Next Stop: Atlantic

I’ve been here for a little over a day and feel like my mind hasn’t quite arrived yet.

The past couple of weeks were horrible - first my broken clavicle, which, thank God, seems to be healing pretty well now. The bf had to be with me all the time and help me with everything. Then, as soon as I started feeling better, it was time to start packing and selling my furniture. I am exhausted just thinking about it now. There was no time to say goodbye to Brooklyn or any of the places that mean so much to me, also because I still couldn’t do a lot of stuff.

I feel like everything went by in a haze and now I’m just tired. I have no clue how long it will take me to fully realize that this is my life now. I know that I am not anxious about school starting on Monday at all and that’s how I know this was the right decision. As far as Austria or my hometown in particular are concerned, I can’t imagine feeling at home again here - ever. And that’s a problem. I will have to adapt qute a bit. But it’s too early for that right now. I haven’t even unpacked my bags yet.

I have plenty of stories to tell from the last couple of weeks: about the sales, about Coney Island, real friends, my fucking landlord, my neighbors,… God knows when I’ll have time to write once school starts. But then, I’ll pretty much be by myself here anyway.

There’s more I want to write but it would be too personal for this public weblog - I just feel that this past year changed me a lot, made me grow, changed some of my perspective on things, made me realize who the important people are in my life. Yes, it was one of the worst years, but I feel I have grown from it a lot. So I guess it’s ok in the end.

In other news, my old friend and fellow New York City teacher, Bettina, has a weblog. She just returned to Austria after 6 years in NY and is now planning a trip around the world. Check it out here.

Today I met the wonderful N. from She became a butterfly who was visting NYC. I don’t even remember when I started reading her weblog (back then under a different name) but it’s one of the weblogs I’ve been reading the longest. She’s also the first blogger who I actually met in person. It’s really weird finally talking to someone you feel you know really well (her blog’s very personal)!

So we spent a couple of hours at Sweet Melissa’s in Cobble Hill filling each other in on details not mentioned in our blogs before we fled the scene due to a ridiculous amount of mosquitos.

You can see my poor arm in the sling and my short hair. N’s hair is really great, even though she will disagree!

Anyway, this was really fun and I hope to keep this blog-friend for many more years to come!

It’s been 11 days since the accident and today is one of those few days where I don’t have crazy back or neck pains as soon as I sit in front of the computer. Could also be because I took 600mg of Ibuprofen with my iced coffee.

First of all I want to thank everyone who was sending me “get well soon”s and good karma my way. I haven’t really been able to write long emails or coherent weblog entries.

So, this is how things went since Aug 5th. While still in South Carolina I went to the E.R. and later to what appeared to be a pretty good orthopaedic surgeon - both told me that I had broken part of the outermost tip of the left clavicle. The fracture is small and right by the shoulder that’s why I can’t move my arm forward at all. I was also given some painkillers, which made me completely high and feel really good. Good stuff, seriously. I remember walking on Myrtle Beach while high on those painkillers and seeing the world as one beautiful place. Fun.

The first 2-3 days were pure agony but then slowly the pain got less. We drove back from Myrtle Beach in 2 days because I couldn’t drive and the trip takes about 14 hours. Back in Brooklyn Greg practically moved in with me to help (except he wouldn’t sleep here because sleeping is difficult enough as it is without sharing a bed). I couldn’t even unscrew the coffee maker by myself!
It’s crazy how many things you can’t do with only one arm (and one hand). As a consequence, I cut my hair pretty short and I wear nothing but tank tops and skirts because I cannot fit into t-shirts without going through major pain.
I’ve learned how to put deodorant on with one hand and how to close my bra with one hand (all those details y’all always wanted to know).
What I haven’t mastered yet: shaving my right armpit using my right hand.
What I cannot do either: tie shoe laces, cut food using a knife, style my hair, hang up clothes, do the dishes,…

I’m really happy I hired a moving company to move my shit to Austria but I still have to do a lot of work here selling furniture and moving out. It’s tough and everything takes forever. Plus I get tired really quickly and if I do too much I get neck pains or back pains.

Yesterday I went to see a local doctor - I’m going to spare you the story of my experience at this particular hospital in Brooklyn, all I’ll say is that the doctor wanted to send me home after 5 minutes and I was like “Don’t you want to take an x-ray???” and he was like “Ok, we can take an x-ray”. The good news is that the bone parts haven’t shifted, so it will heal on its own and I just have to wear a sling. The bad news is that it might take up to 12 weeks.

So that’s my update. And I don’t think I’ll ever surf again.

Not that you can see anything, mind you. What the doctor in the E.R. saw though is a broken clavicle. And there’s no reason to doubt him because I’ve never been in so much pain in my life.

So much for surfing. I know it was on my “30 things to do before I die” list but I didn’t mean it like that.

Greg and I are off to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As the internet situation there is unclear, I have no clue when I’ll post again.

Hopefully, by the time I come back I’ll have another item crossed off my “30 things to do before I die”-list. Yup, that’s right, I’m planning to take some surfing lessons finally.

