Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
New York Happenings, December 2007 Edition
To my besties,
Phew! I made it. Last night I rocked the socks off of my microbiology final (I hope!) which put an end to the semester from hell! Who knew working full time and taking 8.5 credits of science would be so exhausting?? So now I have a break until January 2nd when I start a winter intersession (3 week) course (Human Growth and Development). Then on to Physiology and Anatomy 2 and Nutrition for the spring semester. I hoping it is a bit less intense than this past one. I think some of my friends believe I no longer like them because I didn’t have time to hang out with any of them. However, I do still like all my friends. I just have goals. Speaking of which, my applications have been sent in to Columbia and NYU for their accelerated nursing programs but I won’t hear until February and April respectively.
So good news all around in the Bachnick household (which includes the Bachnick/Witebsky household in New York as well as the Bachnick/Baker household in Mn). The day I found out that I get to take a trial break from physical therapy (after apx 3 months and about $400-500 worth), Steve, my lovely brother in law, found out he got into the film program at Minneapolis Community and Technical college. YAY STEVE! Also, my dad had his first colonoscopy since his first one last year which led to a discovery of colon cancer followed by 6 months of treacherous chemotherapy. This year, his colonoscopy was clean except for one microscopic polyp which the doc wasn’t too worried about. YAY DAD! Here’s to a successful and happy new year in 2008!
Not much else to report. Scott is getting over a case of the flu (and by the flu, I mean actual influenza…and yes, he got his flu shot) which he’s had for about a week and a half. Started off very quickly with chills and a very high fever and has now just turned into a horrible rackety cough. We’re convinced he’s on the mend though, and he should be considering he had to return to rehearsals for Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare) for which he’ll be playing the role of Grumio. (Grumio…Grumio…wherefore art thou Grumio??....meaning I don’t need no stinkin' Romeo! I’ll take Grumio any day!)
We’re headed off to Minnesota on Friday and I absolutely can’t wait! (If anyone is in town from the 21-27th give me a call!) New York isn’t so much fun when you don’t have time to enjoy it. I felt like all I experienced of New York in the last 3.5 months was the annoying transportation system and the inconvenience of snow here. Snow in Mn is really crappy to drive through. But considering you walk everywhere in NY (and I was lugging books, etc), I almost think snow here is worse!
I’m trying to think of any funny stories that happened in the last month but quite frankly, they’re all starting to blend together! You just get use to people’s strangeness out here. But keep checking the blog (http://newyorkhappenings.blogspot.com) , and hopefully I’ll have some more time to keep them up there. And if you go there now, you can see some really nerdy (but cute) pictures of Erin and Steve which is incentive for anyone to visit.
Happy Holidays everyone! (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years, etc). Hope they treat you well and everyone stays happy and healthy and plans a trip to visit me in NY for 2008! Love you all,
Lauren
Phew! I made it. Last night I rocked the socks off of my microbiology final (I hope!) which put an end to the semester from hell! Who knew working full time and taking 8.5 credits of science would be so exhausting?? So now I have a break until January 2nd when I start a winter intersession (3 week) course (Human Growth and Development). Then on to Physiology and Anatomy 2 and Nutrition for the spring semester. I hoping it is a bit less intense than this past one. I think some of my friends believe I no longer like them because I didn’t have time to hang out with any of them. However, I do still like all my friends. I just have goals. Speaking of which, my applications have been sent in to Columbia and NYU for their accelerated nursing programs but I won’t hear until February and April respectively.
So good news all around in the Bachnick household (which includes the Bachnick/Witebsky household in New York as well as the Bachnick/Baker household in Mn). The day I found out that I get to take a trial break from physical therapy (after apx 3 months and about $400-500 worth), Steve, my lovely brother in law, found out he got into the film program at Minneapolis Community and Technical college. YAY STEVE! Also, my dad had his first colonoscopy since his first one last year which led to a discovery of colon cancer followed by 6 months of treacherous chemotherapy. This year, his colonoscopy was clean except for one microscopic polyp which the doc wasn’t too worried about. YAY DAD! Here’s to a successful and happy new year in 2008!
Not much else to report. Scott is getting over a case of the flu (and by the flu, I mean actual influenza…and yes, he got his flu shot) which he’s had for about a week and a half. Started off very quickly with chills and a very high fever and has now just turned into a horrible rackety cough. We’re convinced he’s on the mend though, and he should be considering he had to return to rehearsals for Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare) for which he’ll be playing the role of Grumio. (Grumio…Grumio…wherefore art thou Grumio??....meaning I don’t need no stinkin' Romeo! I’ll take Grumio any day!)
