Two posts in one week?! Can that happen?

Yes, it can happen. It can especially happen when you nanny for a living and no one needs a nanny during the holidays. It can especially especially happen when you're snug inside watching a beautiful snowstorm sipping hot chocolate that you got from Santa. I'm noticing that being close to the Hudson and having a great diversity of building height in our neighborhood has led to a curious phenomenon of snowflakes falling up past our window. I think it's being caused by the heavy wind off the river and the fact that there's a big dip in building height right outside our window, so the wind bounces off those buildings and up vertically, taking the snow with it. Either way, it's really odd and lovely to look at, and I've clearly been thinking about it for the last twenty minutes. I realize that other than my christmas horror story (an ear update in a minute) I haven't posted much. I think I've figured out the problem: you see, I have a great many friends who are abroad at the moment doing various things. Two of my best friends, in fact, are in Korea and Guatemala, respectively. Their blogs are filled with international mystery, big adventures, and introspection on an epic scale. I, however, am not really experiencing any of that, because New York has quickly become my home. I don't really feel out of place anymore, I know my way around (for the most part), and I settled in almost instantly. While that's great for life in general, it doesn't make for edge-of-your-seat reading. But I've been collecting little tid-bits of life, and I'll post them for you here whilly-nilly. That's just how it's gonna be. And now for The Tid Bits of Life:

- ear update: much better, thank god. I'll still be using ear drops well into January, but I'm off the Vicodin for pain. There will be embarrassing orange ear plugs in the bath and shower from now on. 

- The snow storm stopped rather abruptly, but the wind continues, so now there are strange mystical white snow clouds being blown off the buildings. I love our view. 

- Sam just came home and showed me a picture on his phone of a sparrow who lives in the 59th street subway station, who he sees all the time. It was drinking from a subway puddle. 

- Sam also just showed me that his crazy boss got him a New York Yankee cap for Christmas. I have explained how he is not allowed to wear it in my presence, but he does not understand my loathing. Yankee caps in my house are NOT ok. 

- I have made a potentially life-changing discovery. Well, dining life changing, anyway. There is a generic chinese food place near our house called "China Sea." We had not previously tried it because there is an almost identical place even closer to us called "Eastern Garden." However, the beef and broccoli from Eastern Garden gave me the worst case of food poisoning in my life, so we're never eating there again. I also can never touch beef and broccoli, and would stay away from all such chinese food places, if they weren't so delicious and convenient. Anyways, back to China Sea. We've never actually seen China Sea, we just found it on the internet and were confused as to how we'd never seen it, so we decided to try it. My friends, here is the important thing about China Sea: dumplings. Glorious, glorious dumplings. Steamed to perfection, filled with tasty pork and fresh herbs, in amazingly generous proportions (10 for 4 bucks!!). I'm talking dumpling heaven. I have become seriously addicted to these things, I haven't even tried anything else from the restaurant. I could go on and on and on about these perfect specimens of dumpling-dom, but I won't, for your sakes. Oh, and here's the weird part: I'm not sure this place actually exists. I've been out to actively look for it, and it is not there. When we have food delivered, they never give us an actual paper menu. I think I may have discovered the secret phone number to dumpling heaven. I feel very privileged. 

- I love our apartment. It's so cozy. People have begun to compliment us on our apartment. I love that, I know it's vain of me, but I do. It even managed to host a twenty person goodbye party for my friend Matt (who, I'd like to point out, was the only person at that party I'd met more than once). Not something I plan on doing again, but I was proud to know it was possible. 

- I love our neighborhood. I always feel safe here, it's pretty, interesting things going on, and as my family found out for christmas, I can find some really strange things in the shops here. I wonder how Steven's "male treasure" tea is working out for him...

- Instant Netflix is the best invention in the history of mankind. Period. 

- I love my friends. Having Berta and Sarah here is really wonderful. And, unlike college, it's not like we're living together in a small compound, it's real life. We don't see each other every day, and when we do see each other, it's genuinely a special pleasure to hang out with them. I can also call in a panic when I have no idea where the heck I am, and they can usually help. 

- My play is coming along very nicely, the first act is mostly done. It's going slower than I thought, but that's a good thing because it means I'm putting lots of changes in. I won't bore you with lots of details, but right now there's a plan to maybe go to Scotland this summer? And do this play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? How freaking awesome would that be?!!!

- I'd forgotten how wonderful a working fridge is. Our drinks are cold. WE HAVE ACTUAL ICE. Life is amazing with a working fridge. 

