Tex May Be Leaving the City

...But the City won't be leaving Tex. I decided to start this blog to showcase my different experiences in New York, and I cleverly named it after a popular TV show based here, Sex and the City. Although I don't identify with the main character, Carrie Bradshaw, on many levels (my style is more mainstream, I'm not a Manhattan socialite, and I don't have a Mr. Big), I do identify with her ability to find a deeper meaning to tie together her experiences at the end of each episode.

Unlike Bradshaw, I did not move to New York to find the 2 L's: labels and love. Actually, far from it. I moved to New York to challenge myself, and the challenge became my favorite part of city. The city made me scrappy, tough, more aware, and confident using any form of public transportation. 

"If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." -Frank Sinatra's famous lyrics in New York, New York

Not that I've "made it," but I at least feel confident that I can make it wherever I might be. Thanks, New York; I needed that.

In Carrie Bradshaw fashion, I will tie together my New York episode with this: The bright lights in this big city are only inspiring to those who are able to see through the superficiality and still find vigor to make it. 

Or maybe this... Texas charm, blonde hair, and good friends can take you far. (I think this is true anytime, anywhere!)

Fall Bits: NYC Photo Diary

Sailing on the Hudson

Beginning roommate headcount

East Hampton

Chrysler Building

Occupy Wall St

Beginnings

Occupy Wall St
Leaving Zuccotti Park

Guggenheim

Final roommate headcount

Little inspirations strewn across the City

Texas football at Hill Country
Hook 'em Horns!

9/11 Memorial

View from the Empire State Building

Soho

Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges

Central Park

Davis Invasion
Facial expressions sum up the fam's visit
(only part of the time)

Davis Invasion
Christmastime

Santacon

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Valid Points

http://www.theonion.com/articles/84-million-new-yorkers-suddenly-realize-new-york-c,18003/

Thanks for bringing these hilarious points to light, The Onion! I still LOVE New York though.

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A Ghostly Good Time

Dear Halloween,

L&A and I have been looking forward to you for months. We ordered our costumes in August in anticipation of this spooky night…the night our dreams came true…the night we were Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. We had every intension of “firming up,” but our bodies are perfect and didn’t require any extra effort to get in shape.

Why did you make it snow in October, Halloween? It was very cold going outside in a revealing cheerleader outfit. The cabs were few and far in between, and flashing our legs with high kicks did not help them stop faster. We finally got a Gypsy cab and didn’t have enough cash to pay him. The driver wasn’t happy.

Once we got to the dungeon in Los Feliz, why were there so many creepers trying to dance with us? Tell me Halloween, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders aren’t that unusual in New York, are they? The pom-poms were a hit on the dance floor. When I would get separated from the group, I would pom* creepers in the face to disorient them and run away. Several creepers were really persistent. The pirate was constantly beside us no matter how many times we blocked him out of the dancing circle. Indiana Jones only left after I told him to buy us drinks. Superman got annoyed with pom-poms constantly in his face, but kept coming back for more. Finally, the Knight felt discouraged when I wouldn’t give him my number, but he still knighted me with his sword.

We made spirit tunnels for others to run under, cheered unnecessarily for EVERYTHING, high kicked every chance we got, and finished the night out with meatballs. Thank you, Halloween, for delivering a great night. The snow and the creepers couldn’t keep us down.

With love,

Susan

*Pom—punching with a pom-pom

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Criminal Minds-esque

I mentioned Naked Man right after I moved to the City--click here if you missed it. Naked Man was at his creepiest on Friday. I seriously felt like I was in an episode of Criminal Minds. For those of you who don't know the show, you should.

8:15AM: come home from gym
8:21AM: strip from clothes
8:22AM: start shower water
8:22AM: decide I want oatmeal
8:22AM: walk into kitchen
8:23AM: prep oatmeal so it will be ready when I'm done showering
8:24AM: catch a glimmer of light from Naked Man's window
8:24AM: realize (naked) Naked Man is watching (naked) me from the darkness of his living room while smoking out the window
8:24AM: drop to the ground
8:24AM: crawl out of kitchen

...work...nap...usual Friday things...

8:45PM: walk into the kitchen to throw something away
8:45PM: look out the window
8:45PM: (fully clothed) Naked Man waves at me
8:45PM: stomach drops
8:46PM: leave apt to go to dinner with my roommates
8:48PM: exit complex at the same time Naked Man exits neighboring complex
8:48PM: stomach drops, internal freak-out
8:48PM: ignore Naked Man
8:49PM: check that Naked Man isn't following us

...eat...eat more...and more...

11:48PM: arrive back to apt
11:49PM: check every room and closet for Naked Man
11:50PM: all clear, Naked Man didn't break into our apt

Ashley sewed a curtain for the kitchen window on Saturday. Naked Man took it too far, so he's blocked from our lives.