We’re headed off to Minnesota on Friday and I absolutely can’t wait! (If anyone is in town from the 21-27th give me a call!) New York isn’t so much fun when you don’t have time to enjoy it. I felt like all I experienced of New York in the last 3.5 months was the annoying transportation system and the inconvenience of snow here. Snow in Mn is really crappy to drive through. But considering you walk everywhere in NY (and I was lugging books, etc), I almost think snow here is worse!
I’m trying to think of any funny stories that happened in the last month but quite frankly, they’re all starting to blend together! You just get use to people’s strangeness out here. But keep checking the blog (http://newyorkhappenings.blogspot.com) , and hopefully I’ll have some more time to keep them up there. And if you go there now, you can see some really nerdy (but cute) pictures of Erin and Steve which is incentive for anyone to visit.
Happy Holidays everyone! (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years, etc). Hope they treat you well and everyone stays happy and healthy and plans a trip to visit me in NY for 2008! Love you all,
Lauren
Meanwhile, back at the ranch....
While I suffered through my last final last night (Microbiology...which was actually kind of fun...see, there was this matching part...shoot...I'm a loser), my sister and her husband in Minnesota took it upon themselves to get into the Christmas spirit by dressing up in horrible sweaters and posing in front of the mantel and the Christmas tree. And then my parents got involved...I can only hope there was drinking going on beforehand, but I think there was not. Oh dear. Here are a few of their "Merry" Christmas pics:
This is just normal and dorky and cute....right?
This is just normal and dorky and cute....right?
And Erin and Steve were flying high....or something. (By the way, some of those presents are for me! Woo hoo!)
At least my parents managed to look adorable in their nerdiness.
My sister informed me her and I had to take one of these pictures too so perhaps I will embarrass myself and put it up on here....or perhaps not....
Friday, December 14, 2007
Guest blogger: Shauna (aka Shizzy)
Hello all,
This entry is from an email I received from my coworker Shauna who just moved to the city in July. It reminded me so much of my early experiences in the city that I had to add it. And Shauna is just such a character, I thought maybe some of you would enjoy it. And of course, it involves the New York suwbays system as all crazy new york stories should. Here it is:
...I've started studying for the GREs and i'm having an absolute blast. read: the GREs make me want to throw myself on the subway tracks. which apparently people in the city like to do on a regular basis because the only train that takes me to my job has been shut down approximately 3 times in the last 2 weeks due to things like, "a robber jumped into the train tracks," "someone jumped in front of the train," etc. Really, if people want to commit suicide, can't they pick another goddamn train line to do it on?? I need to go to work.
So one of these times the train stopped at 149th street (i need to get to 195th ish) so obvoiusly there's no way in hell i'm walking. and i'm poor so i'm not taking a cab. and of course nothing i need merges at 149th street. so since everyone and their mom was switching to the bus i didn't want to take it. not to mention i figured i wouldn't get as lost on foot as i could get on the bus. so i asked the police officer where the next closest subway station was. he told me and i thought i was following his directions perfectly (i still maintain that i was, and that 149th street is NOT only 5 blocks away from 161st street), but somehow i ended up on some back roads with no one really around over by yankee stadium, which let me tell you, is absolutely not the nicest neighborhood i've ever been in. oh, and i was wearing my neon orange north face jacket. needless to say, i wasn't exactly blending in.
So i asked this parking attendant where the subway was when i decided i was lost again, and naturally he didn't speak english (no one in the bronx speaks english) so he just repeated what i said. (i would've tried spanish but i couldn't tell if he spoke that either because he looked like a frog and i couldn't figure out a clear ethnicity). finally he understood and pointed in the direction, but then motioned for me to get in the back seat, that he'd take me there. so i said no of course, that i was fine walking, and we went back and forth for a few minutes, and then i said thanks and started walking.
A couple minutes later as i'm praying that God would turn my bright orange jacket into a nice foggy gray to blend in with the slums i was walking next to, i hear this honking. I ignore it b/c it's usually some d-bag who thinks that's a good way to pick up girls, but it continues so i finally turn and it's the same parking attendant dude trying to motion for me to take a left at the next intersection. I wave thank you and he drives off, thank the lord. So i get up to the corner where i'm supposed to take a left, but i see the stairway leading down to the subway station on my right. So i ask one of the construction workers there if i can get to the subway going left or do i need to take that one on the right? He looked at me kinda funny and was like, no you can go that way (pointing left). I say thanks and start walking and then look up and realize why he gave me that look.
About 20 feet ahead and above me is blatantly the subway rail with monstrous staircases leading up to it, like impossible to miss if i was paying any attention at all. i like to think that had someone attacked me that morning, my stupidity might have deterred them from following through. So that was a little more long-winded than i had expected, but really, are any of you surprised that my story was long-winded? I'm not.
