Full Speed Ahead

People ask me all the time how it is that I can work as many hours as I do and still manage to breathe.

This week has been proof of just the way that happens, and none of it is because of me.

First of all, I am way ADD, and if I am not working intense hours in multiple places, I am more than bored, I am miserable. I don't do well with downtime. This is why I manage to fill my "downtime" with activities that stimulate my mind, and remind me of why I am here (God, praising him, serving him, etc...)

So in his way, God allows me to get by in a routine that is not only "survivable," but it is actually enjoyable.

Thursdays and Fridays are extremely long on my new schedule. Basically, after getting home late from church on Wednesday, I have to be up early on Thursday to hop the train to whatever school I've been assigned to for the day, only to run to the train after school so I can be at Barnes and Noble as close to my originally scheduled time as possible. Then, I work a full shift and get out after close, meaning I usually get home somewhere around 11:45. The next day, the exact same thing has to happen.

This week, I was assigned a job in my neighborhood for Thursday, which meant two things:

1.) No train for me to get to school

2.) No train for me to get to Barnes and Noble

Not using the subway gives more time to play with, as I didn't have to leave until much later, AND, I was able to come home for lunch (and take a nap....).

THEN, on Friday, I got out of work almost three hours earlier than planned. This enabled me to have an hour of time to myself in Downtown Brooklyn before heading off to Barnes and Noble. In that hour, I sat on a bench in front of Borough Hall in the sunshine while listening to the tunes of the keytar across from me, as a man used it to play everything from Michael Jackson to John Mayer. They were also filming Law and Order Criminal Intent on the street corner, where I saw Jeff Goldblum (who will forever be, to me, the quirky guy from Independence Day).

SATURDAY, I went for a run, which I planned on only doing for twenty to thirty minutes, as I haven't been keeping up and am out of shape

BUUUTTTTT

I ended up along the waterfront in Red Hook, which is now my favorite place in New York City. It's full of little bakeries, view of the harbor, old trolly cars, gardens, adorable houses, cobblestone streets, abandoned coffee factories... you get the point. There is apparently a man who sells key lime pies there that are supposed to be the best in the city. That's my next adventure. I then walked up Smith Street to work instead of Court and did some shopping both there, and at the Fulton Mall.

I call that a Saturday.

To round it all off, I have two days of subbing and Graffiti ahead of me, then I'm running to the airport, and hopping a plane to Chicago, where I plan to be completely lazy and unproductive for two whole days with my bestest friend in the whole wide world :) I see lots of really bad nineties movies in our future.

After Chicago, it's Mississippi for a wedding, some quality family time, and some adventures with friends I don't see often.

All in all, if you wonder how my schedule stays balanced, realize that these fantastic little breaks are constantly interspersed in there somewhere. It keeps me going. You just have to be willing to recognize those times. When you're life is overwhelming, be mindful of even the smallest breaks you have, and take the opportunity to thank God for them. Then, use them to take advantage of the places, people, and situations he's put into your life.

Tattoo Art and Subways

I have a fascination with tattoos, and an inability to stop looking at them when I am on the trains.

I can spot a good tattoo (and a bad one) from across the car, and immediately, my eyes are drawn. I analyze, I wonder about the person on which it's drawn, I compare it to their clothes, and their hair, and decide if it "suits" them. I sometimes even wonder what tattoos people are hiding. I can't help but to think that all those yuppies in sports-coats have to have a tattoo or two, or many, hidden under their pressed collars. Bad tribal from a late-teenage beach trip? The name of a girlfriend who has since dumped them? Perhaps even something beautiful that they are not at all ashamed of, like a flower that reminds them of their grandmother, or a cross that reminds them of their savior. Maybe they just have it in a discreetly hidden place.

Either way, I can't stop looking at those you can see. If it's visible, I'm gonna look at it. If you have a tattoo on an open area, be prepared, because chances are, I'm staring your way when you walk through the doors of an F-train (or an A-train, or a 6-train, whatever I happen to be riding).

All of this tattoo-gazing has caused me to start recognizing people. I saw a blue star-design on this girl's foot that I KNOW I've seen before, and I looked up, to see a forearm tattoo that I immediately realized belonged to my upstairs neighbor. The more staring I do, the more I start to notice things I've seen before.

Once, I was riding the E-train with a friend up the west side, and I couldn't stop staring at this tattoo that was barely poking out from someone's shirt. I wanted to find out what the rest of it was. What else was hidden behind that black t-shirt sleeve? Only then, did I realize that it was in-fact, my friend's new tattoo that he hadn't bothered to show me yet.

I really think I might have an addiction.

One of my favorite mindless pastimes is to google "bad tattoos" and see what happens. I shall show you a few examples:

All that to say, if ever you are in New York, and you've forgotten to bring a book on a long subway-trek, look around you, you're bound to find some entertaining body-art to keep your mind going.

Continuing Education, Looking for Jobs, etc

I'm tired of talking about going to graduate school.

I keep wishing I had a masters, and missing school, so why am I holding out.

I have been making excuses about all of the little details that are required to get in. I also have put off applying because I couldn't choose a program.

