April Fools All Around

This week started out pretty darn good, took a spectacular nose dive, and then wobbled back to approximate equilibrium. Fortunately for you folks, the bad parts were at work, which I won't talk about in detail...just to say this: authors, read your darn handbook. You will save yourself (and me) so much pain. 


April Fool's Day

Now, I'm not usually gung-ho for April Fool's Day, though I do think it can be a fun holiday if done correctly and not maliciously. I had been plotting two pranks for months and I was excited to finally put them into action. 

First: CC* hates sticky notes. I've known this since my first week of work, when she had me pull the sticky note flags off a contract and put them directly in the trash. (Most of us stick them to our computers or desks for reuse until they wear out.) So, since I'm always at work a good ten minutes before everyone else, I snuck into her office and decorated her computer monitor and keyboard with sticky flags. 

Fortunately for me, ES had just gotten into work before CC, so when she came over, laughing, to ask who dunnit, she actually thought it was him at first! Then I fessed up, got an incredulous laugh, and even more laughter when I insisted I could clean up the stickies for her. "It's okay," CC said, "I'll just be careful and only touch the not-sticky ends."

Second: This one was even more devious and involved the collusion of HJ. The editorial team keeps track of all the books that we expect to publish in one year on a single, shared spreadsheet. Unfortunately, only one person can edit the spreadsheet at a time. Woe betide the E.A. who opens the spreadsheet to mark that a book is in production, or that a manuscript will be delayed for three months, only to find that someone else is already there. Fortunately, a little pop-up names the culprit, so if they're in there for two long, you can shoot them a polite email asking them to please get the heck out of the spreadsheet already. Unfortunately, ever so often someone unknown sneaks in--"user1", "test" (usually the newest person in the office), or even the rare and mysterious "6." When that happens, we have to send an office-wide email to all eight E.A.s asking whoever the heck is in the spreadsheet to either identify themselves for public shaming or get the heck out of the spreadsheet already. 

On that fateful morning, I figured out how to change my username from "SarahL" to "LordVoldemort," opened the spreadsheet before 9AM...and waited. Mwahahaha! I would surrender at 11 AM or an amused/annoyed mass email--whichever came first. 

On April 1st, I thought this prank was a failure. No mass email was sent. GB was annoyed at first, but stopped fussing pretty quickly. HJ sent an email in an attempt to stir up a response, but there was none. I'd actually forgotten I was squatting in the spreadsheet until an E.A. from the other seating area came by and complained, jokingly, about it. At that point I realized it was 11:30 and time to call the prank quits. I sent a mass E.A. email of my own, expressing my scorn for the lackadaisical attitude with which everyone had accepted "LordVoldermort"'s extended stay.

On April 2nd, I found out that my prank had actually been appreciated. Several members of the Production team, who never use the spreadsheet, had opened it just to laugh at the pop-up. One of the editors made a screen capture of the pop up his desktop background. There had been periodic rounds of half-hearted cursing "LordVoldemort" in the other E.A. seating area. I was vindicated!

Of course the most amusing thing about both of these pranks for me, is that once again no one suspected me at all--in fact, a couple people didn't realize that I was "LordVoldemort" even after I sent my "the gig is up" email! This despite the fact that I had already impressed the other E.A.s by absconding with a bowl of peanuts from the bar at our holiday party. Clearly I am an underground rebel with very good camouflage. 

* See my Stupid Name Code to (sort of) figure out who these people are.


Wednesday Night Trivia

Wednesday was KB's birthday (another E.A.), so she invited me and some friends from the Production team to trivia, which I'm told used to be a regular thing, though it had fallen by the wayside. After some confusion over which trivia night to go to, we wound up at Dempsey's, a pub in the East Village/Lower East Side (depending on who you ask), mostly because it was the only place where trivia would start relatively early at 7PM. 

After eating the best buffalo chicken wrap I have ever had in my life (and I have had A LOT of buffalo chicken wraps!) we settled in for trivia. Luck wasn't on our side, though we did end up in the top 20% of way more groups than I expected. Probably the best part of the evening was the first score announcement, when we got to hear all the team names. Two of the best were "Game of Pwns" and "Putin on the Ritz," the latter of which made us laugh each time.

We rounded out our evening with a stop at Red Mango, a chain frozen yogurt shop that I'd never been to. The sign on the door said it closed at 10, but they let us in at 10:10...and then let in some people right behind us. I was glad they did--I got to try taro root flavor, which was amazing, as well as some sort of nut medley and white peach. And for once, I didn't mind that it was priced by the weight--the serving size I wanted came in under the average that was posted on the board!

We all had a great time and are hoping to do this again soon.  


Adventures in Cooking

Thursday night was baking night. Last week I made lasagna, adding lots of veggies to my mom's simple but delicious recipe. I wanted broccoli, but the only way to buy it was in two heads...so I went for it and figured I'd cook it this week. 

I got really adventurous, combining two recipes (both of which I improvised) and using both of our kitchen toys. First I broke in Neline's food processor by blending red pepper, carrot, and the broccoli stalks (which was so much fun--I am definitely using it again!), then I used our mixer to beat in cream cheese and yogurt. The combination reminded me of the cold raspberry pie I made a few weeks ago; this was also a filling, though I used it in place of tomato sauce. 

