Hundreds and Thousands

So I'v again found myself with a lot to write about and am trying to figure out the funniest - most intelligent way to put it. But the thing is - I can't be screwed - which I'm taking as a good sign. As my attractive friend Nicole pointed out - When I'm really having a good time, I'll rarely blog. So this post may be shit - but stuff it, my time is precious. Foreseeing this - I'm going to spice it up with a guest appearance by none other than my roomy, Donat. I'll try to get different people to do a little spot on each post.

My workmates thought it was so funny that I called Candy Cotton - 'fairy floss'. They were equally confused wit the term 'fairy bread' and they nearly died when I said they were covered in 'Hundreds and Thousands'. For any Australians planning children’s parties over here - use the term 'sprinkles' – and avoid the total confusion.

It should be really hot at the moment, but it still sitting at about 9 degrees and is grey and miserable. Spring is not yet properly in gear and I'm told New York can sometimes skip the spring and jump right into the summer. But any way - it's not too cold. It was raining heavily over the weekend - an I didnt have an umbrella - so that kinda sucked.


Me after a short walk in the rain - with Quentin. Soak-a-rama

I'm more settled in now - I have a day set up to stroll down and get the laundry done with the funny old Asian woman or the funny old Hispanic woman - having time to take out the garbage and clean the hole where I sleep - and generally setting up my domestic routine. The initial bliss of not knowing how much money I have has worn off - and I'm painfully aware of each little penny in my pocket. Now with a new bank account and my pay being processed - I'm going to be doing some serious exel spread sheeting. Narley.


Lez and Maggie - my auntie and Uncle had another week in NYC. They've fed my - taken me to bars and big broadway musicals - and generally pampered me in the fashion that I would never be able to acquire with my piddley wage. They've updated me with all that's happening from home so far and filled my bag with change and just have just been the Sunny to my Cher - the massage to my sore back - The cracker to my cheese.



Klaxons at Studio B.



{nick.craig} Burberry picnic


On Friday night - I went to see the Klaxons at studio B with my new Aust buddy Craig (Americans pronounce it CREG) They were great - a crazy night in Manhattan followed and I eneded up staying at another friends huge beautiful apartment in midtown. Strolled home through central park.





Now Central park - it's huge - it's so big - all I could think about was 'wow - this land would be worth sqwillions' And it would be. There are so many great little spots and heaps of people and big lakes - it's stunning.



All of midtown actually really reminded me of Seinfeld. Had a stroll down Madison avenue, park avenue and fifth ave - was a littel too hung over and tired to notice anything though. Will be heading back this weekend and report what my hopfully functioning brain soakes up. But I am going out on Friday so no promises.





So I saw my first celebrity in Williamsburg in like my 3rd week here - but I couldn't remember what his name was. Well I figured it out - it was Michael Pitt from 'The Dreamers'.



This guy.



Times Square


Great shot of Maggie


Dizzying lights of Time Square. This is my first real tick on my tourist TO DO list.







I'm still dazzled at the massive piles of trash that sit on the sidewalk. They separate everything into these intricate little bins - then every like third day - they empty them onto the sidewalk. Stink city.


This was taken at the restaurant in Leslie & Margaret’s hotel in Bryant Park square. It's the hotel that all the supermodels stay at during fashion week - the best food and more beautiful people than one could handle.


The desert. A few steps up from reheated mashed potato with salt.


Katie's Party


{Ryan, Gary, Katie} @ Katie's party. Discovered an American drink called 'Sparks' - it retails for 1.50 and is an energy drink with 7% alcohol. I'm sure if I drank more than two I would have an aneurism - or develop a slight case of monster-ism.


Bottoms up – Katie’s House Party on Saturday. (That’s the drink I wan talking about)



Just looks like an innocent little bunny yeah? I though so too…but wait


Bunny needs some grooming.

So not much more to report - heading to some museums this weekend and trying to get an expectable amount of sleep. I'm also getting preliminary plans together for the move at the end of May. Thinking I could move into Manhattan or even try to move closer to work? We'll see what I can manage.

You know, I really could live here for another 5 years – if all my friends and family weren’t back in Melbourne (and I didn’t have Uni) I don’t picture myself ever leaving. But yes, I'm missing Oscar Tate McDonald - and am very excited about the soon-to-be-release new nephew / niece from Matt and Alana. I miss ‘Mie Gorreng Noodles’ and driving. But it sounds like I’m homesick – which to clarify – I’m not. Not at all, I’m loving every New York minute.



