New York, New York

"New York is to the nation what the white spire is to the village — the visible symbol of aspiration and faith, the white plume saying the way is up!" – E.B. White

"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." – Thomas Wolfe

I belong to New York. I grew up on the streets of Manhattan in many ways, although I’m not a native. Being from the suburbs of Connecticut, New York City is just part of life. Field trips, concerts, museums, shows, the Bronx Zoo, South Street Seaport, the bridges… God! I miss it! There is nothing in the world that can compare. I’ve been to and through other cities and I’ve never felt the same level of comfort anywhere that I feel in New York. I think sometimes that everyone has a city that is theirs heart and soul. New York is mine. I’d love to see London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, and all the great cities of the world, but I’m not sure anywhere else will ever capture me the way New York does.

I guess I’m just feeling homesick. I always do when Alan is away. This place is just too damn sunny. LOL… It’s always sunny here. No gray days, really. I wouldn’t have thought I would miss cloudy days, but it turns out I do. So it just doesn’t feel quite like home. ::sigh::

This week, while Alan is gone, I’ve got the car, which means I don’t have to sit at home all day. I probably will anyway, but that’s hardly the point. LOL… I am going to be going to the gym every day with Charlee and we’re doing Zumba on Tuesday and yoga on Thursday. Last Wednesday we did a kettlebell class. I swear I nearly passed out at one point and had to take a break. And my legs are STILL sore. Thursday and Friday I could barely move. Good workout though. LOL.

I like hanging out with Charlee and Kelby. They’re fun people. I’m glad we’ve adopted them. Hehehe… it’s just that Sims and his wife are really quiet and she’s about 8 months pregnant. They’re also significantly younger than us. She’s only just 18. At least Charlee and Kelby are in their 20’s. They’ve experienced life outside the Army.

There’s another new guy in the shop who just started this past week. He’s married too, but his wife is still in Florida right now. As far as anyone can tell, he’s an idiot. I haven’t met him, but according to Alan and Kelby, he’s trying to find an apartment or house to rent with at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 1500 square feet. He also seems to think that he’ll be able to do this within his BAH. Plus his wife has a toddler and doesn’t work. We’re only just scraping by and we don’t have a kid. Our apartment is only 2 bedrooms and not even 1000 square feet. And we use our entire BAH on rent and utilities. And this guy seems to think that he’s only going to spend $250 on groceries every month. With a toddler… He’s nuts! We spend more on that with just the two of us. And he’ll have health care costs because the kid isn’t his, so he’s not covered by TriCare. The biological father would have to sign a consent form for him to legally adopt the kid. I’m interested to meet this guy. For everyone to instantly form the impression that he’s an idiot is pretty impressive.

I’ve applied to be a Groomer’s Assistant at the Petco down the street, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will work out. We could use the money and I’m getting bored being at home all the time. They haven’t contacted me yet, but I hope they will. If they haven’t by tomorrow, I’ll call them on Tuesday and see what’s up. It’ll be a good break from childcare at least and it’s not quite retail. It’s only pseudo-retail. So I think that would help. And bonus: it’s within walking distance, so no need to spend my paycheck on gas. So my fingers are crossed that I’ll get it.

There’s not much else going on in my life. I don’t really do much. I’m steadily working my way through all nine seasons of The X-Files, but that’s not exactly what I’d call an accomplishment. I’ve been painting and drawing a bit, though not as much as I should. I haven’t been writing. Bad Lizzie. I’m thinking about having a party later in the spring, when everybody is done with all their field training. I would invite everyone in S2 (Alan’s office) and then ask them all to bring at least one guest. The real challenge will be stocking up on alcohol beforehand. It’ll also freak the cats out pretty good. But on the bright side, there won’t be any real risk of DUI’s or accidents getting people home. There is a program for Ft. Carson soldiers that provides free rides if you’ve been drinking. Pretty good concept.

For now I’m off. No good reason. I’ve just run out of things to say.

~Liz