New York

New York was an epic trip... yea I'd say epic. I accomplished quite a bit in the short two and a half weeks I was there, and working for most of it. The city of New York won me over, whereas before I didn't care for it much. The first time I went I was 19 and on a school trip. I did all the touristy things and sat in my hotel room most of the nights because I was too much of a good kid, and terrified of being caught, to try to sneak into any clubs. Well now that I'm fully legal and much more outgoing (read- willing to do things alone) New York was everything that everyone always says it should be. And believe me, New York doesn't sleep, and neither did I!

*Living my parade dream, cold- I pre-extended on the trip and ended up being in NYC for THE Macy's day parade. My first night there I went to see the Radio City Rockettes and then met up for some salsa dancing with two of my co-workers (whom I love dearly). The next morning I got up bright and early, stopped at Starbucks for a hot coffee, and found a spot right up front where the parade route would be turning so I could see everything. A whole hour after the parade stepped off I saw my first float. It was really awesome to see everything I'd always seen on TV as a kid...until I couldn't feel my arms, nose, or legs. The only thing I could feel was the insane urge to pee, and you've guessed it, no public restrooms w/o a buy-in or a 10 min wait. I figured if I was going to give up my spot to the masses pushing in behind me and have ot wait for 10 minutes to go to the bathroom then I was just going to go back to the hotel. That afternoon I wonderered around a bit and then met up with my friend Kev from work. I spent an amazing Thanksgiving with his family and his family friends out in Long Island. I had the best time, felt like one of the family, and even got to read part of the prayer (in Spanish) at dinner. This was probably the best part of my entire trip, even though I'm pretty sure it resulted in one of my worst hangovers of all time... I blame the Dominican liquor. :-p

*Lady in pancho, was she cold too?- When I was in Italy working I once saw a beautiful lady in a pancho. Since then I was certain that I too needed a pancho to wear with tights and boots. I found the perfect pancho right before going to NYC and I wore it the day of the parade, and I froze my arse off. I couldn't help but wonder if that beautiful Italian woman was cold in her pancho too.

*Fell in love w/ CP heart beat like i was in love- The first moment of truely falling in love with the city was when I was on the subway up to Central Park. As I got closer my heart started to beat faster, almost to a flutter...what I would imagine one feels like when they're about to see someone they love. I got out of the subway and was holding my breath without realizing it (not because it smelled or anything, I was excited to run in the park, geez!). I ran that day for the first time in a long time with full strength in my knee for a full 30+minutes and I soaked up every minute of it, most of the time listening to "Every teardrop is a Waterfall." Running around the scene I'd seen so many times in so many TV shows and films (running where Charlotte ran in Sex and the City!) and seeing the city as the backdrop...best run, best yoga stretch session... I think I was there for two hours falling more in love with the city with every minute, every breath.

*Poetry- What good is NYC without a good bum story, right? Well I managed to go on a date while I was there. On this date the guy took me to look at the Christmas tree at Rockefellar Center, but we missed the tree actually being lit by about 5 minutes, fail. Then he tried to kiss me but just then a bum came up and started to recite poetry...not real poetry, his own poetry. I don't even remember what he said, I was too busy laughing. This date was a bit of a fail, but it was too good of a story not to share.

*Tiesto everything I ever needed- I can not even begin to explain to you the wonderfulness of the night of the Tiesto concert. Ah-mazing. I don't care how much it cost me (the ticket and the replacement of my brand new iPhone that either got stolen or fell out of my purse). The massive amount of people and dancing with my friend, everyone just bumping up and down to the bass pounding, lights flashing, fog rolling... if I could do that once a week for the rest of my life, I would be one ridiculously happy girl.

*Not alone, independent - My sister coined this phrase for me while I was in NYC. I had a bit of a breakdown because the two co-workers I was with had significant others they were spending time with and I was consistantly running into that "Just one?" look from people at restaurants, bars, and theaters. Sarah had to remind me that being alone isn't a bad thing if you look at it as being independent... sometimes that logic will suffice, sometimes I still feel pretty alone instead.

*hit on in gym clothes- A bit of a mood booster for the trip. I was working out in the gym, just got done with a run and was stretching out and I got a job offer from a guy who hires for Donald Trump. He said he mainly hires Ex Miss USA pagent winners for his sales people, but he thought I had a lot of potential and he knew that wiht my personality I would fit right in with his sales team. It felt pretty good to be considered as good as USA pagent girls while I was all sweaty and nasty at the gym. Too bad this guy was not in my age range at all, but I kept his card, just in case I get bored with my job before my looks go downhill. ;)

*drunk russian, libra? Too smart, dangerous bad person!- I managed to try a couple of unique bars while I was there. One of them being a Swing bar. I went alone, excuse me, independently. I was sitting at the bar and this big Russian started to hit on me. Then he asked me my sign and I told him I was a libra. In his drunken slurry accent he told me that libra's were too smart and that I was a very dangerous person, not to be trusted. Then he told everyone around me. Luckily the doorman came to my rescue, pretending to be my boyfriend and scared the drunken Russian away. Apparently, I'm dangerously smart!

