Sleeeep

During a lunch meeting about an extra-curricular work thing today, I started nodding off. Apparently, during another meeting I nodded off a little too. I also started nodding off at my desk. And this is after getting a good 7.5 hours of sleep. Adding to this, I used to fall asleep in lecture like a champion - I mean, 5 minutes, pow, I'm out.
The moment I have to sit still and not do anything, I fall asleep. I used to think narcolepsy was exhibited the way the "Narcoleptic Argentinian" was in "Moulin Rouge," but after a co-worker's comment about narcolepsy, I looked it up online and realized that I just might have it. Apparently test number 1 is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (teehee) which is a scale of 0-24. 10 and above means that you should already start seeking help. I gave it a go and got an 18. Uhhhh... And apparently, narcopleptics can fall asleep in half the time it takes a normal person. Which I think may apply...Maybe?
Sitting still and not getting to do anything...my worst nightmare...

Caffeinated

I think it's very possible that my company is killing me with kindness. Today along with my usual two cups of coffee, I was obliged to drink the free liter of soda I got at lunch and a super-iced cupcake which we got today to celebrate Big Boss Hugh's birthday. So...more caffeine than my usual intake and more sugar than my usual intake. It left me pretty much strung out for the rest of the day - I couldn't sit still and kept getting up to walk around and I pretty much sprinted out of the office just to sprint. I'm still really caffeinated and hyper.
And full...Auntie feeds me too much, too....

O, and I got discounted tickets to Fuerzabruta - and the performer who's getting them for me invited me out for drinks afterwards! I love NY!

Partying it Up!

This is the week of parties and gatherings for me. Yesterday was the office party, which was great. I had a margarita and a ton of vodka sours and loosened up enough to get into some good conversations with the boss-people. Ariel and Eli talked about the red light district in Amsterdam - I came to the conclusion that it's really like a vending machine, like those ones with the hamburgers and hotdogs, where you pay the money and the little door opens. Except you go in, instead...Then I talked to Patrick and he revealed to me that Daddy swears like a sailor at work! Daddy! I told him how I changed the Netflix queue when I saw that Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" was at the top because it's kind of pornographic. Really, it was to protect Daddy's innocence. Patrick said, "Oooo, your dad's not so innocent..." Daddy, how could you?
I went to half of the after-party, since open bar and the lounge we were at closed at 8. We went from Park (the office party) to the Martitime Hotel and had some drinks at the bar. By then, I was quite tipsy, and everyone around me were cracking away at their private jokes. I just kept staring at Grace, who literally let her hair down after a few drinks and was working the whole flirtatious-Korean-dragon-lady-with-gloriously-long-and-wavy-hair look. I wish that I had gloriously long and wavy hair...The group decided around 10:45 to move on to Meracat or however its spelled. I, myself, could no longer keep my eyes open, not because I was smashed, but because all the horrendous air conditioning had made it so my contacts felt like sandpaper on my eyeballs. But, I heard that they didn't stay at the second place very long before dispersing - we still had work today, after all...
Tonight, housewarming party at Christina's (a best friend from the olden days). She lives near Times Square! I'll bet the place is way out of my price range. Ah well, the things I give up to be able to look at magnificent buildings I designed. And tomorrow, the NY Carnegie Mellon Alumni chapter is having a dim sum lunch here in Flushing...at the mall...Obviously this guy doesn't know Flushing, but I'll go anyway since it's just a few streets away. Maybe I can see Ken and punch him in the face. Now that's networking.

On a completely different note: On the way home, I heard the wierdest clanging noises in Lippman Plaza. On approach, I realized that it was a band of people in traditional Chinese dress. One had a drum, and another guy had some sort of trumpet thing that seriously sounded to me like bagpipes and another guy was dancing around with a funny hat that had a rope attached to the top which he kept swinging around like a helicopter. Fun times...O, and the song they were playing was "Amazing Grace." Um...

Apartment Search Horror!

Yesterday I went to go see a couple of places. One was great because it was in a diverse neighborhood with lots going on, and the lady I would be living with is very straightforward and the apartment is squeaky clean. Downside is that it's just a tad out of my price range. Well, I'm still strongly considering it, because I had really good feelings about the place.
The second place I saw was a nightmare. I figured since my gramma and aunt and cousins were all in Flushing, I could just live somewhere near them. I looked at one place that was listed as female roommates seeking another female roommate. Well, no, it was more like females plus the guy that lives in the living room and sleeps on the couch a few months out of the year. So, already, I'm thinking that it's not my thing, plus its really far away from the metro station. Then, as I'm leaving, the guy who owns the place (Mr. Couch) says that he's heading over towards Main St and would like to walk with me. Sure. Then we talk and he starts asking me all these questions. What sorts of things do you do? What do you like? I stick to talking about the bakeries on Roosevelt, I figure its neutral enough. Then as we part ways - me going to my aunt's, him going elsewhere, he says, "We should go check out some bakeries together some time." I later email him to say the place isn't for me and he replies that its ok, and repeats the bakery visit offer.
Eep...
So, today, I regale Jason at work about the tale, and then pretty much everyone in the office hears and Matt tells me I should report the guy to the rental committee/consurtium/triumverate/whatever for sexual harassment. I don't know if he's really all that bad. I doubt he asks out every girl that comes to see the place. But still, if its all female plus the guy on the couch, please, tell people that in the ad.
And really, if I was willing to sell my body for low rent and a place to live, I'd be living it up in some swanky bachelor pad in the East Village. Not Flushing...