This entry is from an email I received from my coworker Shauna who just moved to the city in July. It reminded me so much of my early experiences in the city that I had to add it. And Shauna is just such a character, I thought maybe some of you would enjoy it. And of course, it involves the New York suwbays system as all crazy new york stories should. Here it is:
...I've started studying for the GREs and i'm having an absolute blast. read: the GREs make me want to throw myself on the subway tracks. which apparently people in the city like to do on a regular basis because the only train that takes me to my job has been shut down approximately 3 times in the last 2 weeks due to things like, "a robber jumped into the train tracks," "someone jumped in front of the train," etc. Really, if people want to commit suicide, can't they pick another goddamn train line to do it on?? I need to go to work.
So one of these times the train stopped at 149th street (i need to get to 195th ish) so obvoiusly there's no way in hell i'm walking. and i'm poor so i'm not taking a cab. and of course nothing i need merges at 149th street. so since everyone and their mom was switching to the bus i didn't want to take it. not to mention i figured i wouldn't get as lost on foot as i could get on the bus. so i asked the police officer where the next closest subway station was. he told me and i thought i was following his directions perfectly (i still maintain that i was, and that 149th street is NOT only 5 blocks away from 161st street), but somehow i ended up on some back roads with no one really around over by yankee stadium, which let me tell you, is absolutely not the nicest neighborhood i've ever been in. oh, and i was wearing my neon orange north face jacket. needless to say, i wasn't exactly blending in.
So i asked this parking attendant where the subway was when i decided i was lost again, and naturally he didn't speak english (no one in the bronx speaks english) so he just repeated what i said. (i would've tried spanish but i couldn't tell if he spoke that either because he looked like a frog and i couldn't figure out a clear ethnicity). finally he understood and pointed in the direction, but then motioned for me to get in the back seat, that he'd take me there. so i said no of course, that i was fine walking, and we went back and forth for a few minutes, and then i said thanks and started walking.
A couple minutes later as i'm praying that God would turn my bright orange jacket into a nice foggy gray to blend in with the slums i was walking next to, i hear this honking. I ignore it b/c it's usually some d-bag who thinks that's a good way to pick up girls, but it continues so i finally turn and it's the same parking attendant dude trying to motion for me to take a left at the next intersection. I wave thank you and he drives off, thank the lord. So i get up to the corner where i'm supposed to take a left, but i see the stairway leading down to the subway station on my right. So i ask one of the construction workers there if i can get to the subway going left or do i need to take that one on the right? He looked at me kinda funny and was like, no you can go that way (pointing left). I say thanks and start walking and then look up and realize why he gave me that look.
About 20 feet ahead and above me is blatantly the subway rail with monstrous staircases leading up to it, like impossible to miss if i was paying any attention at all. i like to think that had someone attacked me that morning, my stupidity might have deterred them from following through. So that was a little more long-winded than i had expected, but really, are any of you surprised that my story was long-winded? I'm not.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Yes...I am aware Thanksgiving was three weeks ago...
I know these pics are going up a bit late as they are from our Thanksgiving dinner! But I wanted to get them up none-the-less. Scott and I couldn't afford to go home to Mn for TG this year (and it was nice to avoid the holiday travel!) so we had a nice Italian dinner at Carmines, a family style place on 91st and Broadway. We went with 2 of our friends from Scott's class, Ashley and Sing, and had a lovely time! And such a politically correct, multiethnic group we were! Oh New York. How I love thee. PS Remind me to start wearing makeup so I look cute like Ashley and Sing!
The gang! From left to right: Scott, Ashley, me and Sing
Ashley making a very important point over meatballs and penne alla vodka! Mmm....screw turkey! (Plus the turkey dinner they served was $135 for 8-10 people...we're all poor...but we're rich in love!)
Our darling friend, Sing, with the cherry from my diet cherry coke...this is one of the "cleaner" images. We're so mature.
Awww, so nice to spend Thanksgiving with the one you love!
And isn't he cute??
The gang! From left to right: Scott, Ashley, me and SingAshley making a very important point over meatballs and penne alla vodka! Mmm....screw turkey! (Plus the turkey dinner they served was $135 for 8-10 people...we're all poor...but we're rich in love!)
Our darling friend, Sing, with the cherry from my diet cherry coke...this is one of the "cleaner" images. We're so mature.
Awww, so nice to spend Thanksgiving with the one you love!
And isn't he cute??
The ladies! (Again...I need some make up...good thing Christmas is on its way! Santa may need to bring me some new lipstick and eye shadow so I can compete with my beautiful friends!!)
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