Would anyone want to smell what the Rock was cookin'?

Join the army. See the world. Meet interesting people …and kill them So it’s been just a little over a month since I moved to New York City. I know I’ve said it before, but it is astounding how quickly you get used to the hustle and bustle. Though I still carry a subway map with me, I haven’t looked at it in weeks. I have perfect timing for getting my metro card out just before I have to swipe it (which I never have to do more than once). I don’t even look up on the train anymore (nor do I count stops. It’s creepy). I don’t clutch my bag with white knuckles, careful to keep my wallet side firmly against a wall. I hold onto the handlebars without thinking about how many sick people have done the same (I still have Purell, though). I’ve even contemplated walking between cars, but I’m not quite there yet. I moved again. Not quite as drastic as it sounds. My roommate, Charlie, the one that talked to me, moved out a couple of days ago, freeing up a room. So I took it. It’s roughly twice the size, has two windows in stead of one, a nightstand, a dresser and a bookshelf (whereas I’d only had a bed and a table). It doesn’t have a closet, but I’m working on buying a standing unit for hanging stuff. It has an AC window unit, an actual furnace instead of the hissing silver pole. It’s close enough to the wireless hub that I actually get a connection in my room instead of having to stand at the kitchen counter. And best of all it has… a TV. Oh, and it’s the same price. I moved into this room under the condition that I would have to vacate it by May 31. This I did pretty willingly because my internship will end around that time. I figured by then I will either have a better job and therefore be able to afford a better apartment, or I would not have a job and maybe go home for a little bit before diving into the real world completely (I’m sure my mother would be happy with that). But just after deciding that I hated the place, after moving into this new room, I realize that it’s not that bad. ::sigh:: Oh well, motivation for bigger and better things. The downside to this is the TV influence over my life. I hadn’t had TV since sophomore year except when I was home, and that was summer stock reruns and whatnot. Now I’m faced with new shows I’ve never even heard of. New episodes of shows I like. Then there’s the fact that I will sit slack-jawed and drooling while flipping channels for hours while nothing’s on. This is a bit of a distraction from the reading habit I was so proud of. I guess I’ll have to practice self-control or something. I just realized that I never posted about Monday, which is a night of note. I hadn’t been to JZ’s place in a while. I felt like I’d stayed and visited a little bit too long and frequently, wearing on the patience of those who lived there, specifically Z seniors. So I waited until I was invited, which was a proud moment for me. Anyway, Kelly called me up and said she and Zungs were cooking and would I like to come over. What with my previous thoughts on sandwiches and my inner chef, I jumped at the chance. After work, we all went to the grocery store (sidenote: Food Emporium has the same self-checkout machine voice as Kroger) where Kelly got stuff to make Chicken Alfredo, I picked up salad ingredients, and JZ cruised the frozen foods section for Hawaiian pizza. We made absolutely everything from scratch, except the pasta, I guess. Kelly and JZ worked on the chicken while I prepared the salad. The Chicken Alfredo was made with cream, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, red bell peppers, fresh garlic cloves, and Portobello mushrooms. It was better than anything I’ve had in a restaurant. My salad turned out to be more of a salad casserole* by the time I was done with it. (I’m thinking about copyrighting the name, along with dirty eggs) I had fresh Romaine lettuce, feta, roasted almonds, red bell peppers, Craisins, bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Spectacular. So yeah, we ate and were merry. We bonded over food, which is simply one of the best ways to bond. I love my friends. This weekend should be great. I’m going to see Red Light Winter tomorrow night. Then I’m super-excited about the superbowl party at Chelsea’s on Sunday. I hope nobody cares about football. I’m going for the Western PA foods and the commercials. I just got a microwave in the mail. Life is grand.