Old Foto Friday

I arrived in New York City with all my stuff  Saturday, September 1, 2007, making it six years ago tomorrow. My apartment was on floor 6. Thankfully my building had an elevator, but not a fancy one with lots of space. So moving required unloading stuff from the truck into the lobby, into the elevator, out of the elevator, then eventually into my apartment. It was also the only one in the building, so occasionally we'd have to wait while residents needed to use it.

So I was possibly a little tired when this picture was snapped.

So Far in Portland...

I left Saturday afternoon in preparation for my 6am flight to Portland for a bike facility and design conference. A few things that have happened:
--nearly dying in the humidity while walking around downtown Kansas City
--having a mild heart attack and being on the brink of tears when I thought I had lost my wallet
--realizing that purchasing a travel pillow was the best investment I've ever made
--getting to my seat on my flight from SLC to PDX and having a gentleman offer to trade me seats so he could sit with his wife. His seat was in first class, and I'll tell ya, first class is not at all like regular class. You get a blanket and a pillow and they don't care what you do.
--taking a cab from the airport to my hotel
--riding in the run during Sunday Parkways
--seeing people on bikes using the infrastructure. Super cool.
--Powell's Book Store
--riding the streetcar, standing in the rain, walking the city streets
--realizing that attending a conference in Portland means you get a lot of vegan and gluten-free food options

Old Foto Friday

When my roommate Rosemary went to Italy for six weeks, she rented her room out. Sometimes you don't know what you'll get, but Stefanie was pretty awesome. She was adventurous and obsessed with Tina Fey (and who can blame her, Tina Fey is awesome). She introduced me to the Upright Citizens Brigade, a comedy troupe in lower Manhattan that saw the likes of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler come through the door.

On Sunday evenings they had a free show, called AsssCat. Since it's free, though, a lot of people want to attend and you generally had to get there early and camp out for most of the evening. Stefanie met these awesome people her first week standing in line, and when I showed up the second week we took this picture.

You never know who you'll meet standing in a line for a free show in New York City. But these girls are all super cool and  normal. I even keep in contact with most of them. New York is pretty awesome.

Some 'Splainin' To Do

Today I went to lunch with some friends from church who work in Topeka. Half of us know each other from church, while the other half were co-workers of a friend who were not members of our church. They all live in Lawrence, so when I said I live in Topeka but go to church with them, they questioned why I traveled so far for church. I simply said, "Because I'm single." They looked sort of surprised, and questioned why that meant I had to go to church in Lawrence. Was I banned and or not welcome from going to a church here in Topeka?

I stumbled upon some sort of explanation, but thankfully someone else offered a much better explanation than me: it's the same church, but the congregation is made up of single people and/or students. I choose to go to this church instead of my regular one in Topeka for social reasons.

There's been many other instances where I've used jargon common to people in Utah and Idaho who are surrounded by a large amount of Mormons. Sometimes I forget that people here in Kansas have no idea what I'm talking about when I say ward, YSA and FHE; even the term Bishop has a different meaning to people of different denominations. I find myself trying to find ways to explain it in well-known church vernacular, such as congregation instead of ward, and using the actual words instead of the acronym. It keeps me on my toes.

Ticket Stub Tuesday

I'm going to Portland next week for work. It's basically all I can think about. Mainly because I love cities, I love traveling, I love new places, I love staying in hotels. Em and I made a visit to Portland during Fall Break 2011. On our visit, since we were tired from walking, and a theater was right across the street from our hotel, we stopped in to see The Ides of March. This movie had a lot of buzz because Hollywood loves George Clooney and not only did he start in this film but he also directed it and produced it and wrote the screenplay. The movie, however, lived up to its buzz.

Running Buddy

I've always been a solo runner. Like my general attitude in life, it's easier if I can just get up and run when I want and not have to coordinate with someone else. However this also means there is no outside motivation or accountability to anyone other than myself. And that means I don't do a whole lot of running.

Amber, after our Color Vibe 5k in June, got the running bug and got us signed up for another 5k. We're doing the Glow Run 5k in Lawrence in October. I haven't been running since our last 5k. This morning, however, I took advantage of Amber's motivation and running schedule and met up with her at Gage Park to do a morning run.

We set her Nike app to a 5k distance, and it turns out that running with a buddy is awesome! It actually speeds up your time, as Amber ran her fastest 5k she's ever done. I found motivation to run. And we were able to talk during our running and walking spurts. It was kind of awesome, and I'm already looking forward to our run next Saturday (despite the creeper in the park following us in his car).

We unfortunately have different schedules during the week, so I'll be on my own to keep the motivation going Monday thru Friday.

Old Foto Friday

My sister came out in February 2008 to visit me and attend a Matchbox Twenty concert. This was my first time seeing family since moving to NYC in September.  I got time off work so I could show her all the cool stuff there was to do in the City. February in the City, however, can be quite chilly, and our walk across the Brooklyn Bridge was a cold one. (I have a picture of the two of us together that we asked a stranger to take, but I can't find it....)

