Gushy Mushy Happy Stuff

I keep smiling like a goon.

I feel like I must be annoying those around me because the good news, the praise, the excitement, the blessings (to get all spiritual and religious about it), the positive just keeps pouring in. I'm drowning in good shit right now. I don't know what is going on with me, but it's about damn time. 

I'm on a role right now. In all of my attempted ventures, I've been finding success. Three different serendipitous events have pushed the business I'm starting in a very promising direction (including picking up my dream business partner, Loren, one of my bestest friends and one of the most talented ladies I know). More on that as it develops. 

I keep meeting amazing music connections, and I have been receiving unbelievable encouragement from all those who hear my stuff. I'm going to meet up with a talented gent tonight to work on what will likely be the summer jam of 2013 (take that, Carly Rae Jepsen!). 

I love my coworkers at my job and I'm working on a pretty cool loft project for which I am the lead designer. In a couple of months I'll have my first built project to put into my portfolio. It's ok to be impressed!

I have the coolest loft room ever. Despite the fact that I can't stand up all the way (think, "Being John Malkovich"), most tend to agree. It's a pretty cozy, funky space. Exactly what I pictured I'd have if I ever moved to New York. I'll post a picture, perhaps...

But most importantly, I finally shed all of the old bullshit in my life (buh-bye blues!), and am just straight up happy. I'm surrounded by great people -cool friends, great roommates, great prospects for my love life, I have a perfect yoga studio two blocks from my work and two blocks from my apartment and have been taking full advantage of that, I find myself going to amazing events every single night thinking "who's life is this?" I dance my ass off on the regular. I probably drink too much, and I've certainly seen the sunrise too often lately, but it's all worth it. So I'm not sleeping much, but f'real, who needs it? I'm pretty sure I've never been happier. 

Hear that, y'all? Never. Been. Happier. 

This city is rad, bro. My life feels dreamy. And for the first time, I don't feel like anything is lacking or missing. I just want everything to keep moving along the same path it is currently. This trajectory is perfect. 

*End gushing. 

Who is Craig?

And why am I always using his lists?

Trying to find people to collaborate with on music on craigslist. I've found a few possibilities, but more and more I'm becoming convinced that I have about as much luck finding something of quality on craigslist as I do at a 99 cent store.

Cabin Fever and an Endless Stream of NY1

The inane selfishness of man.
Best seen in those who decided to stay behind after being urged, for about a day and a half, to evacuate their homes, and decided to stay, despite warnings that help would not be able to reach.
They stayed.
Then they begged for help.
At great cost to government, risking the lives of innocent emergency workers. 

Correction. The inane stupidity of man.

The news is now full of complaints about what's not being done, what's going wrong with a wide range of emergency services. Complaints about still-crippled transportation services. Christ, people. I'm over listening to whiners and sensationalist news teams harping on the negative. The effort made to bring life back to the city has been amazing. If you think of the scope, the gallons of water to be pumped out of subway systems, the difficulty of getting resources to the millions of people without with no ease of transportation, the innumerable variables that were tweaked and shifted out of  control by this hurricane? I'm damn impressed that for most New Yorkers, things are at least functioning on a basic level. All of the minor, or major inconveniences that remain are, at least to the thinking person, to be expected.

Bummer, for sure, but this is what we get for the years of mindless environmental irresponsibility that likely resulted in the freak storm Sandy. I'm pretty convinced that we played a major role. So we suffer the consequences. Quit yer crying and stand in line for the bus for 3 hours. Everyone else is. Or walk. You've got feet.

Silent Night

Hype.
 (hp) Slang n.

Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion

...at least on the Upper West Side.

Yesterday, I waited in line at the West Side Market for damn near half an hour. I entertained myself by checking out the apocalypse snack picks of those in line with me. Microwaveable vegetables (you know, because you can always thaw them out to eat them if you lose power.), $7 chocolate bars, water bottled in glass, and lots of cheese and crackers. My Nana Nina's fabulous Upper West Side apartment had already been stocked fully earlier in the morning, but I went to put a couple of finishing touches on the Sandy stash. Everyone was stocking their places like they'd be forced to hibernate until Thanksgiving. One woman in line even recommended to me that I fill my bathtub in case something happens to the water, "you know. In case you need to flush your toilet."