Well, apparently the application deadline for the fall is April 1st at Hunter, and from my research, they have the best program choices, so I took it upon myself to start an application.

Last-minute, yes, but worth it, totally. Hunter doest require GRE or LAST (neither of which I have taken). One of the reasons I'd been putting off applying was that I had not taken them, but since they aren't required, I have no excuse.

I have chosen to apply for the adolescent literacy program, as my favorite part of planning lessons is literacy. Not to mention I have experience in adolescent literature and enjoy looking for ways to incorporate it into the classroom. People with literacy degrees can not only learn how to incorporate literacy into the classroom, but they can use it to be literacy specialists on a campus, a literacy consultant for various campuses, or a lieteracy tutor.

I am getting super excited about this next step, and I hope to stick with it. I hope it's not just my thought of the day. I need to do this for my sanity, and for my career.

Theology on Tap, among other things

I've been trying to plug into my neighborhood.

Since I can't afford to live in the neighborhood near Graffiti, I figure it is important to get to know my neighbors where I live and work most of the time. It's not easy to do in New York, but if you try hard enough, you can make even a big city feel like a small town by frequenting the same places.

I've always loved the old movie theatre up the street. I go there every Thursday. This week's choice is Shutter Island. I'm pretty pumped about that. Leonardo DiCaprio + Martin Scorcese + a story written by Dennis Lehane + Boston accents = my kinda show. I hope not to be disappointed.

I have been trying to eat out in the area more. Not that I need to spend the money, but when I do, I'd like for it to be in common places.

I got a library card and have frequented that building often.

I'm starting to see my customers out and about. This is my first sign that I'm getting somewhere with this "small town" concept.

Monday night, I went to "Theology on Tap," which was a lecture/discussion lead by a Priest on Smith Street at an Irish Pub. Since I grew up in South Louisiana, and have always WANTED to learn more about the Catholic culture I was so immersed in but never a part of, I decided to check it out. With Chelsea backing out at the last minute because she had to pack, I almost ended up at Starbucks for the night instead. I'm glad I didn't.

I met wonderful people from the start, one of whom turned out to be from Louisiana AND works for a non-profit who may or may not be hiring....

Then, after the very entertaining Priest, Father Joel, gave a thirty minute talk on church structure and function of basic Catholic traditions, we had an intense group-wide discussion on a variety of topics. One man brought up the idea that Christians were so much more joyful in the midst of persecution in Roman times than they are today. Someone then pointed out that the Christians who are still being persecuted today are much more joyful than those of us who take it for granted. THEN, another man added that he has an ultimate joy from having his own personal relationship with the Lord, and he wants to share that with everyone he comes into contact with.

I was glad he said that.

Then, I met a priest who does ministry near Graffiti with families in the neighborhood. That in itself made it worth going to. I love meeting people who work with my same people.

And there was free food.

All that to say, I plan on going more consistently to things like that in the Carroll Gardens/Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill area. The more I get to know the people and places, the more at home I can feel. I've just realized I have to be deliberate about it. I love my 'hood, and I want to stay there for as long as I'm in New York- Lord Willing, which says a lot coming from someone as stir-crazy as myself.

Perhaps I've come a long way...

I got to be in that number

Because my church is awesome, someone anonymously donated money to fly me home to watch the Superbowl with my family and celebrate in my city. It was truly amazing. I got the chance to see a team carry a group of people to joy in a way I'm sure no team has ever done before.

I also got to see God's provision once again. I learned a lot from this experience.

1. It's okay that I don't live in New Orleans, because when it comes down to it, he'll provide a way for me to be there for the important things. So as much as I miss home and it's luxuries, and the people there, I still get to enjoy them often enough to maintain that appreciation.

2. The Lord provides in the most unexpected ways. I have no idea who paid for that trip, but it's cool that they did.

3. Jesus is a lot like the Saints players, but way bigger and more important. I'd lose no respect for any of those players if after the game and the parade, they had ducked off to their homes without ever talking to a fan. It's hard for them to live regular lives. BUT they didn't. All of them take time out to see the fans, talk to the fans, spend time with the fans, and be a part of the city. In the same way, Jesus has every right to live high and mighty and have no interaction with us whatsoever, but he DOESN'T, he wants to be a part of our lives, daily, and we should accept that offer.

4. If Heaven is anything like the city of New Orleans after that game, minus the alcohol, then boy are we in for a treat. I'm pretty excited about that celebration. I wanna be in THAT number!

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what it is he's got going for me here on Earth. I've REALLY been considering going back to school for journalism. It was my original major, it's what I love, and I think it'd be a job I'd be good at and enjoy. I have enough connections in the media industry that I could find good internships. The ultimate goal, of course, would be to get a job at either WWL or the Times Picayune, but that's after years of experience and exploring the world through other outlets. So prayer during this decision making time would be helpful.

I'm also in the process of designing business cards, which cost money, so I am praying I make the right decision and find a way to pay for them. They are cheap, but still, cost money. But, of course, God always seems to provide a way for me to get out of financial crunches, so lets hope he does so again.