"Yo, I dunno shit about da fuckin' Bwonx"

Well, here I am in NYC, sitting in a barren apartment stealing some poor sap's unencrypted wireless network connection. I'm pretty sure I could totally ravage this guys network if I wanted to, but since he (she?) was nice enough to provide me free internet connectivity, I'll spare the trusting soul my unwarranted wrath.

The red eye was fine. I had a 30 minute layover in Vegas that turned into a hour-and-a-half layover due to a delayed flight to JFK. I took the extra time to play the slots. I turned $40 into $63.50. I then boldly cashed out and collected my Alexander Hamilton and three Georges and giggled with glee. I slept most of the way from Vegas to JFK. I got an exit seat right by the boarding door to the plane. I had all the leg room I could ask for and was also the very first person off the bird in NYC.

After getting my luggage I grabbed a cab to the Bronx where school and my apartment are. I was expecting to pay at least $60 from JFK to the Bronx. The whole fare was only $36, add in tip and the ass-raping toll the bridge took and I got here for about $50. That little pull of the slot machine in Vegas paid for half the cab to my place. I also expected it to take me a couple hours to get to my place with waiting for luggage, waiting for a cab, getting lost with the cabbie and checking in with security to get my keys. From wheels down at JFK to getting into my apartment: 45 minutes. So I got here at 8:30, my roommates are still asleep I assume, and I took a bout a 90 minute nap.

I had a great cabbie. He explained that it will be cheap to go to the Bronx from the airport b/c generally cabs usually only run from JFK and La Guardia to Manhattan. For this quick run, there is a flat rate of $45. He said that there is no flat rate between JFK and the Bronx, so you're on the meter the whole time. I asked him some general questions about NYC and he was very friendly and talkative. When I asked him about the Bronx, he grew surly and blurted out "Yo, I dunno shit about da fuckin' Bwonx". I guess he's a Mets fan.

Well, I need to go explore my new city. Hopefully I will find a grocery store, my tank is empty.

"But Sir, this conversation is already being recorded..."

Do you remember that scene in Goodfellas where Henry Hill is so busy he is almost going crazy? He has to cook dinner, pick up his brother from the hospital, run some guns to his Philly connection, deliver some silencers to Jimmy who refuses them, pick up the shipment of coke from his mistress, and pack the coke into the diaper bag and get his babysitter to the airport so she can mule the blow to his distributor. The whole time he is so coked out of his mind he thinks he is being followed by black helicopters. That's how the last 2 weeks feel for me. Well, except for the coke and the mistress and firearms. And as far as I'm aware, the FBI isn't tailing me with aircraft.

I went on the softball boat trip the last weekend in July then the following Monday was my last day at work. Since then it has been constant loose-end tying. Here's the rundown:
1. Changed all my banking over to a NY bank
2. Packed all my belongings into the pod
3. Sold my car
4. Sold my pet snake (don't ask)
5. Signed my lease for the new apartment in NY
6. Purchased one-way ticket to NY
7. Exercised stock options at former employer
8. Deglutted myself of all non-essential possessions
9. Shipped the pod off to NY
10. Played 3 softball games
11. Played 2 soccer games
12. Bought a laptop for medical school
13. Went out for final dinner/ drinks with various friends about 2 out of every 3 nights
14. Shredded a ton of old receipts and documents that I no longer need (I filled 5 grocery bags and a TV box with shredded paper)
15. Packed up all my clothes and immediate necessities into a backpack and duffel bag so I can live in NY until the pod shows up Aug 29th
16. Experienced about 30 panic-attacks regarding the impending move and the prospect of starting school again

Tonight at 8:30 I grab a red-eye out of San Jose and arrive in NY at 8 AM tomorrow. I really need to get to medical school so that I can have a little down time.

I promise to write more as school starts, I'm sure I'll have more interesting things to write about then.

Had another funny phone call the other day. The new bank called me wanting to conduct a customer satisfaction survey, at 8:50 PM Friday night. The interviewer, "Steve", who had a curiously strong Indian accent, informed me that for training and security purposes, the conversation was going to be recorded.

"For security and training purposes, this conversation will be recorded. Is that OK sir?"
"Ahhhh, no"
-PAUSE-
"But Sir, this conversation is already being recorded."
"So why did you ask me if it was OK?"
"What?"
"Well, you asked me if it was OK to record the conversation after it was already being recorded."
"Usually we just say that so people know that it will be recorded."
"You don't know what to do if someone refuses to be recorded, do you?"
-PAUSE-
"Do you? Do you know what to do if someone refuses to be recorded?"
-PAUSE-
"No I don't"
"It wasn't part of your training was it?"
"No sir."
"Was this conversation being recorded for training purposes?"
-PAUSE-
"Yes. Sir."
"Good, bye"