So I’m hoping for warm waters, good waves, crabs and other seafood to forget the 12hrs drive it will take us to get there. Hear you again soon!

You know when a CD is good? When you don’t want to go to sleep because you can’t stop listening to it. A while ago I finally decided to give canadian singer “Feist” a try and got her CD “The Reminder”, which I love.

Well that was until I got a chance to listen to her earlier CD “Let it die”. Holy shit. Love. This. CD. It’s just absolutely beautiful. Looks like I found another artist that I like. Too bad I missed all her NYC concerts earlier this year because I didn’t know her that well. Oh well.

So now I’m finding excuses to stay up late to listen to her CD another time (the 6th time this evening?), like write weblog entries or emails or eat some Carmel Crunch ice cream.

*sigh*

With the boyfriend back in town and sunny weather I’ve been back to enjoying myself in this city again - actually outside the city describes it better.

Friday Greg and I took the train and bus to Jones Beach - something Gabi and I had already tried after the car had broken down and we had to rely on public transportation. It’s actually not too bad - it takes a little over an hour to get there and Jones Beach is really pretty and makes you feel like you’re really far away.

So we enjoyed a wonderful day on the beach and after that we got back to Brooklyn and went back out to Habana Outpost, this really cool hangout in Fort Greene where you can get cheap beer and amazing special corn on the cob. The setting is much like an overcrowded Heuriger or Weinfest except there’s Salsa playing and well, the people there are your typical Fort Greene crowd. Fun.

Saturday was gorgeous again so we thought long and hard about where we could go to avoid the weekend beach crowds (being off for the summer has made me go to the beach during the week and shopping on the weekend). We picked Fort Tilden, the deserted beach close to The Rockaways. Of course we had to bike down there and bring everything we needed with us as there is nothing there except sand, sea and dunes. It’s quite a ride to get there but the beach is really rewarding.

There were hardly any people there and whoever was there was mostly fishing or enjoying the only sound coming from the waves and the seagulls. Best beach ever.

The wind was strong and so were the waves - fun! Plus the water was really warm. We had a blast, just like the Russian guys next to us, screaming in the waves and swallowing vast amounts of water.

After dinner we were too tired to go out so we sat on the stoop in front of one of my neighbors’ house and drank a bottle of wine while watching the strange people passing by. Gotta love Fort Greene. I’ll miss my hood.

I already posted about the helicopter flight Gabi and I did while she was visiting here. well, I finally got around editing the video, so here it is (on the YouTube website there’s a version in high quality too that can be viewed):

And for those of you who enjoy the best quality possible, as always, you can watch and download the video here. (it’s rather big - 33MB).

Well, I can’t seem to find any shoes on sale for me this year (everytime I head out to buy shoes I end up buying lingerie instead…). So I was even more excited to find these beauties online and in my size…

They are Seychelles, which I’ve been eyeing ever since I’ve moved back to Austria in 2004 but this year there were hardly any styles or colors I liked, except for these here. So, you’ll understand my excitement when they arrived in the mail today - less than 24 hours after I’ve ordered them.

Just what I needed….

In other shopping new I finally got myself my birthday/Christmas 2006 (!) present from my parents today - a 10-22mm Canon wide angle lens. I haven’t tried it out yet but expect some apartment pics here very soon.

So, yeah, that’s my excitement right now… that and the fact that the bf is finally back and we’re planning to take a short trip to the Hamptons (let’s all keep our fingers crossed that the car won’t break down this time) followed by a longer trip somewhere on the East Coast. And other than that I’ve started planning my move. Sux.

The newlyweds

Instead of having a huge traditional wedding they only had a small ceremony on Saturday for their families only but then had a party (also fairly small) for their closest friends on Sunday. Man, I’ve seriously never had that much fun at a wedding!

The party was in DUMBO and what can I say - just plain fun! There were the nicest people, the best food (Mediterranean Tapas), the best music (80s and Raggae - kind of a wild mix) - oh and - how could I forget - an open bar, which resulted in people being really drunk, dancing and more fun!!!

I don’t remember ever being so drunk (and ever being so hung over the next day). Best. Wedding. Ever.

Julie and Azam, I love you guys sooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julie and me (not drunk yet)

Dancing

More dancing

Joel and me (soooo drunk)

(more…)

Sorry if postings have become sporadic… last week I had to flee from Brooklyn, the heat and the loneliness for a few days. I ended up in Fort Lee, New Jersey where Thomas is spending most of his summer. I had a few really relaxing days with him - I got to drive their brand new car every day to the beach in Sandy Hook (Best beach ever. Have I mentioned it contains a nude section, which is basically an anything goes section plus people there are really fun and open minded) - a beautiful beach with waves, warmer water than Long Island and fun people. Oh and we even saw a baby shark on the last day…

Plus I got to spend some quality time with Thomas. Every evening he would cook some delicious dinner for me and then we’d spend hours talking on their front porch drinking wine. Just what I needed.

So after much needed talking and some sillyness (like taking the pic using a pair of sunglasses that I found in Joel’s mom’s room) I got back to Brooklyn Friday night and things have been much better since. As there is a heat wave and beaches are overcrowded on weekends I did what any sensible New Yorker would do when it’s a 100 degrees outside and inside my apartment: I went to an airconditioned mall where I spent most of Saturday shopping.

