a Thai style red curry with chicken and mixed vegetables and rice. The rice was OK, which I expected because it's the cheap kind, and the ingredients were fine on their own. I am fairly certain that my downfall came when  I thought the coconut milk was too thick for my own good and added a bit of water to it. This was supposed to thin the milk a little and make the curry last longer for leftovers. I also expected some of the water to evaporate during the cooking process. Instead I have watered down red curry that is not spicy at all with sub-par rice. Very disappointing.

Of course I will eat the leftovers even though they offer very little satisfaction. For one thing, I'm too cheap to waste that much food (there's at least enough for lunch tomorrow and dinner) and it's a little bit like punishing myself for thinking I was smarter than the Thai Kitchen Brand people who put the recipe on the back of the jar. Seriously, you'd think I'd never made curry before! Oh well, at least my tummy is full...

In other news, my classes with the UB in NYC program start tomorrow. I plan to leave here pretty early so I can get to the building where our courses are held well in advance. The idea of getting turned around or held up in transit really freaks me out. Nothing worse that being late on your first day of something new.....

No bites on the NYC part time job front yet. It may turn out that I don't hold down anything consistent this semester but work odd jobs instead (if those are even available). At this point I may just hold out until I get back from Spring Break to find a job waiting tables or something similar. I'm still checking Craigslist on a regular basis though...

Juneau Pictures (the cat, not the city)

...because I miss my cat (and because Lorrie asked to see pictures of her).

This is Juneau, she will be 6 in April. She was born in Farmville, VA but now lives in Buffalo, NY. You can tell she's my child because she, too, has green eyes and is short.

Juneau often strikes adorable poses because she knows it melts hearts leading to many hugs and kisses as a reward for her cuteness. The smaller quilt she is laying on was made for her by my grandmother when she had fabric leftover from making the larger quilt that's on the bed in this picture. Notice the cat design on Juneau's quilt. Amazingly Juneau is aware that the smaller quilt was made for her and she will always chose to sleep on her quilt over other options.

We had a huge mantel fireplace at our first Buffalo apartment. Juneau found that she could comfortably fit on the mantel and even sleep soundly there. I like the second picture because she's covering her eyes.

Juneau and I lounging around. Notice that I'm in my pajama's and extremely disheveled in this picture, which indicates that this could be a weekend or really any day of the week after I've gotten home from work or classes. Leigh believes that the moment I walk in the door at home my pajamas magically appear on my body and has said that she has sometimes gone several days without seeing me in presentable clothing.

Second package arrived!

My futon frame came via UPS today. You can all breathe a sigh of relief now. : )

It came around 5pm and I started construction immediately. Unfortunately IKEA designers have made a turn toward more hammer and nails and fewer screws, so about 30 minutes into construction my neighbors started banging the wall rather aggressively. To avoid being yelled at in Spanish I stopped building. I suppose hammering at 11:30am tomorrow is my best bet.

Today's Accomplishments:

Tried the vegetarian Indian buffet in Murray Hill ($7.50 after taxes)

Took a yoga class at Yoga To The People (awesome, I'm really going to be sore tomorrow)

Partial construction of futon

Costco run with Paul in Long Island, though partially befuddled because Costco closes at 8:30pm (who knew?!)- this will require a repeated attempt on Saturday when everyone and their brother is at Costco too

the diet that wasn't

Today I went to the west side (I think) nearish to SoHo to take government assessment test. Basically it was testing to make sure I can spell, pick out a good sentence, and follow instructions without ruffling feathers. There was also a section that tests to make sure I can make inferences based on a set of facts that is both unverified and wanting for additional details without asking the necessary questions to fill in those details. 

I just noticed that the last sentence is as cryptic as the method of testing I am complaining about...

It snowed today, my first New York City snow. For some reason I only equate large falling snow flakes coupled with gusts of wind with Buffalo, so now I can say without hesitation that it snows that way all over New York State, however the snow refuses to stick for any real length of time in NYC. 

Being Emily, I got to the test site (which is a typical government building that makes me feel sorry for government employees) around 11:15, about 45 minutes early. I planned to find a comfy spot in a waiting area and read over the prep materials. Instead I was informed by the security guard that there is no waiting area and the room where I was being tested was booked until 11:30 and that I should go sit in McDonalds to keep warm. Um, ok... So I went to Chipotle and found a seat near the window where I could keep warm and watch the snow fall. Not 5 minutes later another law student from UB passed by, came in to sit with me for a while. That was a nice way to pass the time. 

The test lasted about 3.5 hours and was just like every other thinly veiled personality/general intelligence test. I think I did well except for the grammar because the questions were not well-written and I've never been completely clear about picking out "passive voice" sentences. Also, I'm wondering if rating myself as "above average" or "superior" in all positive leadership and productivity traits is going to act in my favor or make me look like an asshole... only time will tell (which is about 4 weeks, in this case).

I rushed home after the test on the off chance that UPS did not lose my packages and would deliver them around 5pm as I assumed they would. After 5pm I called UPS to annoy them further with my pleas to deliver my items and spent 45 minutes on the phone with a very nice and capable young lady (the first UPS employee I've encountered so far who gives a shit). After getting off the phone with her apologizing that my packages could not be located in their system the UPS guy buzzed my apartment from the front door with one of my two long lost boxes. I spent the rest of the evening unpacking and organizing my room, which is starting to feel really homey (pictures to come as soon as it's ready). 

