Job Placement

I finally know where I'll be teaching! I'll be teaching 5th and 6th grade science in a middle school in the Bronx, just north of Yankee Stadium. I start with prepping for the new school year on Monday, so wish me luck!

Uber-Update Deux

On the job front, I am still looking for a school placement. I've had a few interviews and went to a job fair, but nothing yet. I have three more interviews this week, so hopefully something will get nailed down soon.

On the fun front, In the Heights was really good. The performers were incredible, and I liked the Spanish vibe of the show. I also went with Laura to see Spring Awakening. It was innovative and interesting, but the ending was way too convenient and abrupt for my taste. The performers were outstanding. Hunter Parrish, who plays Silas Botwin on Weeds, was one of the leads, and he was excellent. I still have a long list of shows I want to see, but they will have to wait until some paychecks start rolling in.

On the food front, after Spring Awakening, we wandered around Chinatown and had incredible Chinese food at Wo Hop 17. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits. We also had rice pudding at Rice to Riches. I've never really been a rice pudding fan, but this stuff is manna. I've been craving more since we left the store. :)

I'm loving living with Laura and getting to see the baby every day. I'm also loving having lots of kitties to love on, but I do miss my Austin friends and my monkeys. (My monkeys are my friends' kids - not actual monkeys. That would be silly.) I'll be back though, in November to get Punk and ship my things, and in March to go to SXSW.

Until then, I'll just keep happily exploring the big city. :)

Uber-Update

OK, kids, let's start back at the beginning.

Monday, I arrived safe and sound in the Big Apple, ran errands with Laura and Jensen (my godson, who is unbelievably beautiful!), and settled in a bit.

Tuesday I had my interview with a school in Manhattan. In the interest of not being late, not getting lost, and not arriving covered in sweat I hired a car to take me into the city. The school was great, and the interview went really well. I took the train back home and Laura picked me up at the train station in Flushing.

Wednesday I took the train into Brooklyn to go to the Dept. of Ed. and get fingerprinted. As long as they don't count that time on the beach in Mexico, I'll be fine. :)

Thursday I stayed home, played with the baby, rested a bit, and settled in a bit more.

Friday was an awesome day! I took the bus by myself from home and took the train into the city. I went to Times Square and stood on line at TKTS to see if I could get discount tickets for Legally Blonde. They were on the board when I got in line, but sold out by the time I got to the window. I went over to the box office to see if they had any tickets left, and I got one in the 5th row! I was so excited! (I know that Legally Blonde isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I love the energy and enthusiasm of the show and the message of reaching for your dreams.) I also met a very nice woman and her son who were from Bryan, TX while I was in line.

Since I had a few hours, I took a cab to the Met, where I saw the Superhero exhibit, visited the Lehman Gallery (which I had never seen before!) and admired this painting of a woman in a blue dress (the color is amazingly rich, and the detail of the lace she is wearing is extraordinary), and went upstairs to say hello to Johannes Vermeer. I became a member so I can visit for free all year long. There is still SO much to explore there.

I took a cab back to the theater, where I had an elegant dinner of a cheeseburger and apple slices at the McDonald's next door. So chic! When I found my seat for the show, I was surprised to see Susan and Ethan, the mother and son from Bryan that I'd met earlier. They said they heard me order one ticket and asked if there were any seats near mine. So nice! They also said that they were part of a group that was visiting and that if they have any extra tickets during the week they'll give me a call! So, SO nice!

The show was even better than I had expected! The new lead, chosen by an MTV reality show, wasn't my favorite of the potential Elles, but she actually did a great job. Christian Borle, who plays Emmett, was adorable on the TV broadcast and even more wonderful in person. Kate Shindle, a former Miss America, was also outstanding. It was a very happy, pink experience. :)

As I walked back to the subway from the theater, I had one of my first New York moments. It was so crowded with people walking slowly and looking around, I couldn't help but think, "Argh! Tourists!" Then I laughed at myself for acclimating so quickly. :)

Today, I went with Laura and Jensen to The Little Gym, where Jensen took a few steps all on his own!! Then, after grocery shopping, I got a call from Susan who has an extra ticket to In the Heights for tonight. Yea!!

So, overall my move has been pretty seamless. Many thanks to Laura for helping me make the transition!! I have an interview in the Bronx on Tuesday, and I'll be visiting lots of schools next week. Wish me luck!