After sauteing the broccoli and onions, I mixed up the rest of the polenta mix in my cupboard, left over from my attempt at polenta-dumpling soup.  (In the dumplings' defense, I'm pretty sure I was supposed to eat the soup right away, not let it sit for up to a week.) Half the polenta went on the bottom of the pan, then went the veggie sauce, then the broccoli and onions, then a layer of mozzarella cheese, a second layer of polenta, and (because I am a cheese fiend) another layer of mozzarella. 

Because our oven doesn't work, I resolved to bake the dish until the cheese browned. An hour and a half later, Neline asked what kind of cheese I'd used and I immediately remembered that mozzarella cheese doesn't brown, it just melts. Fortunately, an hour and a half seems to have been the perfect amount of time. My invented dish is delicious--it's the third night in a row I've actually looked forward to dinner, instead of just being satisfied when it rolls around. 


Sunny Days

Yesterday was gorgeous--bright, sunny, clear, just a bit breezy. I decided I needed a nice, long walk. That was one thing about moving to Astoria in November--I hadn't wanted to go exploring much. So I set off after lunch, following Ditmars to Astoria Park...until I thought a side street looked pretty, so I veered off. There are some truly lovely areas of Astoria, with beautiful brick buildings, row homes with little gardens out front, boulevards lined with trees. Lots of people were out doing yard work in the nice weather, and of course I appreciated every sight of a dog or cat. Once I hit Astoria Park, I went down to walk along the water.

My plan was to follow the river down to the Queensboro bridge and then turn inland to catch the subway home, but this was far easier said than done. Unlike on Manhattan, there's hasn't been an effort to make the waterfront completely walkable, so while there were plenty of parks with waterside walks, I did have to go around a few hotels, a dump, and several storage facilities to keep to my course. 

Along my way, I was in and out of my coat several times--mostly in when I was by the water and out when I wasn't. I saw people out in everything from full winter gear to shorts and t-shirts (all runners and ball game players), enjoying the weather. One dad was out jogging while his two kids biked on training wheels--certainly a good workout for him! Unfortunately I also ran into my nemesis...MISTER SOFTEE! Alas, with fine weather comes the incessant tinny jingle that worms into my brain when I'm trying to sleep or work or function as a human being. 

One of my favorite finds was the Socrates Sculpture Park. I'd been interested in this since I saw the name on a map, but I had no idea what to expect. The park's relatively small, but it's actually an active sculptor's studio with sheds that, I think, serve as private studios, and a big pile of scrap metals that, I assume, artists can look through for inspiration or use. In the park itself there were two artists building a giant reclining woman with found/"found" materials (I doubt that many people have lost their fauxdoras), their work accompanied by a man on what looked like a cello (though it seemed a bit too small) who looked so much like a cellist I knew at Muhlenberg that I made no attempt to be subtle as I got a look at his face. Nope, not him, but the resemblance was uncanny. 

I was amused to stumble across what looked very much like a college film production...then I reached the Queensboro bridge and saw a big filming setup. Given the location, I figured it was probably a crime show, so I took a quick look for Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu from Elementary, but between the odds that I would recognize anyone and my refusal to stand and gawk, I didn't figure out what was filming. A nosier person might have asked some of the people walking from the trailers to the riverside, but I always figure I'll just wait and see if I ever have a pleasant surprise while watching something. 

Once I turned inland I found MoMA PS1, though I decided to go back another day. I got a bit lost looking for the subway, though I did find it without actually getting turned around...but when I did find it, I found that the subway wasn't running between Queensboro Plaza and Astoria-Ditmars. Now, that's a long way--six stops, not exactly nothing. I was torn between catching one of the complimentary buses or walking. Ultimately I decided to walk in order to keep enjoying the day and to see what my route looked like from below. 

I can't say it was that interesting. Quite a few of the houses along the elevated subway line were just abandoned and boarded up, though there were a few interesting sights, like a halal live poultry shop and some dollar stores. I stopped in one for some basic household repair supplies--velcro to keep our bathroom cabinet door shut, spackle--as well as peanut butter for lunch and olives for a snack. 

I was bored by the time I hit Broadway, so I followed it to Steinway and then followed Steinway up to my apartment. Broadway was hopping--lots of restaurants down there to try, let me tell you! There's also quite a bit more shopping than I realized. This is probably going to be a better place for clothes than picked-over Manhattan. Steinway itself had a very strong Arabic presence (I say Arabic entirely based on the writing--though a Moroccan cafe did jump out at me) and more hookah cafes than I would have thought could survive in such a concentrated area. I'm amazed half of them are still in business, there are so many! 

Around 5 PM I finally reached home, my walk just a little less than twice what I'd expected it to be, with very sore feet. 


Aaaand I think that's about it for this week. Hopefully this coming one will be a bit less of a roller coaster. 

Welcome to Astoria!

I am well beyond owing you all (four? five?) a blog entry! But it's for a good reason--for the past month I have been crazy busy finding and moving into an apartment. 