Dancing in NY

So far, I've only been able to take dance class once a week because of house hunting and visitors, etc. I hope that in a few weeks, I'll be able to start going regularly. The one that I've been really keen on getting to every week is a Limon class at Peridance. Limon is very different - I've only had a teeny tiny bit of exposure to Graham and Horton technique. The big thing I can see in this style is that it's all about falling, not throwing or contractions. And there's a lot about breathing - everyone's breathing very rythmically the whole time, sort of like pilates. It's a beautiful style - I went to Peridance looking for ballet classes and ended up sitting and watching the last half hour of a Limon class because I absolutely loved the way everyone was moving.
I realized after a few dance classes that taking an open class here has a very different conotation from taking an open class in Pittsburgh. A lot of the people that danced in Pittsburgh's open classes were professional dancers, but a whole lot of them were just regular people who liked to continue dancing as a hobby. I figured that's the way it would be in NY. Not the case. I was chatting happily with a girl after my first ballet class and right before we parted ways she said, "It's so wonderful that you came to NY to pursue a career in dance!" to which I replied, "eh hahaha! Nooooooo... I'm hear for architecture..." And I realized in the Limon class I'm in, everyone!, even the older looking people that seem like working people there for fun, was a professional dancer...So wierd...
So, in the fall, when most normal teaching class schedules resume, I'm going to sign up for the wonderfully discounted gym membership my company provides. With it, I will get to learn to pole dance. Yah, you heard it. Pole dance. Like a stripper. :P

Survived!

Here I sit in the back room of H3 at the end of the second week. Yes, I've survived! So far no one's yelled at me, and it looks like I'm not going to get fired, so I'm just going to breathe a sigh of relief. It's strange being in the working world where the 8:30 start time is more of a guideline than a rule and you don't necessarily have to worry about showing your commitment by sticking around the studio into the wee hours of the night (in fact, my supervisor is often the first one out the door). In fact, whenever I stay a little later, usually because I'm waiting for a dance class to start, people that are still there say things like, "Don't form bad habits! Go home!" :D
So far, I've always been in the back room model building. The area is generally still under construction. They're moving more people back here eventually and installing a 42" flat screen TV and a Wii. For now, I get to rule my own 500sf and blast the speakers with whatever music I see fit.
O and the people are very friendly. Merton, procurer of all the modeling supplies I could ever dream of, says that because of my personality, it seems like they've known me for much longer than a couple weeks. That's a good thing, I think.
O, and half days on Fridays. I'm leaving at 12:30 to go to a Limon contemporary class and then I'm going to a pricy Japanese hair salon to get my hair cut. Long or short? Who knows...
And Morten's going to be here tomorrow!!!

Yesterday, being the first day of work, was horrifyingly slow. This morning, much to my chagrine, I found myself cleaning and organizing the model building space and some of the materials library. "This can't be what I'm doing with the rest of my life," I thought. Fortunately, after lunch, my real work started and I was model building for the rest of the day. Even had enough work to do that I left work half an hour late and have a tad bit more to finish up in the morning.
As for the company, I'm finding it perkier than I could have ever imagined. Everyone seems really nice, I have a great supervisor. They're really easy going - the key thing is to finish what you have to do for the day, but you can really surf the internet all you like, just don't put it on your billable hours. Also, there's company-paid outings - we're having some sort of big summer outing on the 24th. It's top secret at the moment, but in the past, it's been parties on a yacht or double decker tours led by Hugh Hardy (the big cheese). Also, days before holidays, work gets out at 3pm, and if I work after hours and have approval, I can get a free cab ride home. Jolly!
O yes, and today, we all got free delicious pizza for lunch. It was prompted by my supervisor, Ariel, who had me and all the interns doing hard labor all morning. He called the office manager and requested pizza for us, and then she decided to order a little extra for the office. Ironically, since we were all in the back cleaning, our little group was the last to know the pizza was here. Fortunately for me, people hate pizza with green pepper and onions, so I got to have a BIG slice of it. Yum!

Twiddle

I've been twiddling my thumbs since 8:30 this morning. First day of work always seems to be like that. I'm in a temporary station that is apparently occupied by a very fastidious person who likes everything in its place. I've been told not to take it personally when he disinfects everything when he returns. So...yeah. They're doing some renovations in the back room and when its done, people will be rearranged, and there are some interns on the way out. I guess when all that happens, I'll get moved into a permanent spot. A week too early, oops.
I found out a little bit ago that I'll be working for a guy named Ariel on a nifty black box theatre at a very prominent NY landmark. Should be fun. I am sworn into secrecy. And I'm hungry...Darnit, I even ate breakfast. At least there's free coffee. But yes, I have nothing to do, and until then, I'm just going to be sitting here twiddling.
O, and in a week, they're considering sending me out for some training in Revit. Michael, the guy who hired me, is going to go over the Revit curriculum to see if it's worth it. Must do Kristen Kurland proud...
Technically no IMing allowed here, but I keep looking at this girl behind me and she's been online shopping and emailing all morning. Surely an occasional IM is okay if online shopping is okay.
Real estate search is going well. Marlen and I discovered that the 180s in Washington Heights is absolutely perfect. I've fallen in love. All the other places we saw before were nice, but nothing got me quite like the apartment we saw yesterday. I turned to her and said, "Marlen, this is where I want to live." It had TREES outside and all the windows are inward facing so it's quiet. Perfection for $1425/m. We talked about it and decided that we can only afford it if the owner covers the broker fee. If he does, we'll actually save $300 in the long run. Otherwise, though, we're going to keep looking.