My New Hood

Grumpypants

Today I woke up grumpy...not sure why I just did. Some days are just like that. It could be the fact that allergies are making my eyes felt like sandpaper or it could be the dread induced by my immense workload. Meh, it's just one of those days.

Yesterday I woke up without an alarm just before 5am. Feeling well rested and mentally alert, I decided to sneak out with Sonia and go for a run all while trying not to disturb Sergei's slumber. If he is sleeping he is an angel. Yet once the beast is awakened, his realising that I and his crazy sister are gone causes his separation anxiety to kick in, resulting in a messy aftermath of things I prefer not to speak of.

Sonia and I ran a nice, short 3.5 miles on the river path starting off from our place on the western bank crossing a bridge then back on the eastern bank. I love the fact that this is all accessible from just outside my front door! Yet during the whole run I kept envisioning Sergei waking up and causing much destruction. To my greatest surprise and pleasure he did not. When arriving back home he was in the same position that he was in when we left. Looking so sweet, laying on his side, eyes shut so tightly with all fours sticking straight out.

Yesterday I was in a good mood all day perhaps it was the run, perhaps it was knowing I am going on vacation soon, perhaps it was the fact that Trevor and I could Skype later that day. We finally did link up on this magical social connection known as the interweb. So incredible to see him and talk to him while we are so far apart. It's only been a few days but I miss him terribly. I don't understand - my whole life (and several relationships) I have never missed anyone except for my animals, of course :) Seriously! I have travelled for months at a time away from everyone I knew, and never felt a pang of sadness or a bit of loneliness. But for some reason I feel myself sink every time I start to think about missing him. I am trying to just keep myself busy, focus on my work and my impending travels - perhaps I should ride one of my bicycles!

I think that may be a reason for my grumpiness today. Yes that's it! I haven't ridden a bicycle for exercise since...well, I can't even remember. We rode to dinner last Friday but it was, at most, a 6 mile ride through the city on our commuters. I have found the cure! I need to get out and ride - today!

Home Sweet (Temporary) Home

We are all moved in!

I feel like a life-time has passed since we moved into our new place...where has the time flown? On top of moving all of Memorial Day weekend I was scheduled crazy hours at my (two) part-time jobs (which didn't help my constant exhaustion). However we are all moved in and (mostly) set up! The only caveat, so far, are the rather loud upstairs denizens. Why are they moving furniture at 1 in the morning? I am seriously tempted to get them some plush rugs to deafen the f--in' noise. In the mornings, as a courtesy to them (it is OBVIOUSLY not returned) I have been trying to keep Sonia quiet, as she loves to vocally express her desire for food first thing in the morning. Today, however, I felt no remorse in letting her be as annoyingly loud as she wanted to be. Damn it!

Speaking of dogs, they are adjusting wonderfully to their new digs. I think its the fact that they get 5-6 walks a day (that will abruptly come to an end once the -15F winter temps hit - they just don't know it yet :). For now they love marking out all of Corn Hill as their own territory as well as part of the western bank of the Genesee River. Sergei sleeps like a dead dog each night...knowing that he's still breathing makes me love how he looks laying on his side with all fours sticking straight out and his eyes shut so tightly.

Our new neighborhood is super sweet - it makes the billion miles we log super enjoyable. So many incredible, historic homes to look at. The architecture is astounding and according the Rochester Landmark Society it is the City's oldest residential neighborhood. From my observations most of Corn Hill was built sometime in the 1800's in a "Victorian meets Martha's Vineyard" style and it seems that any newer architecture was constructed to fit the feel of that "style" with the exception of the Community Center which to me has a Brutalistic appearance - I call it Soviet Architecture (not sure if it was actually built in that style though - but I really do not like it). Lush beautiful gardens everywhere and little parks tucked away in between. I love it! Each day we see something new and exciting. I know it will most likely grow old after a while...good thing we only have a year lease ;) I keep meaning to go out with my camera on one of our gazillion-per-day-walks, but I keep forgetting. Now that my computer is fixed I can start posting pics again :)

So now it's prepping for Europe! I quit one of my p/t jobs just because it was becoming too much of an impedance on my life...now time for a social life again. Or something like that. Honestly I just want to ride my bikes, run in the woods and enjoy my summer. Maybe even head to the gulf to try and do something worthwhile in my life. Trevor is leaving this Saturday for Paris and I am following the week after for Brussels. I can't wait!!! We just set up Skype last night and of course tested it to make sure it works. What an incredible thing modern technology is! I sound like I'm 80 but seriously... think about this...I can be here, in Crapchester, and communicate via live feed with him while he's all the way across an ocean in Denmark with video for no cost. How f--in' crazy is that shit? It's astounding to me. Absolutely astounding.