I cooked enough eggplant parmesan for a small army, in case we lost power and couldn't cook for a few days. Today, we put towels in the windows and closed all the blinds. We even hit the store again, bringing back an ultra-excessive spare bag of groceries apiece. The weather report has been going in the background all day. It looks awful. Truly! I can't imagine what it's like for those losing their homes and businesses right now. For those waiting in the dark to find out the damage.

Really. I can't imagine.

Because all I can say about my condition right now? I'm watching the TV while using my laptop, drinking a glass of wine, and harboring a tummy ache from eating so much all day. If I turn off the TV, it's dead quiet. I can't even hear the wind. This is the most silent I've ever heard this neighborhood. Despite the lack of weather in Morningside Heights, everyone is inside, scared, glued to their TVs, afraid of the phantom 77 mph winds (that are clearly nonexistent here). If the line at the grocery store indicated anything, Morningside Heights is, I would say, the most well-prepared, least-Sandy-affected area in Manhattan. 

We all stocked up, bought out the local hardware stores' flashlight, battery, and candle supplies, and we got nothin'. I bet if this had been an evacuation area, you wouldn't find a soul staying back -with the way we all prepared here? No way. We all can't believe these poor schmucks who refused to heed flood warnings and evacuate. Up here? We expected the worst! All we got was a government-mandated movie-night.
 

Don't stone me for saying so, but I feel a little left out! This was supposed to be my night to accrue a great story! My own primary-source history account!

I'm going to go out for a walk to assess damage. A good 100 block walk. Because, you know... subways are down. 

Oh, Sandy! How could you?

If this Sandy is anything like they say she is (a real control freak! And damn burly!) I could have moved to New York just in time to experience a history-book-making storm. They say this is the biggest storm in this area that anyone has ever seen in their lifetime.

It's like I just moved to New Orleans just prior to Katrina (sidenote- why are hurricanes all chicks? I'm sensing some misogyny.)

So far it looks pretty normal outside here on the Upper West Side, just a little windy, gray, gloomy, moist. Still, every time I leave the apartment, I pick up another bag of groceries, just in case (you can never have enough arugula!).

I can't believe there are people out there not leaving their homes in areas that are already flooding. Way to spit in the face of a major natural disaster!

If you ask me, we've been asking for this. Scientists have been saying for waaay too long now that we've been neglecting our natural environment. It's pissed, and I think it has all right to be! We keep getting all up-in-arms about these major natural disasters, but they're going to just keep worsening and becoming more frequent.
It's going to cause destruction. People will lose their lives. I hate to be such a cynic, but I take this as a positive. I think if we, as humans, won't take the initiative to become more symbiotic than parasitic, our planet (being much more resilient) will find ways to shake us off, make this planet untenable for our kind. The planet will be ok. But we're goners...

So we've gotta change. As I sit here watching the winds pick up, letting the news run incessantly in the background (I really don't need to see any more footage of that crane dangling mid-air. I get it. It's precarious. Fix it and let's move on.) my mind is racing with all sorts of thoughts about this storm's political, social, and especially architectural implications (hey... where there's destruction, rebuilding must be done!). I hope I start to form them well enough to write about them. Share them.

Instead, I'll probably get too lazy and just curl up with some hot coffee and watch the rain. I'll try and say something smart before the power goes out...

Meanwhile, I've never seen so many hoods worn on the TV in one day. Everyone looks so cozy!

The Rambling Years

The Coroner's report is in...
"The Copenhagen Chronicles" is dead. For good. Died from lack of relevance.

Let's face it, I'm no longer in Copenhagen, I rarely post anymore, because I feel it has to be about Copenhagen. It was time for that blog theme to die.

But reincarnation is real, and all content and web address and cover photo even (for now, due to laziness) are being reborn as....

dun dun dunnnn
THE RAMBLING YEARS!

It makes sense. I ramble. I move. It's still a travel blog about whatever I damn well feel like writing about. I'm not sure anyone reads this anymore anyway? Three cheers and two hip-hips for self indulgence!

I'm bad at keeping a following, due to lack of commitment to posting. But, won't you follow me?

It's a new time. A new day. I move to New York on Friday to start a new chapter. I wasn't about to start a blog called "Natalie in New York". "The Rambling Years" wins.

Let the Rambling begin.

Snooze Fest

When you wake up late, the day begins without you, tasks and people and calls pile up, and the rest of the day feels like one impossible game of catch-up.

I wish that when I set my alarm for 6:30 in the morning, I didn't automatically disable my alarm, allowing me to sleep until noon... 5 days in a row.

At least the dark circles under my eyes are gone.