NL/NY

Unique New York, New York Unique

Brooklyn's where I'm living at the moment - in my little squabble of a home. I'm traveling to work using three different train lines - taking 40 minutes from door to door - not a painful amount of time - gives me a nice portion of time that I dedicate to staring at New Yorkers, reading my book or thinking about my blog. Brooklyn is massive - Brooklyn is New York's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5 million residents. If all five boroughs were independent cities, Brooklyn would rank as the third most populous city in the United States, behind Los Angeles and Chicago. So it's tres big. Having said this - I'm in a smaller community of Brooklyn - Williamsburg. And It's a great area - very cool and young. But I'm moving out at the end of May - have mainly been pushed over the edge by not having any hot water for the past 3 or 4 days. But I'll hunt for an apartment in Greenpoint - Long Island City, Williamsburg - or Manhattan (live the dream)

I've had a really great week this week. For a whole bunch of reasons. I've been in a lot of contact with everyone back home - thanks to the miracles that is Skype (get on it and add me - nicklemessurier) I've been looked after by my lovely Auntie and Uncle who are over for a few weeks. I've run into old friends, I've got more friends visiting very soon, I've made new friends and this morning - I had a hot shower – with real hot water.


I also tried the New York black and white cookie - of Seinfeld fame. I want to introduce a rainbow cookie for the new millennium. Or has the rainbow paddle pop been for Australia what the black and white cookie is for New York? Paddle pop – I’ve been so blind.


The weird thing is - it's not a cookie at all - it's like a flat cake - with soft dough. Diversity sure is surprising...and weird cause it’s different. I didn’t like it.

Have tried to start reading up on current affairs lately - seeing how much money Obamah is raising after Hillaries big sweep - or how the trail of those policemen who shot the unarmed black guy 50 times on his bucks night, the Virginia tech shooting...the whole thing.

Actually - the day after the Virginia Tech drama happened - I was down on clean clothes and had to wear my 'Die Yuppu Scum' t-shirt. mmm not quite apt.

Heres some random pics of NYC papers...


I like it cause it says New York


But this one has a cool thin layout and we get them free at work. So NYT’s is cut.


Went out for dinner Friday with My auntie Maggie (pictured) and uncle Lez, with my cousin Chris(pictured) and Claire. Maggie kept telling how much she loved reading my bog. What a great bog it was and how she could wait for my next bog. What can I say? I’m a bogger. I do big hot steamy bogs - I try to do one each week - but sometimes I just don have time to bog. Bogging can be quite time consuming...(I could go on)


Strolled around SOHO with Claire and Maggie - was such a nice wander - with the sun out and a fresh batch of snow falling and catching the light. But not enough snow to accumulate and get gross. A nice and lazy tourist jab, which was great for me – I’d been out the whole night prior and was not the most energetic I've ever been.


They have these amazing billboards in Manhattan that are painted onto the brick. How cool.. These things are massive – they even do photos – like the big madge painting picture – Hate to spell it wrong…


More cool painted on stuff…


Recognize this store? Carry Bradsure realized she'd spent 40K on shoes while sitting on that seat – Sex in the City. The store doesn’t sell the crazy labels though, there all kind of cheap. Ha.


Here’s the other picture I thought I should post. This one has pride of place on Chris and Claire’s fridge. It's annoying to think this was taken to celebrate the start of spring but it's still like 3 degrees everyday - and this big storm happened on the weekend with 7 inches of rain falling in central park. Stupid.

So this week at work it was lulu's birthday. Emil made her a little birthday hat to celebrate - she wasn't happy.




Sheri and Lu Lu.

I'm becoming one of those crazy cat people that always take photos of their cats. Lulu just poses so much. This wont be the last pointless picture of a cat included in the blog...there just so damn cute.


This sits behind my desk. It’s a birthday gift from one of Marcs friends , a great illustrator - Aaron Meshon.


Fuck Yeah


{Elyanna, Nick, Heather and Kristen.}
Here’s my new neighbors. They’re the ones that I went out with Saturday night. A tiny bit of them is featured in the photo booth - pics. They’ve got the coolest forrest print on their lounge room wall.

American diners have so many items on their menu it makes me dizzy. Should I have shredded bacon, maple syrup AND turkey, beef chicken and mayo with sprinkles and a whole cow? Or just the eggs, shredded bacon and maple syrup.

The choices are what I'm getting at - I think back home we try to limit the choices to minimise confusion. But New Yorkers know what they want and enjoy the options...

Here’s a funny example of that I found at a bar in west village on the weekend.


This was in one cubicle mind you.

Any way. I'm just passing through to correct some of the spelling mistakes - but this post was crap - I'll get cracking on the new one.

In the next issue: Donat will be the first to answer the NYC 10 questions, Monty Python musical, times square, parties and central park.

Small world. Big Head.

Ran into a girl I met in Barcelona, Elyanna, on my street. Went out with her and her roommates (who all live a half block from me) on Saturday night. Had a ball.

I didn't mean to take up the whole photo - I swear that's not how it was framed in the mirror of the booth lense. My massive noggin dominates.

More American foibles

So continuing on from the previous post about American English

American English - Australian English

Shopping hours - Trading hours

Bunch of - a lot of

Toosh - bum

Jumper - Sweater

Cart - Trolly

Peanuts - Styrofoam bits that go in box's.

Stocking cap - beanie

Muffler - scarf

Trunk - Boot

Period - Full stop

Parenthisies - Barcets

X-acto knife - Stanley knife

Drug Store - Pharmacy

There's no doubt more to come. Crazy Yanks.

