First Snow and First Visitor!

I'm getting settled into my new place.  I have my mattress, sheets, and most of my kitchen setup.  I still need furniture, curtains and Internet, but I'm working on that.  I'll probably rent a U-Haul this weekend and buy a lot of stuff at the IKEA in Brooklyn (I went there today to scope it out).

Today I also got hot water!   It's helpful since it snowed early (about 4 inches of snow in a couple hours).  I was in Target one minute picking up stuff for the place and when I left it was snowing!    Luckily I had my gore-tex shoes on to walk through the slush.

Work has been great; the people are nice and I'm learning Crystal Reports (it's a pretty powerful tool).  I feel like this is a place where I want to be for years.

I've been going to a few meetups (Android Developers, Reddit, and I'm trying to get into NY Tech, but the list fills up too quickly).

Last but not least, I had my first visitor on Friday night!  A Peace Corps friend is in Jersey for work so we'll be meeting up again tomorrow.

Anyways, that's my update.  I'll try to write something more interesting once I get more settled in.

Excited for next week!

Next week is going to be packed.  Here's my list of to-do's:

Monday - I start my first day of work at Mental Health Association of New York City!  I'm a little rusty on my SQL so I'm brushing up on that right now in case I need it.

Tuesday - Reddit meetup at Peculier Pub after work.  I used to go to the Reddit meetups in San Diego (it's a web site where users can upvote or downvote links/posts to make them appear on the top).  The people there were fellow geeks and it was easy to relate to them.  We would do random social events like go play kickball or meet up at breweries.

Wednesday - I'm meeting up with a friend (that I know through an ex) and we're going to Costco and getting supplies.  It's also the day that I'm moving out of the hostel and into my new place in Sunnyside!  I'll need to call utilities and Time Warner to set things up.  I've been tethering my Internet, but today I hit my 5 gigabytes per cycle cap and now the speed is throttled.

Thursday - I'm checking out a "Discussing Ice Cream Sandwich" session with the New York Android Developers meetup.  I'm hoping this won't be like the San Diego Android group that consistently flaked.

Friday - I'm thinking about hitting up the Museum of Modern Art, but don't really have anything planned yet.

Weekend - I've been trying to get into a soccer pickup game or league, but the waitlist keeps going (about 40 people in, another 40 in waitlist).  I'm also going to try to get a bed and some furniture this weekend.  Maybe rent a zipcar or something for it.

So excited!!! :)  I'm also thinking of hitting up the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers meetup and see if there's a rock climbing gym nearby.  Lately I've been really interested in doing more design (photoshop, illustrator) and want to see if there's any classes for that.

Sometimes I forget...

Oh fuck you Ghosts and Ghouls.  That wasn't even fair.  The zombie spawned right below me.  Oh what?!  You gotta be kidding me; as soon as I jump across the crevasse a ghost spawns, killing me instantly.  I need another beer.

Frogger, I can do this.  Jump, jump, jump, easy peezee lemon squeezy, jump, die.  WTF?!  I made it across safely.  Nothing even hit me.    Maybe that was a glitch, let me try that again.  Nope, the game is just stupid.  I need another beer.

And that's how I lost $15 in quarters, but played a variety of old school arcades from some bicycling newspaper delivery boy game to Rampage (where you're a monster that destroys the city).  The beers were good and it was a fun night.

Even though tonight I was out with a couple of new friends, it's the first night where I felt a little lonely.  I know that the feeling will pass, but I kind of wanted to see some of the new places with old friends.  I get kind of sentimental like that; I like sharing experiences with people and the more they mean to me, the more I want to share the excitement that's going on.  And it's been a long (exciting) week in NYC.

Sometimes I forget how supportive friends and family are.  It's not that I don't appreciate it.  It's that I don't realize the magnitude of the support they've given me over the years.  I guess it's right, you don't realize something until it's gone.

I miss my old roommates Wayne and Martin; I wish we were going to get beers at the bars here.  I miss Adrienne, an ex-girlfriend that later became a great friend and still shows her support through numerous text messages a day.  I miss my friend Sara, whose always up to some outdoor activity and always there with an open ear.  I miss my family, especially my older brother Mike.

Anyways, I know I'll meet new people and create new memories.  I just wanted to say that I do miss everyone.

Found it!

Sunnyside, you are my neighborhood.  I stepped off the 7 train and immediately liked the area.  There is a warm, neighborly vibe with local supermarkets, parks, and small restaurants all nearby.  The people are ethnically diverse from Hispanic to Asian to Irish.  This is easily reflected in the stores, as I can just as easily walk down the street to get a pizza or a South American desayunos.

They say that in New York more than anywhere else, you need to make up your mind quickly.  Apartments drop off the market as quickly as they come up.  This one was posted less than 24 hours earlier.  I called and met with the real estate agent (not a broker) early this morning.  By the time I sent the email to when we met, it was less than 3 hours.

The place is in an apartment building located on the first floor and only three blocks from the train.  It is just far enough so that the train doesn't make any noise and only about a 35 minute commute to work.

As soon as I walked in, I fell in love with the place and knew it was my new home.  It was modern and clean, yet small and comfy.  It was large enough to fit a queen sized bed and desk, but not so big that I would hate cleaning the place.  It would be a tight fit for guests, but thanks to how much is always going on in NYC, I doubt that anyone would be staying inside much.

I'm very happy and can't wait to move in already.  This is a place that I could see myself saving up for and eventually buying (and with this cost, I might be able to do that!)  I'm still a far way from getting settled in, but I feel like I'm making a lot of progress every day.  I'm getting to know the neighborhoods, how to navigate the train like a champ, and trying my best to make friends.

