Moving to the Ghetto

Well fuck me. We just got an email saying we're moving. Which sucks royal ass. This is a great building in a great neighborhood - nice and residential with upscale shops and restaurants. I'm close to the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, School Products, Madison Square Park, Cosi, Argo Tea, Live Bait, Garden of Eden - the list goes on. And the subway stop is right on my corner - I don't even have to cross the street!

And what's in our new neighborhood? NOTHING! And the closest subway is a good 15-20 minute walk.

OH GREAT!!! I just remembered that I will no longer be able to visit the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck at lunch! GRRRRRRR!!!!!

I hope at least we all get raises for this asshattery. But I'm not holding my breath.

And the next person who tells me "At least you have a job" is going to the hospital with my foot stuck in their ass.

Why 2010 can go eat a bag of dicks

Don't get me wrong- 2010 wasn't all bad. It just managed to get most of its punches and ninja kicks in in December.

The first punch: early in December I was all excited about the Spin City Holiday Party coming up mid-month. I get a call from the venue that they have a $600 minimum for private parties during the holidays - this is our fourth holiday party there and this is the first I'm hearing of this. After much complaining, I got them to waive the minimum, but it really destroyed my enthusiasm for the event. We actually did end up meeting the minimum, but I feel like they were trying to pull something over on us.

Then came a series of punches and kicks regarding my grandfather. He had part of his foot removed due to circulation problems in his legs. Then they decided he needed to have the whole leg removed from the knee down. When they removed the leg, there were all these clots that released and went up to his brain causing a stroke. We thought he was doing better, but I got a call from my Dad the day before my birthday that he passed away the night before. I'm glad I remember him as I do and not suffering in some hospital toward the end. But I wish I had taken the time to go out and visit, have dinner with him and chat about stuff. Now it's too late and I feel awful.

Got kicked again when I got sick for my birthday, so we didn't do anything.

Punched again on Christmas Eve when Scott woke up and told me he was too sick to go to my mom's and I shuold go by myself. He was erally sick, and I didn't want to force him to go, but I didn't want to spend Christmas without him. We ended up going out Christmas day and coming back that night. Missed chruch with my mom and dinner at Emeril's on Christmas Eve though.

The TKO came the following week, when my beautiful Nilla passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. I cried nonstop for days until I was so sickI couldn't get out of bed all New Year's weekend. I miss my little girl - it's not fair she was taken from us so soon.

So 2010 can suck it. Good riddance. 2011, you better not let me down!

Back from Slackerdom - Part...what number are we up to? - Spin CIty

I love my Spin City meetup group! One of my favorite things I do every week is get together with them. We did a lot this year - we grew to over 200 members and had some of our biggest meetups ever!

Meetup at Trump Tower:

The Shake Shack:

The Rabbit Hole:

Rhinebeck: - after none of us winning anything last year except for some snarky comments this year we cleaned UP!! Four 1st place, Two 2nd place, One 3rd, 4th and 6th. Yay!

Our first meetup at Highline Park: which got us a write-up in the New York Times!

World Wide Spin in Public Day at Riverside Park: Our first event for which we had to get a permit!

Fibre Fallout: not our event, but a lot of us attended:

And our Holiday Party - our largest event ever!

Back from Slackerdom Part 4 - The Hike

Every time we drive into our driveway during daylight we have this great view of a clearing high up on the mountain. After many times of seeing this and saying "Wouldn't it be fun to hike up there?" we did. We packed up some wine and cheese and pepperoni, some water, and a rope of course and went up. It took most of a November afternoon, but the view was phenomenal.

Back from Slackerdom - Part 3 - Other Assorted Wildlife

Among the outdoor "pets":

Baby deer playing before a rainstorm:

Turkeys:

Frogs:

Turtles:

And a bear (tracks anyway):

Back from Slackerdom Part 2 - The Bunnies

Hef turned 7 on June 18th and NIlla turned 4 on November 3rd. They're still uber-cute and I look forward to the daily head pets and bunny kisses after work.

And, of course, pics from Easter:

Back from Slackerdom - Part I

Wow. It's been over a year since I've posted anything. Face it. I just don't think I'm that interesting. I may be wrong, but I'd rather be wrong this way than like those Jersey Shore tools who think they're ZOMG sooooooo interesting! Bleh.



Anyway, where to start. I mean, it's been a year and a lot of shit has happened, or not happened. Let's start with my previous post. Yeah, remember that job that was so full of awesome and win? Well, it wasn't a job. It was a LIE! Yeah, everything was fine at first. Until the person I "replaced" came back and there were only 2 jobs and 3 of us. After that it was a barrage of being set up and thrown under the bus. Then, two days before my insurance was to kick in, it was "Thanks, but we don't need you anymore." And there I was. Unemployed. Again.



Sad? No. Little did they know a few weeks before I spent my lunch hour going to an awesome job interview at Marc Ecko! So I didn't sweat it much - I figured it would just be a few weeks until I was employed again.



About a month and a half later I took a job at another childrenswear company. I figured Ecko hired someone else because I hadn't heard from them. I was not thrilled about going to yet another childrenswear company, but I was even less thrilled with being broke, so I took it. Of course, right after I accepted, Ecko called me back.

What to do? Give up a job where I know what the atmosphere and the workload are like, that doesn't pay so great but has excellent benefits that I don't have to pay for, yet is in an industry I want to get out of? Or jump ship to go where I don't know the people or the workload, where I have to kick in toward my benefits, but pays much better and is in the industry I want to work in? So after a week at my new job I gave my two weeks notice. Scariest thing I've ever done.

And it was SO worth it! I've been at Ecko almost a year now and I'm so happy! Cool people, cool products, great location, and the benefit deductions aren't as bad as I thought they would be. I definitely made the right decision.