NL/NY

Vegemite Bagel

Spring flowers blooming in Queens

New York is a lot like Melbourne in a lot of ways. Queens, where I work, has a huge Greek population; My boss thinks it's the largest group of Greeks outside Europe - which turns out to be true - Melbourne comes in like 4th or something. But the Greek cluster around here has introduced me to some wicked tasty food. I'm in love with Baklava and I blame it’s high sugar content (along with coke) for making my teeth sore. (touch wood that ain't my wisdom teeth aching) While we’re on Queens - it's the largest of the boroughs, considered to be the most residential - it was one of the original 12 counties of New York and was named for the then-queen consort, Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II. Ha. There you go.

But anyway, New York has endless history, culture and attitude. Just like Melbourne. If they'd change the stupid metric system and get rid of the rats, New York would almost be on par with Melbourne. Forever the patriot. Some of the similarities I'm not quite eloquent enough to get onto paper - but all this stuff has made it such an easy transition from one wicked city to another.

Target over here is insane. It's so much more high-profile than in Australia. Check out some of the ad's I was forwarded from my work mate Emil. http://www.dexigner.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9883

It downright puts our target to shame. SHAME. Although the campaigns are getting better - and I did read about the Stellar McCartney stampedes at Target, Chadstone...maybe things have changed...


Redken freebies...

Work delt out some old Redken products today (they’re one of our Clients). It was beauty products bonanza. I nabbed more shampoo than I'll ever use – and more hair treatments than my newly cut hair could ever soak up. But dammit it was free - I'll eat the stuff for dinner come the end of the month. There surely some fruit extracts or ho-ho-va or protein or something...


Emil and Ellen at their desks on one of the hotter & sunnier spring days.


The presets at Studio B, Brooklyn

So I've attempted going out on the town a few times while here - most times escorted by the lovely Andrew, who's been integral at introducing me to the night time underbelly of the big apple - but when trying to see miss kitten and later the ed banger night (with Presets and Justice...saw the Cut Copy boys out front) we were left stranded outside, lining up in a futile attempt to nab some on-the-door tickets. Both times failing to make it in and aborting to one of the many cool bars to lick our wounds with expensive liquor. But on Saturday night the ticketing gods smiled on us. Andrew PRE booked some tickets to a show in Brooklyn with the Presets and Datarock. And tickets were only 10 dollars. It was great - they were great - people storming the stage and the whole kit and caboodle. Missed Datarock - but for 10 bucks I was satisfied with a stellar performance from the presets.

I’m not 21 yet – as most of you know. But the genius thing about that is my birthday is 3rd of August 1986. When written on my ID it says 3/8/1986. Which to Americans means 8th of March 1986 – which means I’m 21. The timing was perfect considering I touched down on the 7th of March. And it works everytime. Mad.

But despite the high – there have enevidbly been the lows - as I was warned would happen. Work has been challenging, my wallets been light and I've been finding more stupid flaws with the apartment. But I've had two vices that have been my saviours in these darker moments

1) Food - ever the comforter and

2) music - ever the empathiser.

I'm slowly getting into a rhythm with work and home - I think with in a few weeks I'll have the whole routine down-pat. I'm also getting a bloody cold as Spring roles in (much like the rest of my workmates) but luckily Mum and Dad have lovingly sent me these cute hankies that have an N on them. Awesome.




Dude - this car is following me everywhere....

Adjusting to the American diet has been a stress on the guts I think - as I'm gassy - more gassy than usual. I'm just non-stop gassy. Let's not be shy - I'm totting left right and from the centre. To paint a greasy picture: this was today's menu.

Morning : egg and bacon croissant, banana, 2 slices of baklava at work.
Lunch: salad bagel with say 5 baklavas and 6 cups of tea with sugar and a can or two of Coke.
On way home: stop for a cheeky chicken wrap from wicked street vendor (pictured) - grease literally pouring out of it.
Dinner: last nights pasta with Paul Newman sauce(no microwave, so served cold ). Another can of coke - possibly a couple of cans of Papbs blue ribbon beer to help me sleep through the thumping hiphop ($6.50 for a 12 pack? Who could resist)

So, upon inspection - I can see exactly what's making me fluff - complete disregard for bowel health. Solution? I don't know - any suggestions? Alana - I'm looking at you. My professional integrity is at stake.


The street vendor that sells me my Chicken wrap fix.


The chicken wrap. It's only 3.50 and is served piping hot - this could become a regular meal...


The (deeply satisfied) Chicken wrap eater


Pretty sweet ass school moto that I saw in south Williamsburg. If I had kids here - I know where they’d be going...


Here's my family portrait on the wall. It's the replacement window. I miss my family - there all going down to the beach together - which is rare - so I'm missing them and wishing I could take a well earned break and drive to Lorne for fresh air and beach bum laziness. All I need now is a rocket and a time machine.....


But I'm stuck in New York - with high hopes.