In an earlier post (the last one? it's been too long!) I mentioned that I met my roommate, Neline, at St. Francis Xavier while we were volunteering. We hit it off pretty well and, what do you know, a few weeks after that she was asking around if anyone was interested in moving--and I was! We hung out a bit to make sure that we were a good fit and then we hit the streets. 

Finding an apartment was a long, stressful process. There weren't many choices in our price range. Most people didn't return our calls or emails. Two of the ones who returned my calls told me they no longer had the two-room available but had one-rooms. Dude, if we ask for two rooms, we need two rooms!

Finally I hit gold: a two-room apartment with small rooms but with a living room for $200 less than our hoped-for maximum. I took that one seriously and emailed the broker three times...and got a response! Neline and I saw it and liked it and the rest is history. The broker was great to work with, giving me a blank lease to read in advance so I could ask questions. 

The last week in my old apartment was really weird. Since move in/move out was on November 1st, a Friday, I'd have to move my things out on Sunday in order to fit with Mom and Dad's schedule. While I was packing Saturday, Max called the landlord to look into fixing our horrific shower (so glad to be away from that!) and then promptly left for the day. So later that afternoon, when the landlord came, Mara knocked on my door to tell me we had to hide the washing machine in my room. In the middle of this farce, she saw the boxes and said, "Are you moving?" Apparently Max hadn't even told her!

I slept on a camp mattress in a sleeping bag for the week and lived out of a suitcase. I might not have bothered if I hadn't had the first of two showings of Danny Boyle's Frankenstein to attend on Wednesday. (Massive post next--I won't announce it on Facebook, because it's full of spoilers.)

On Thursday morning, Halloween, I packed up the last few things in my room, left the keys on my desk, and said good bye to the Lower East Side/East Village. I commuted from New Jersey for the next two evenings and, come Sunday morning, set off with a van load of furniture for Astoria.

Where is Astoria?

That's Manhattan on the left. Astoria is in Queens.

Once again I'm in a neighborhood with questionable boundaries. Historically, Astoria is more in the area in the circle, and the bit that Google Maps calls Astoria is Long Island City...but, of course, all the landlords in LIC and Upper Ditmars (above Astoria) want to call their area "Astoria" to attract tenants. Neline's lived in Long Island City for a few years, so she was in the know.

My Dad and I met Neline on the doorstep with her moving crew of three guy friends. We unloaded her first car, switched out that one for our van, and then unloaded the furniture. I'd brought most of the big pieces, like our kitchen table and bookshelf, and I wanted her to be able to start settling in. It was great that we got the extra help. Dad and I took a lunch break at a local bakery, ordering two of only three non-dessert items on the menu, and Dad pointed out that none of the first-floor windows had bars on them as they did in Manhattan--a good sign of a good neighborhood. 

Back home for another load! We squeezed in with most of my actual living supplies (clothes, mugs, bedding), barely made room for Mom, and took the rest into the city. Mom and Dad helped unload everything and set up the futon, and afterwards the three of us went out to dinner at a local Greek restaurant. Astoria has a very strong Greek influence, especially the part we live in. 

Anyway, enough with the words... time for pictures!

View from our front door. Bathroom is to the right and Neline's room is about a 120 degree angle to the right. That's the fridge on the right of the picture, and those two doors go to my room (left) and the living room (right).

View of the entry/eating area from the kitchen. There's a closet with overhead storage space on the left wall. That's a Maron kitchen table with old Lawrence chairs from all the way back when a table for four was big enough for us.

The kitchen! Pretty nice setup, I must say. We've got a very nice stove and enough space to turn around even after we put in some shelves against the wall. There's a brick wall out the window, so we get natural light without giving up privacy.

Here's the living room! We've got a futon couch (good for visitors *hint hint*) and a really comfortable papasan--that round cushioned chair on the right. Edna's in the window. I will notice in two minutes that it's snowing outside.

Audrey's new home! She's glad to be out of the basement. Shout out to Sam for bringing some sophistication and class to my first apartment! As you can see, that one bookshelf just isn't going to cut it for two bibliophiles. We're working on it. Oh, and you can't see her in the picture, but Lucy is on the shelf over the door.

And, finally, my room! I got to bring my captain's bed from home, so there's storage underneath, and Neline gave me the closet-substitute she was using at her last apartment, which is the perfect size for all my things. 

View from my room into the kitchen. I leave my door open most of the time to make everything feel bigger. In theory, if I closed my door that mirror would shine some light from the living room into the kitchen. It does work...but I only close my door at night!

It's been a crazy week of settling in, setting up internet, getting used to my commute--which is, funnily enough, almost exactly the same length as my commute from the Lower East Side. Subways, unlike buses, don't have to stop every single block! 

We have a few things left to get. Neline needs an elevated bed to give herself more storage space. We both need another bookshelf in our living room--two book lovers quickly overwhelmed the one bookcase we brought. Because our prewar building has high ceilings, we'll need a stepladder. And we haven't put much of anything on the walls yet, though I may raid the guest room in New Jersey, which (unfortunately for its decor) has many of my favorite pictures on the wall. 

I think that's enough for now. I do have a monster "zoom-in" post coming up, after all...