On the flip side of being buzzed with excitement about our travels together I must admit I am going to miss him terribly for the rest of the summer. I wish I had the means to go and live out there for the duration of his stay. But I was born in the wrong century. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Or something like this...

Pictures to come soon for all one of anyone that reads this anymore...it's all really for my entertainment anyways :)

Sale Pending

My house is officially listed as "sale pending". Yikes! I still feel that there is so much I need to wrap up before moving, and now the clock is ticking ever so much louder. We haven't even started to pack up the majority of our crap...

Now the hunt is on for an apartment suitable (and safe) for us, dogs and bikes. We've looked at a few places already but most have proved to be less than adequate or much too expensive for not a lot of space. It's crazy what people feel they can charge because of location. I must admit the Park Ave neighborhood is lovely and I do feel safe there, however, most of the apartments we looked at were way too overpriced for what they were (tiny, dingy, over-crowded buildings, etc.).
Maybe I am being too particular coming from an "owning" situation...maybe I'm not. There are some good prospects in our sights so we shall see.

We had an appointment Sunday morning to look at a place in Cornhill...I drove by it earlier in the week and it looked nice - quiet neighborhood, small street, seemed great. When the landlord arrived with his co-pilot I got a good feeling. His co-pilot was a Siberian Husky! The apartment was great (although trashed from the current tenants) but the space was huge and there was tons of bike storage space - and my doggies were more than welcome! Unfortunately the apartment was for May 1st occupancy - bummer. But the landlord has other properties that will become available on June 1st. Sweet! As it turns out one of them is on a small street that I had looked at another apartment on 1/2 mile from Highland Park, 1 mile from Mt. Hope Cemetery. I loved this place, but it was for May 1st occupancy as well. We're going to take a look at it this weekend and hopefully it will be awesome and exactly what we're looking for! I just everything to go smoothly. I know it doesn't always, but a girl can have dreams right? :)

Now to start packing....

Manic Morning

It's been a long time, old blog. I have been running myself ragged as of late. Partly for good reasons, partly for bad. The end result will be the same really, so it shouldn't matter.

Today started out nice - I woke up at 05:00 went to the gym, did my workout, sat in the steam room, took a relaxing shower. I decided I would be a wonderful girlfriend and drive T$ to campus this morning as it was approximately 40F and pouring. Hypothermia weather for cyclists, stay-in-bed weather for the rest of the population. I got home, walked in and was automatically assaulted by the most pungent smell. A vaguely familiar yet completely offensive smell. Where was it coming from? What was it? Sniffing around I found the source of the attack on my olfactory senses. One of the dogs had peed on the dining room carpet. Awesome. The house is being shown today by my realtor...in approximately 2 hours...and it reeks of dog urine. Sweet! Should we put up a sign asking potential prospects "Buy my pee smelling house!" or "Great deal on dog pee home!" WTH?!?!?! So my nice relaxing start to the day was abruptly ended. Now I was left with a carpet (which will most likely be tossed out with tomorrow's trash now - thanks Sergei!) which needed to be pulled, furniture which needed rearranging, and a floor which required scrubbing. Good times.

The madness ended with me using all kinds of profanity, one dog running for his life, the other dog hiding just because she didn't understand why mommy is acting so crazy, and a boyfriend who was adding to the profanity on top of my profanity...

The drive to R.I.T. was a little more calm (the fact that I was eating breakfast probably helped a little). Sometimes I wonder why I have animals at all. I mean, really, did he know that the house is being shown today? Ugh! Murphy's law.

Arriving at work, later than I would have liked, I checked all of my emails as I normally do first thing. I received one from a family friend which contained photos of our families in Argentina*. The one that put a much needed smile back on my face this morning was this one:

This is my grandfather Alexander. He was one of my favourite people in the world. Always smiling, always kind. (I bet he never yelled at his dogs :) I only wish we had the opportunity to ride bikes together at some point in our lives....someday. This picture gives me great hope. I certainly needed that this morning.


*Half of my family relocated to Argentina from Russia during the Revolution. The other half ended up in Western Europe, mostly in Luxembourg, before everyone decided to come to the U.S.

Manishka

Bon voyage mon petit frère.

4tissimo

This provided a much needed laugh...make sure you watch until the end - trust me it keeps getting better and better!

