As they say in New York, no
news is good news. Summer has arrived. We have been quietly establishing
ourselves in our new neighbourhood – the aptly named Turtle Bay. We are one
block away from the East River, near Roosevelt Island.
Our building is on a cherry-blossom tree-lined
E52nd St, which is quite close to the United Nations. We are on the same street
as the Consulate General of Thailand, Consulate General of Hungary and the
Austrian Cultural Forum. Also, across the road from us is a Norwegian Church,
which looks suspiciously like a regular apartment building.
We are in what is known
as a “full-service” building. This means that we have a doorman, whose sole
purpose is to open the door and greet us as we enter and exit the building,
convenient in many regards. In addition to providing smooth passage onto 52nd
street, I personally also use the revolving cavalcade of doormen (who are
primarily of Latino extraction) as an excellent opportunity to practice my
Spanish. Jose says that I am improving. La lluvia en España se mantiene principalmente en la llanura.
We continue to furnish
our apartment, which means more furniture shopping trips. Natalie relishes
every opportunity to compare, examine, and after much deliberation, eventually purchase
lampshades, salad bowls and cushions. Her attitude towards our IKEA visits is
best summarized by this:
Mine is more like this:
We have ordered a blue tufted couch,
which is still making its way to us from Canada, after 6 weeks in transit. “Any
day now...” Ruiz keeps mumbling to herself. We still have no curtains or blinds, which
means I happily get to satisfy all of my exhibitionist urges, of which, let’s
be honest, there are many. However, being on the 8th floor, we don’t
really fear any spying from nosey neighbours, much to my chagrin. As I tell
Ruiz, I’m just trying to give something back.
The Connors household will
soon be undergoing a reshuffle as I have recently acquired my American personal
training qualifications. As a result, I officially begin the process of interviewing
for positions. I will be attempting to convince potential employers to hire me
based my outstanding client results, commitment to excellence and my claim that
I invented the chin up. This means that Natalie can no longer expect to have me
fussing over her steak dinner when she returns from a hard day at work. So she
can say goodbye to this:
(Ed: It is remarkable how
when you cross the Pacific your appearance in photos change. Connors calls it the
Kravitz syndrome. He assures me the research is legit and has been peer
reviewed.)
As I mentioned, Natalie has
been working very long hours and she spends many a reluctant “networking” night
with her co-workers. Through her new friends, we have been lucky enough to be
introduced to some of the finest refreshment establishments NYC has to offer.
The hidden bar/speakeasy phenomenon requires all sorts of secret handshakes,
“Get-Smart” style false doors and special rituals to be observed before gaining
access to the most lethal cocktails known to mankind. Often, Nat has come home
“networked” out of her brain, usually in a feisty mood. When I was tardy making
her midnight snack of two-minute noodles, she referred to me as a “shit
particle”. Haven’t made the same mistake again.
In addition to channeling my
inner Betty Draper and studying for my exam I have utilized my time to view
several documentaries on Netflix. In keeping with my Aspergers tendencies I
will rank my top five:
5. Going Big
The story of the 1984 NBA draft,
where Sam Bowie was selected second ahead of the G.O.A.T., Michael Jordan.
A compelling story of one
man’s quest for perfection.
The film explores the rise of
cocaine and resulting crime epidemic that swept Miami, Florida in the 1970s and
1980s.
A chronological approach to
the civil rights movement, the Black Panthers and related phenomenon.
We are preparing ourselves
for an Australian influx for the summer, highlighted by the visit of Jane
Connors in June. I can only pity the person she is seated next to on the plane
as there would have been calmer passengers on the Hindenberg. Too soon?
We have been fortunate to
spend time with our good friends Trent and Rebecca who recently had an
extended stay in the States. When I asked Trent what the highlight of his
trip was, he pondered for a second and spoke at length about the various museums he
had visited, concerts he attended and the rich cultural tapestry that weaves
throughout New York. Yet, when ultimately pressed, he answered: “The titties at
burlesque night at Bathtub Gin.” A true Renaissance man!
Our plans for the summer are as follows:
I am investigating the possibility of joining a softball team, with the modest aim of hitting every pitch for a home run. Natalie has warned me about hubris, but I said I don't care - I play the ball, not the man.
Natalie has made no definite plans, as she is waiting to hear from her new imaginary best friend Jay-Z as to what they'll do this summer. She dreams of sipping Grey Goose at the 40/40 Club in the VIP section. *shakes head ruefully* I'm not going to be the one to break it to her.
We want to offer our belated congratulations
to Pachi and Maria Rodriguez on the birth of Nicholas. We are also so proud of
JB and Renee for their most recent addition, Sofia.