That's all the bits I can think of just now, I was sure I had more than that.... oh well, for another day. Sam and I might try to venture out for a New Years adventure tonight, since our Christmas kind of got ruined by my stupid ear. But the weather, while lovely to look at, doesn't look like it'd be much fun to wander in, so we'll see. There will be thank you cards with pictures in them for all our lovely gifts. It might take till the end of the month, but it WILL happen, I promise you!! 

Love to all

A Christmas Story

Friends, I am writing this under the influence of Vicoden. A great deal of Vicoden. So if it's less than coherent, please forgive me. Why, you may ask, am I on oh-so-much lovely Vicoden? Well, I'll tell you: Santa was not so kind to me this year. 

I've had an earache for about a week now. It wasn't serious until Sunday night, which also happened to be my birthday. We had a couple friends over for dinner, and then Sam took me to see In The Heights (a fab new musical I've been dying to see. It was SO GOOD). However, the combination of the subway ride and the loud music way amped up the pain in my ear, so I started using home remedies on it- hot compresses, tylenols of various sorts, even slightly warmed olive oil (don't judge, the internet said it would work). But the pain just kept increasing, and increasing until Wednesday I couldn't take it anymore. Now a little fact about New York: there are lots of walk-in clinics, which is great, except they're ALL on Saturdays and Sundays. All of them. So I went to the emergency room; I had no other choice, and I really needed the antibiotics. After waiting for four hours, a doctor spent less than five minutes looking at my ear, prescribed some drops, and sent me on my merry way. 

Fast forward to the middle of Christmas Day. I've used the drops three times now, and they haven't been helping. In fact the pain is getting worse. In even more fact, I woke up from a nap crying and shrieking in pain. Sam and I can't figure out if the increased pain is just part of my disease, or if I'm having an allergic reaction. It being Christmas day, none of the phone numbers or websites or any contact stuff I got from the hospital is being put through. I'm still sobbing and Sam panics and calls 911 for advice. They promptly send EMT's (since that is, after all, their main job). Now Sam and I just want to know if this is an allergic reaction or if the pain is supposed to happen. That's all. But the neither the EMT's or the 911 folks will give us an opinion. Not even a carefully hedged one. And thus I took my first Ambulance ride... for an ear infection. No one has ever felt such extreme humiliation. Yes, I was in a lot of pain, but come on, an ear infection??!! I still feel ridiculous. 

And of course, as soon as we get to the hospital, I'm sent right back to the very waiting room I spent four hours in the day before. Unlike last time, I'm shuffled into the ER very promptly and given a bed/waiting area all to myself... which I then spend 6 hours in. Around the 4th hour I see the doctor, a very sweet old asian woman who promptly wanted to switch my drops (no one thought I'd actually had an allergic reaction, but clearly something was going on) and give me pain medication. Great. However, because of some hospital policy I didn't understand, she had to check with another doctor before she was allowed to do this. This man, a stately older fellow with perfectly white hair, thought the lady was insane and insisted that despite my throbbing ear I did not, in fact, have an ear infection: I had a toothache. They proceeded to argue loudly right there in my little bed area, taking turns shoving scopes into my ears, which hurt so badly I started crying again. Finally the small asian woman stood on her tiptoes and shook a finger in the man's face, yelling "This girl clearly in pain! EAR PAIN! You crazy and I will not send her to dentist for no reason! She need new medicine RIGHT NOW!" The man doctor huffed loudly and stalked away, followed by the lady doctor muttering loudly to herself in what I assume was her native language. About an hour later she called me over to the nurse's desk, handed me a prescription for Vicoden, a different brand of ear drops, and the name of a doctor who might accept my insurance who could check me out in about ten days. She patted me on the arm, told me to completely dismiss what the man doctor had told me, and said "Next time you come emergency room in pain, you make sure they give you pain medicine, ok? Make sure this don't happen again." 

And so I left once more (rescuing poor Sam from the waiting room, where he'd been the last 6 hours), travelled over 50 blocks into the bronx to find the one pharmacy open that late on Christmas day, and at long long last took some Vicoden. I've been on it ever since, and my ear is still not very happy. It feels all plugged and swollen and throbby, but I can't feel the pain, and so I'm content. Hopefully these new drops will start working soon, and I can take a shower (you're not allowed to get water in the ear while the infection is still bad), but I believe the worst is over. 

So that's my first New York Christmas. Not really what I had hoped for... but I really did feel cared for by my doctor, and the pharmacist rushed my order, and the taxi driver was willing to wait for us at the pharmacy, and so I still love this city. In the end, the people came through for me. Oh, and about five minutes ago our new super here at 75 Thayer St. delivered a new fridge!! Ours has been broken since Thanksgiving, so this is truly a Christmas miracle. Hopefully I'll talk to most of you soon once I can hear out of this ear again. 

Merry Christmas, and Love to all!!!