Good Old Rottenchester

Alright - Rochester has two things to be proud about...Wegman's: (Ranked 3rd Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2010). This is the newest store in E. Henrietta - I like to call it the Church of Wegman's with it's ostentatious clock spire. (We leave lots of dineros in their collection plate each week - on the road to salvation!).

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2010/snapshots/3.html
and Paychex: (Ranked 54th) . Out of all of the jobs I have ever held I have yet to get my paycheck from Paychex. They're always from other companies like ADP.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2010/snapshots/54.html
That's all we have, but it's better than nothing. As a disclaimer: I do spend most of my paycheck at Wegman's - so, does that mean I am financially supporting my community?

Mood Swings

Yesterday was a shit day. That's right - absolute crap. I woke up exhausted yet somehow managed to drag my carcass to the gym for the weekly Tuesday 6 a.m. muscle pump class. I know usually if I can make it to the gym, the workout gives me the endorphin rush required to get me out of my funk and through the rest of the day. It didn't work so I resolved to drink myself into a caffienated stupor. At least I will appear energetic to my clients. This time of year is super busy for me at the office. I have a large report due and for some reason, each year we end up with at least four other projects, which I somehow become involved with right at the same time as my busiest reporting season. Awesome. When it rains it pours, right?

At the same time I was also scheduled as an on-call for my second job (retail - more good times). I figured 'It's Tuesday. It will be dead in the store. They certainly won't need me from 6 to close tonight'. WRONG. I got called in. So at this point I was tired, cranky, and I now had to work until 11:30 when I had been up since 5 a.m. Great!

I found out a little while ago that my ex is engaged. Rochester is a small, incestuous city with about 3 degrees of separation...news travels fast and gossip spreads faster than butter on a hot English muffin. The fact that he is engaged does not bother me. The fact that I know he will end up cheating and lying to her does not bother me. The fact that I know I dodged a .45 caliber bullet does not bother me (in fact it makes me thank my lucky f---in stars...again!). What bothers me is that yesterday I saw a photo of her flashing her shiny, little bauble. Upon closer inspection, I am quite certain it is the same ring he tried to propose to me with. (Yes, I was proposed to. Twice - by two different men. Twice I said 'NO'. Gut feelings. Always trust your gut; this post is testament to this)! The fact that he is a liar and a cheater I have come to understand, at least to some degree just come to terms with. I guess I just can't wrap my brain around how he can be so daft as to "reuse" the ring. Whatever it's her problem now, right? Clear as crystal affirmation - again. Good luck to them both as they are going to need it.

Later in the day I see a phone call come in. The number is vaguely familiar. I thought that it might be someone from work or a client so I figured I should answer it. Surprise, surprise - it was my ex from a million years ago. The first one to propose to me. At the very moment when I heard him ask "how ya doin' stranger?” I sincerely hated my life.

Let me first state that I have a civil and even friendly relationship with this ex. He was never a liar or a cheater. In fact he is a pretty decent guy. I just knew he wasn't right for me. We went to high school together, were friends then. Somehow we ended up dating after I moved back from college at the youthful age of 21ish. We broke up a few years later (after I said 'no' - kind of kills a romance) but remained friends. Not the kind of friends that hang out and chat all the time. Just casual-see-them-here-and-there-have-a-civil-conversation-kind of friends. He is now married, has two kids and lives the life that I never wanted to have with him. So why did he call me? Good question. Resigning to speak with him for a minute he starts in by telling me all about his great life. How his wife watches the kids all the time while he fishes and drinks with his buddies, goes hunting, plays hockey. Yeah. Affirmation as to why I said 'no' then. I am glad he has a good life. I am even more glad that I am not in it. It's funny how a million years of life experience can clarify your hindsight.

So then I head to my second job emotionally and physically exhausted. I call Trevor on my drive only to have a meltdown in the car. Poor Trevor tried to cheer me up but at that moment I just felt much too depleted to muster up the energy for positive thoughts. I really did not want to work another 5 and 1/2 hours. He spoke of things that were meant to bring me optimism, but while we were on the phone they didn't. Only once I got into work and zoned out in my own little world did his pep talk hit me. As I folded shirts, I thought about my life. About where I am in it. What I have accomplished. What I still want to accomplish. The places I want to go with him. The things I want us see and experience. The fact that I have someone in my life, that I know in my gut (always trust your gut!) is who I want to be my partner...well that's affirmation. I went home feeling drained but so happy to see his face and even more happy to curl up in bed with him. I had the best nights sleep that I've had in quite some time.

I love my life.