“You’re such a Long Island girl”, the bf said. I guess…

I know you don’t believe in signs.
But I do.

And the fireflies in the backyard
Like falling stars that have somehow lost their way
And gotten off track between the night sky and the darkness of the copse
With every flicker they say it will be ok.

And right now that’s all I need to know.

PS: The title of this post (not the contents) is a line from the song “Satellites” by Rickie Lee Jones.  Good songs to listen to at the moment “The Chain” by Ingrid Michaelson, “Stewart’s Coat” by Rickie Lee Jones and generally anything by RLJ.

So the first two weeks of my summer are over and they were definitely pretty intense… I’m not used to spending 24/7 with a person for two full weeks without a minute of time on my own. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying that I’m not used to it - just as I am not used to spending most of those 2 weeks doing things nonstop.

Well, the 2 weeks with Gabi were great but exhausting. We did a lot of fun things. I already posted some in my previous entry. During our second week we drove to Montauk and The Hamptons where Greg’s car broke down so Greg’s dad had to come to the rescue (Greg’s in the UK at the moment), so again I didn’t see much of the Hapmtons. We did make it to Jones Beach though on another day followed by another short visit to the galleries in DUMBO and an evening picnic between the bridges. We went to the top of the Empire State Buliding, visited the MoMa and made it down to Coney Island for the Friday night fireworks on the beach. Saturday night we wanted to go out to Park Slope but instead both collapsed from exhaustion - so we ordered some Thai fusion food and drank some a little too much wine which Gabi managed to buy from the liquor store on De Kalb Avenue (the time before she had misunderstood my directions and walked all the way to Myrtle Avenue (by the projects) where she found a liquor store of the sort where you have to say what you want to someone behind a counter lined with bulletproof glass. Too funny).

We did make it to The Slope finally yesterday where we strolled and shopped and had a perfect Sunday lunch at Sweet Melissa’s (they have a cafe in Park Slope now too), just the kind of thing I like - especially with a friend like Gabi.

By the time we left for the airport the lack of sleep, the stress and the fact that we spent way too much time with each other started to show but nevertheless the good memories prevail.

Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge

Dinner in Chinatown.

Little Italy with Thomas and Joel.

You can stand under my umbrella - Fourth of July fireworks in the rain.

After the helicopter flight.

Evening in Coney Island to see fireworks (no, we are not drunk in this picture!!!)

Sunday lunch at Sweet Melissa’s in Park Slope

…and then there’s all the other stuff like walking thorugh random ‘hoods looking at Brownstones or pretending to be interested in one of the apartments in my street just so we can check out the brand new renovated building (oh man if I had the money I knew what I would buy) or just spending an evening at home cooking and drinking wine and talking while listening to music….

These two weeks were exhausting but definitely really really good….

Time’s been pretty filled with activities ever since Gabi arrived. Everything’s a blur right now but some of the highlights included Brooklyn Heights (plus Promenade plus visiting Julie on her amazing roofdeck), walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park (Strawberry Fields of course because Gabi loves the Beatles), sighing over things on display at stores like Anthropologie, spending a day at Brighton Beach, 4th of July concert (Sonic Youth) plus Fireworks late at night in the rain with Greg and friends, dinner in Chinatown with Thomas and Joel, going out to Cobble Hill on a Saturday night (Fun! Cocktails! Raggae!) and staying up really late and visiting galleries in DUMBO as well as examining every detail on Brownstones in the historic district in Bed Stuy. We’ve been busy.

Today was her birthday and like the other days we didn’t really plan what we were going to do. So after breakfast we took the G train up to Queens to check out P.S.1 (a museum). P.S.1 had a rather interesting (and somewhat bizarre) exhibit by some artists from Finnland, so that was pretty cool. Then we checked out the Graffiti place across from P.S.1 and then we went down to Manhattan since the weather had finally cleared up after days of clouds and humidity. Gabi had something truly special planned for her birthday, which really made it unforgettable (for me as well - lucky me!) because she treated us both to a helicopter flight (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) around Manhattan, which was - well amazing, of course. Apart from the fact that I had never been on a helicopter before it was something I always had wanted to experience (she knew that). The flight was so much fun and such an amazing experience. Really, really cool.

To relax after that experience we spontaneously took the ferry to Staten Island (and back) and just gazed at the skyline that was disappearing in the haze and the setting sun. We finished the day by getting cheese cake from Junior’s and eating a quick bite at Habanna Outpost in Fort Greene. Pretty amazing day.

And tomorrow we’re going to the Hamptons and Montauk . And I will be so dead after these two weeks but I don’t remember ever having done so much fun and cool stuff in NY like I am experiencing now….

I’m still alive, I just haven’t had much time to write between sightseeing with Gabi, 4th of July celebrations in the rain, shopping, going to the beach and long conversations over breakfast or dinner. I wanted to post some pics of the past few days but once again, time’s too short while I am busy making some memories. I will answer emails though. I’m just saying….