I don't plan on spending much time in the studio, but when I do, I want it to be completely comfortable (a feeling that is difficult to get with roommates).  I want to be able to escape from the city and just be at home.  It's rare to find someone that I think is chill and a good fit (which isn't to say that I haven't, my previous roommates were awesome).

Yesterday I met a friend of a friend (I knew her through Peace Corps and this was her friend from John Hopkins) and although she fit that description of being really cool, the location (hour and a half one way commute for me) didn't work out so well.

Anyways, I'm glad things are working out so well.  I'm still waiting approval on the place; I did fingerprinting yesterday and that should clear me for work tomorrow or Thursday.  That in turn should move the process of officially getting the place since then I'll have an income.  I should be into the new place by October 26th!

Just because

The last few days have been hectic.  My first night I ran around from Flushing to Astoria to Manhattan's Wall Street (where I'll work).  The second day I visited Brooklyn (Williamsburg area) and met a couple of cool guys at Barcraft (Starcraft 2 tournament) in Midtown.  Yesterday I visited my future work to get finger printed, went to check out Harlem, East Harlem, the Upper East Side, and a friend of a friend in Flushing.

I've been doing this mad tour of NYC so I could find a place to live.  Statistics and numbers are great for getting an overall idea of a place, but nothing beats walking around and relying on that gut instinct.  I found myself thinking "I could live here and be safe" probably too often so I came up with a new test, "Would my family feel safe if they visited?"  That put a whole new perspective on things.

One of the places I saw was in the Upper East Side, a studio/1 bedroom that was for $1600 a month.  The location was great and the building was beautiful.  I love the brownstone walls and the high ceilings.  I did my calculations and I could barely pass the rule that rent should be no more than 1/3 of after-tax income or 1/4 of gross income.  I thought about it long (as in I fell asleep for 4 hours and woke up with a decision).

I'm not going to get it.  Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.  It's very tempting, but I don't need to live in a hip neighborhood.  I just need a safe place that isn't an hour or longer for a one way commute on the train.  I need to be more resourceful, should play it safe for the first year and save up what I can (or at least use it on funner things than a place!)

The previous days I've spent with a destination in mind.  Tomorrow, I'm following the locals on the subway.  Wherever they go, I'll go.  There's gotta be a place that is affordable and safe.  I just need to find this local secret!

Bye West Coast!

Currently listening to "No Way" by the Naked and Famous, sitting at an airport terminal in Denver, Colorado.  The past couple weeks in CA have been intense, but the last 48 hours have been really emotional.

Thursday October 13th - Finish up work and pick up treats for my family at Whole Foods, meet some friends for dinner.  Come back at 11pm and see roommates, grab beers.  Fall asleep at home sometime around 1am or 2am.

Friday October 14th - Wake up early at 6am to finish packing.  Say goodbye to roommates (they're going to San Francisco) and I head to work.  Drink coffees to finish wrapping up work projects.  Come back and clean up apartment.  Off to a later start than I'd like, drink more coffee and meet up with a cousin at 9pm for dinner in Oceanside.  Drive 5 hours straight up to Reedley while consuming yet more coffee.

I get back around 3am.  My family and a high school friend are home so we stay up talking and catching up.  We unload the rest of my stuff in the truck (mostly books but also random things like a collapsible fishing spear).  I say goodbye to my family; my mom makes me tear up because she starts crying first.  I get dropped off at the Fresno Airport by 7am.  I have two check in bags and one carry on (combined weight of about 100lbs).  I catch my flight and so I find myself in Colorado.

I'm going to get some lunch and a beer.  Then I'll catch my flight to La Guardia Airport in New York.  If I take a nap now, I won't wake up in time.  Plus, it's so interesting to people watch at airports.

Will get to NY about 7pm.  I'll catch a taxi to the hostel I'm staying in, drop my bags off, then will go out to explore New York City!!!  I heard the bars don't close till 4am.  I wonder when the coffee shops close...

Patagonia

Today I got a job offer to be a Data Manager for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a nonprofit agency that is an extension of New York City's Mental Health Agency.  I'll help with data analysis and report creation.

I still have a couple interviews lined up next week including a contract position as an Android programmer for webMD and a second interview for a contract Business Analyst (in mobile applications) at Morgan Stanley.  I'll go to my interviews, but I think I'll ultimately stick with the nonprofit (despite a Morgan Stanley 6 figure salary).

As a treat for securing a job, I ordered myself some nicer cold weather clothing (Patagonia Men's Tres 3-in-1 Parka).  It's a bit pricey, but I've had excellent experiences with the company and their products. 

When I was in San Francisco, a friend wanted to pick up a down vest and asked if I knew about Patagonia.  Initially I wasn't sure what he was talking about.  I then remembered that I was wearing one of their hoodies!  My old black hoody was so beaten up that I had forgotten about it's label.  It was used relentlessly the last couple years from camping trips to substituting as a last minute "rashguard" in Ecuador.

Anyways, the store saw how beat up my hoody was and said they would repair it for free (no need to show receipt or proof of purchase).  Not only that, they would ship it back to San Diego for free!  Today I received it back in the mail just in time to make it out to NYC :)

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad, you are addicting.  Just a week ago I never saw this show and now I'm finishing up Season 3.

The plot is good, but what really shines is that the characters are all so beautifully flawed.  No one is perfect; there are no good guys, only people making excuses for themselves and trying to justify their actions.  One thing leads to another and it quickly becomes a twisted story of lies between family, drug cartels, and the DEA.

The show is based on cooking and distributing crystal meth so shit hits the fan pretty often.  I don't think you really ever see the qualities of a person until you see how they handle life's unexpected events.

Anyways, I should get back to looking for a place to stay and a job...