Adios Mofo! 

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Cab rides are entertaining

Some are more than others. Imagine this--a cab full of girls Little Rascals waving to cab full of guys in the lane to our left. The guys reciprocated the wave, and it was fun. A cab pulled up in the lane to our right with a girl puking down the side of the vehicle. My cab and the guys' cab cheered on puking girl. The man sitting next to puking girl waved back to us, motioned that he either didn't know who puking girl was or was confused at why she was puking, and finally cheered puking girl on from inside her own cab. Poor girl. She singlehandedly united three cabs full of strangers.

Visual of the cab to our left.

Visual of the cab to our right.

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A New Breed of Cock Block

+    =

I unintentionally cock blocked multiple guys at a bar this weekend (see above equation). I thought the red lipstick kiss-on-cheek would have caused the AXE effect, but it did the oposite. Sorry guys, my bad.

UPDATE (10/16): 

Two of the victims. They almost look proud of the RED.

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Have you ever had a married man dance up on you in a club?

I have. Lauren was fortunate enough to figure this out and tell me loud enough for all surrounding parties to hear, “THIS IS THE FRENCH GUY WHO'S MARRIED.” Thanks L. Like a true creep, the married Frenchman found another poor girl to dance up on. The rest of the night Lauren and I caught his eye and motioned, “I’m watching you,” in true Robert De Niro fashion. We showed him. He was pissed.

Imagine this following you around in a club all night.

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We survived, y'all

After nonstop national news coverage for days, the long awaited Hurricane Irene hit Manhattan early Sunday. L&A and I took the necessary precautions, such as putting A’s husky, Sky, on a fast to prevent her from needing to pee or poop. The best hurricane advice we received was to wear a bra and panties to be prepared in the case of an emergency evacuation.

An earthquake and a hurricane on the East coast within a week make me wonder if Texas is trying to tell me something.

With all the hype, I would have figured Irene
would be a catastrophic threat level.
Fortunate for us, it was not.

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Man-Eaters

Let me set the scene (pt I):

What? 80’s Night

Where? Canal Room

When? 10:00 PM

Who? Rubix Kube, 80’s cover band

Why? Kelly Ripa's birthday venue

We were the only ones dressed up. We were under the impression that everybody dressed up (since Kelly Ripa did), but we were the only ones dressed in 80’s garb! Two of us wore leotards. Rather than feeling mortified, we embraced the extra attention we attracted. At one point, balloons fell on our heads. Alyssa grabbed one and put it in her pink leotard with the balloon tie at the location where her belly button is. She looked pregnant, minus a flashlight illuminating the belly and making it glow. The guys around us thought it was hilarious. The girls (with the guys around us) did not. Alyssa responded with, "Are you pregnant too?" after one particular girl antagonized her. We felt the need to leave shortly after.

I think we can all agree that the 80's were an epic fail
in the world of fashion.

Let me set the scene (pt II):

What? Late night snack

Where? Benches outside of The Meatball Shop

When? 4:00 AM

Who? Drunk men who felt confident

Why? Why not?

“What do you do?”

“I am a dolphin shaver. I shave dolphins.”

“And you?”

“I sell my body on the street. She also shaves me.”

Confused look.

“Bzzzz,” as Lauren motioned how she shaves me.

Said guy walked away.

In a separate conversation, Alyssa explained to a Scot how "W" is a hotel and "Dubya" is a person. He never understood.

We shamelessly sent a handful of guys walking away seemingly defeated. MAN-EATERS.

Aren't we intimidating? Even Lady Liberty thinks so.

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The Broom

It all started one night when we had some friends over before going out. Between six sets of high heels and a mini game of basketball, the neighbors below us knocked a broom on the ceiling to tell us to be quiet. PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE. This happened multiple times throughout the night.

Next thing we knew, if one of us even walked across the apartment, we would get the broom. At points, L&A and I would be sitting on the couch, and we would get the broom. The broom banging was getting ridiculous. We figured out that they were women in their mid-20s (like us), and formed an action plan to confront them.

UPDATE (8/29): They moved out! No confrontation necessary. Hopefully the next tenants won't be broom bangers too.

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Welcome to New York

After finishing a tub of ice cream with L&A, I walked the dishes into the kitchen, looked up and saw PENIS in the window across the courtyard. GROSS, HAIRY PENIS. This isn't the first time it has happened.

It may or may not be creepy that
pictures were taken.
At least they are rated PG.

UPDATE (8/27): 

Naked Man has not made an appearance in over a week. I'm assuming he was a visitor of the older ladies that live across the courtyard. Naked Man, where did you go?

UPDATE (9/14):
NAKED MAN IS BACK IN FULL FORCE. He emerges from the shadows and smokes naked out the window. He had a lady friend with an afro over last weekend. I think he can hear us talking about him. Naked Man, why are you back? Why are you so creepy?

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