I call this post "the diet that wasn't" because of my eating habits today. Yesterday I had my first "SpaHa" (I kind of hate that term) grocery store experience and it was actually more difficult than when I bought groceries made by foreign brands in Merida, Mexico using pesos and very, very broken Spanish. By the end of this shopping trip I had acquired a gallon of milk, 1.5 dozen eggs, a few bagels, a can of pineapple, a can of Mandarin oranges and a box of Kashi cereal (total: $16). 

Today I ate 3 bowls of cereal, the bagel and four eggs (hard boiled) over the course of roughly 18 hours. Needless to say I'm feeling unsatisfied but also happy to have had a seemingly low calorie day. So the moral of the story is that if you live in New York City, you're too lazy to make another trip to the grocery store, AND you've run out of cash so you can hit up the restaurant downstairs you will in fact lost weight through lack of motivation and laziness.

However, I have a Costco run planned with Paul tomorrow evening, so I am fairly certain I'll be eating full meals of a semi-regular basis from now on. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to rely on walking, working out, and yoga to stay healthy just like everyone else...

Bienvenido a Nuevo York!

Eeeeaaaarly Saturday morning Leigh and I boarded a JetBlue flight to JFK to move me to Spanish Harlem for a finance transactions law school program. I decided to ship two large boxes via UPS for my housewares and other initially less necessary items and check two large suitcases with the remainder of my belongings. JetBlue allows each passenger to check one bag for free, so Leigh used her checked luggage allotment for me, which was very sweet of her. 

I was barely able to fit the majority of my wardrobe into the two very, very large and heavy suitcases. In fact, the suitcase that Leigh checked for me was about 75% filled with socks and underwear and still weighed 50.5 lbs. There is something not quite right with that...

Being a stubborn and somewhat stingy individual, I surmised that upon arrival at JFK Leigh and I would take the AirTrain to Jamaica Station, then the E train to 53rd St, then the 6 train to my neighborhood at 116th St and Lexington. This brilliant idea only cost us a total of $14 in AirTrain/subway fares, but it also required us to lift each 50 lb bag over the turnstiles to enter the subway. Coming from JFK requires going through 3 sets of turnstiles. Couple this activity with an early morning flight, only 4 hours of sleep and no breakfast and you have a very tired Leigh and Emily. Needless to say we took a 3 hour nap once we got to my apartment.

My room is really adorable- bright and clean with just enough space for me to live here for a few months. It's forcing me to be neat and organized, which is a nice change from the last few months. I'm dying to really start organizing but I shipped all of my wall hooks, boxes, etc so I'll have to wait at least till end of tomorrow to really get settled. Unfortunately it is possible that UPS has misplaced my box/futon frame, which could lead to me losing my mind momentarily over the phone with them. Long story, hopefully with a happy ending...

So Leigh spent the weekend here in NYC with me helping me get settled and generally having fun. After the 3 hour nap I took her to dinner in Chinatown at a place called Shanghai Kitchen. We got tons of food for about $30, which is great because it was the first thing we'd eaten all day. After dinner we walked over to Little Italy for something sweet at Farrara's, a 115 year old dessert place that my cousin Paul introduced me to. I had a chocolate cannoli and it was awesome. 

Sunday was spent shopping and getting turned around, which lead to learning a few neighborhoods on the 6 train line pretty well. I spent A LOT of money on clothes and shoes for my school program (it's business casual or nicer) but ended up returning a few things today after buyer's remorse set in. We hit Union Square, SoHo, and Rockefeller Center. In my defense all of my purchases were good deals and I only paid full price for two items at H&M, which is ultra cheap anyway. It was a lot of fun and my ankles are still a little sore. 

For dinner we tried the very authentic Mexican restaurant on the street level of my apartment building called Pipos. It's a really cute, family-owned place with reasonable prices and excellent food. We ordered some guacamole to start with and it was taking a while to be brought to the table. When it finally arrived we realized that the cook had just whipped it up by hand, hence the 10 minute wait for chips and dip! Easily the best guacamole I've ever had and my taco dinner was pretty darn good too. 

Today was low key. I just made a few returns then hunted down the Patagonia store in SoHo to buy a really nice semi-casual shoulder bag to haul my computer and files around in this semester. It's nice enough that I am pretty sure it will morph into a "lawyer bag" after graduation. Leigh and I grabbed a slice of pizza at Ben's Pizza on Spring and West Broadway, went back to the apartment to chillax before getting dinner at a Spanish Harlem establishment on 100th St called Joy Burger, "where the sauce makes all the difference" (it really does, and they have killer milkshakes too!). 

A few hours and one horrendous ride on the E train later (first train brokedown, forced onto wrong train, transferred to correct train then FINALLY at Jamaica Station) I dropped Leigh off at the AirTrain entrance so she could catch her flight back to Buffalo. 

Tomorrow I am taking a standardized test for a fellowship program and waiting around for my UPS stuff to come (please God let it come, I really could do without a major hiccup in my plans) and likely making calls about possible jobs/temp agencies. I'm trying to make the most of my free week here by getting completely set up for the semester. 

The only thing missing at this point is my UPS stuff and a job!