*creepy window displays, Macy's kid crying and saks manqs- You always hear about the window displays in NYC at Christmas time, especially the ones at Macy's, and if you're  alocal you steer clear of the area arond this time like it's the black plague. However, I knew what I was getting into with the crowds of people and I didn't feel right leaving NY without seeing it. So I went, and I have to tell you, those manequins were some of the scariest and creepiest things I have ever seen, and they moved. I saw one little kid take a look and start bawling. I don't blame him. I'm sure those things haunted my dreams that night. Ewwww.

*mustard on table was always grey poupon- Instead of being ketchup and regular mustard on the tables it was always ketchup and Grey Poupon...which I didn't mind, just thought it was interesting.

Delicious places I ate - Buddakan, we walked right in a got a table at one of the busiest places in the district. Benefit of being two beautiful girls. :) Basera, my first Indian food outing. Wine:30. La Flaca, where I met the bartending/owner who took me to see The Nutcracker ballet. Pizza Famiglia, Serendipity (not the frozen hot chocolate, but the fro yo, and I met my roommate's cousin who works there!)

Shows I saw - The Nutcracker at the NYC Ballet, The Nutcracker on the lower Eastside (I actually like this one better, way more interesting), Lysistrada Jones, Radio City Rockettes, Heard Usher practicing from the Rockefeller Ice Rink but couldn't see him past the swarm of teenage girls trying to see that little Justin kid (sorry Jess, I know you love him, but he's like 12).

Wow, that's quite a bit for just two weeks. Maybe that's why it's been one of my favorite trips so far.

Scotland

So because I, sadly, can not seem to keep this up to date in the detailed fashion that I really want to, I've decided to just post my short notes and not really tie them together with stories and in between details. Sort of a speed-reading, if you will, of the cool places I've been and some of the oddities I've pondered along the way.

Train station feeling is the same as the airport only better, more nostalgic, SO Harry Potter! - Boarding the Royal Scotsman at the train station in Edinburgh gave me that same excitement of the unknown that I get from airports, you can go anywhere, do anything, the world is your playground. This must've been how people felt in the days when trains were the norm. Surrounded by the Scottish people and not to mention the tall bagpiper, complete with kilt, I felt like running straight into the wall between platform 9 and 10.

Scottish people wear "cold" well. Lots of cute boots.- I guess once you adapt to your surroundings you can be cute in any weather, no parka required.

I can see why they drink Whisky, so cold! Odd that cold isn't putting me in a bad mood. I've been enjoying it as a part of Scotland, maybe because it's what I expected? - I came to Scotland prepared for being cold and miserable, but I wasn't miserable, just cold. And lucky for me, it was abnormally warm when I was there, I think it got into the 50's the day I hiked Arthur's Seat to the song "Without you" playing over and over as I climbed the beautiful green mountian-esque hillside, which was my favorite part of the trip (next to the Haunted tour of Edinburgh at night that took us through the vaults under the city, oh and finding William Wallace. That was pretty rocking too... man, Scotland was great!).

Continuously try to drive the Taxi.- The passenger is on the opposite side of the vehicle than I'm used to. I was constantly trying to get into the driver's side of the car. It gave everyone a good laugh each time I did though. :)

Looking both ways when crossing the street. - I could never figure out that whole "cars drive on the opposite side here" thing and every time I crossed a street I was look both ways mulitple times and then run across super fast so I didn't get hit by something I didn't see.

You know you need a travel buddy when you've perfected the one-armed photo. - Really not a lot to say here. I've gotten pretty darn good at taking pictures of myself and whatever I want in the background. Makes me think maybe I should travel with friends more often.

Surrounded by 40 Miss World contestants, felt so inferious in my white polo and khakis. Tall beautiful, hair done, makeup one, runway clothes, and 6in heels. Camera people asked me to move. "You look bored..yea, well, the best things come in small packages, just keep that in mind!" - Guy with a large gun.- I was at the airport waiting for our next group of clients to arrive when all these camera men started to surround the gates. When the reason for this papperazzi came through the gate it was 40 Miss Wold contestants. Some of the most beautitful teenagers you have ever seen, all ridiculously tall (and wearing tall heels) all in fresh hair and make-up, clothes straight off a runway show... I felt old, ugly, embarassed by my uniform and desperately wished I had either A. Straightened my hair that morning, or B. Made the effort to put eyeliner and mascara both on. I hid behind a column as they swarmed around me trying to unload their luggage from the belt (or pointing their luggage out to someone who was picking it up for them). I must've looked rather cross because one of the airport security guards told me to keep in mind that the best things comes in small packages. It made me smile, but I still bolted out of there as soon as I caught my clients.

 "juice" is soda. - Now I think I've heard soda called everything.

Haggas in a can and Haggas flavored chips, like Spam...are there Spam flavored chips? Blood pudding...shivers just typing it. Ugh. - I feeeeeel like there was a bit of a Haggas overload. I mean Haggas flavored chips?! It was nuts, I never tried the real thing, since I don't eat meat, but I tried the vegetarian type and didnt' care for it much as the flavor was like a falaful and the texture was a lot like a ground up meat. And I don't even like to think of blood pudding...a seriously bloody-looking piece of sausage type thing that pools in it's own juices on the plate...I might vomit.

Hike up Arthur's Seat, realized I'm an adventure travelor, bring on the mountians! Funny outfit almost made me feel more free and if anyone questioned me I would have spoken a different language. :) - I had to dress warm the day I hiked up Arthur's seat, but my knee had been hurt so I didn't bring clothes for running outside. I ended up wearing my brown tights, my purple workout shorts, a long sleeve black running shirt, grey gloves,  and my burnt orange hat and scarf....I was cute. I really did make me not give  apoop about what other people thought though. It was nice to not care for once, and like I said, had anyone questioned me, I would've spoken Italian and pretended like I had no idea what they were saying. :)

Love Scotland, want to bottle up the accent and take it home with me, but miss that there's not another language. Why don't we all have an accent, what gives people accents of the same language (even w/in US)?---- Still pondering as to why certain countries have certain accents, like Scotland and Ireland, and yet I speak the same language and don't have the same accent.

Insight

I saw a little kid cry because he was homesick tonight. He was hyperventilating he was crying so hard. His mom came and picked him up and stroked his hair and told him everything was going to be just fine, they were going home soon, just one more night in a strange bed and it would all be over. He cried into his mom's shoulder as she held him and rocked him. He was clearly too big to be held by his mother, but he didn't care, and neither did she. As I watched I teared up and thought, "I"m homesick too. Where's my mommy to come pick me up. I want someone to come take me home too." Perhaps it was just fresh in my head after a boring desk shift spent with an interesting new friend and an old familiar conversation, but Rick's words came to mind, "They never know, they don't realize what we give up personally to live this life." It's so true and I feel like someone should tell you. I feel like someone should know that my life isn't all butterflies and puppy dog tails. This life sometimes sucks. And that's hard to say when I'm in different cities each week and when I'm traveling the world at my company's expense. But sometimes, sometimes, I just wish I had a normal life again. I can't even follow a TV show...I don't even have cable to follow a TV show. It's not worth the money because I would never be home to watch it. And "home..." this place that I call "home" that I see three maybe four days a month is dusty every time I get to come back to it. And my bed, and my clothes, and my car...sometimes I just want MY life back. I wish I didn't have to come back to an empty hotel room each night, and it's not just that there's not physically someone there it's that most of the time I'm either A. too tired or B. in a different time zone so I can't even CALL someone to make it feel like I'm not isolated from the world outside of my job. I want someone to talk to each night...but I love my job and my biggest fear of all right now is that I will never be happy not doing what I do. That I will never feel settled in one place, that I will never be, normal. And what kind of person wants to deal with someone in this type of life?  Honestly I can't have a relationship of any kind, not friends, not boyfriends, and thank goodness my family keeps a hold of me because I'd be lost without them and sometimes it's a struggle to keep them in the loop with my crazy life. The truth is, I envy you. Not all the time, not when I'm on a beach in Hawaii or on a train in the Scottish highlands, not at the great points, correction, the amazing points, but at the okay, mediocre points when I'm at a meeting and someone thanks their wife for all the love and support with sincere tears in their eyes and I realize that I'm alone and at the end of the night I'm still alone, and there's no one awake to call, and not a whole lot of people who can understand, and at that point I feel more alone and sad than ever before, and I want to curl up in a ball and cry...but you can't, you have to keep it together, and you have make it look like your job is the best job in the world and that everything is butterflies and puppy dog tails. Keep smiling for the client, keep pushing through on the lack of sleep and that corner of emptiness in your life. It's all worth something, you're living your dream, and you never know what next month has in store... I just, thought you should know.