When we parted ways at the airport security station, I went into the bathroom and had a good little cry in a stall. Even though I loved living in New York and knew it was where I was supposed to be, there were times when I really missed my family. It was a difficult time with work and such and I liked not having to focus on that for the week Em was there. I quit my job at a production office right after that, and it was actually a really great choice.

Six Months in Kansas

Today marks six months since I arrived in Kansas. Here's what I've done by the numbers.
Cars owned: 2
Cats I've brought home: 1
Dates: can count on more than one hand, but less than two
Trips to Salt Lake: 2
Royals games attended: 3
Trips to KC for fun: 3
Trips to KC for work: 4
Talks given in church: 1
Trips to Wichita: 2 (both for work)
Bike rides: 4
Trips to Chipotle: 7
Left my keys inside my loft: 3 (was 2 until this evening)
Asked if I was a Mormon: 3
Actually asked if I was conservative (as opposed to assuming, and being surprised at the answer): 1
People I've met who know people I know: 3
Spiders seen: 1 (and it was itty bitty)

Not a bad six months.

Ticket Stub Tuesday

If you remember '98 (and who doesn't), you might remember that Drew Barrymore was having a moment. It was the time after Scream but before Never Been Kissed. That summer she starred in The Wedding Singer and Ever After: A Cinderella Story. Not huge box-office money-makers, but respectable bows nonetheless. Then there was Home Fries, released that November. She played fast food worker Sally Jackson, impregnated by a married man whose step-son (who was her then-boyfriend Luke Wilson) falls in love with her when he's supposed to kill her. I know that sounds strange and not funny, but the movie is quirky and entirely full of dark humor. It's a hard tone to set but the film does it well.

Happy Birthday Josue!

Yesterday was my nephew's birthday--Josue turned 13! What I dislike most about living in another state is missing out on birthdays and events with my family.

 

Josue is the such a sweetheart. He's loving and kind and caring, and  no one can make his baby sister laugh like him! 

On the Wall

The pictures have been hung!  

 

 I chose photos both old and new. The three-pictured frame on the left edge has pictures of my family and I at sporting events--the BYU opening football game 2010, and a Bees game last summer--because we like sports, and a photo of Lindsay and me at my going away party before moving to NYC. I have a picture of my grandparents' home in Moroni that is very special to me, and a picture of the barn where my mom grew up in Moreland, ID. I have a sweet map of Idaho that I bought off Etsy. I have pictures of my nieces and nephews, of the temple, of me and my grandma. There's a picture of me and my awesome friend Pam. I have an old photo of my mom when she was around my age (my dad's corollary photo is in the works). All the people and things that are important to me (I also have a ton of other framed photos not on the wall).

Even though my books are put away, my loft doesn't really feel like home until I have something on the wall.

Hang It Up

My loft, as you would think, is very open and therefore has a ton of wall space. So much space that I don't know what to do with it. Well, I know to put pictures on them, but that is easier said than done. I actually want to do this with my huge wall. Today I bought a bunch of on-sale frames from Michaels and some spray paint. That's the easy part. Getting the pictures and arranging the frames will be a process, especially for someone as decision-making challenged as myself.

I'm also wanting to make a picture wall on my other wall in my "living room". It is quite difficult picking pictures from the many, many pictures that I have. But I think I'm comfortable with what I've chosen, and now I just need to decide how to hang them. And then hang them.

Royals-Red Sox

My quest to be a Royals fan is coming true, as a ticket vendor stopped by the office the week after the rain-delayed, firework-closing game in July that I attended. He was offering a ticket package of free games and buy one get one free tickets, and I contemplated buying it for about three seconds before purchasing. Now I had all these opportunities to attend games!

However, I then have to pick games and find someone to go with. Sometimes it all works out though, and last night myself and three friends went to the game. We sadly were late and missed the singing of the national anthem and the first inning. But, there was no rain and it wasn't unbearably hot or humid. We had seats on the third baseline, which is a weird viewpoint to watch a game from. We also had some interesting people in front of us for entertainment (and a book to read if conversation lagged).

After a somewhat lackluster game, two homeruns were hit in the 8th inning, and the Royals won 5-1. They have also beat the Red Sox tonight. Hopefully they keep the streak alive through the rest of the series. And now I need to plan using the rest of my ticket package.

Old Foto Friday

After arriving in New York, unpacking, and sending my mom back home, Em and I had a few days together before she had to leave and I had to start work. We first took the subway down to the tip of the island so we could catch a ferry to Liberty Island. It was Labor Day, so the subway was running on a weekend schedule. Which meant the 1 train wasn't running past 14th Street. We exited the subway station and had to take a shuttle bus to Battery Park.

I had Em snap this pick of me with the Manhattan skyline. 

Two Days in KC

Monday and Tuesday I was in Kansas City for the Transit Midwest Conference, a gathering of the Region 7 transit providers and other affiliated people. It was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in the Plaza district. Conferences involve name badges, free bags, food, mingling, and attending seminars. Sometimes I still can't believe that people take me seriously as a working professional.

On Monday my boss and I took a tour of the KCATA facilities. I'm such a nerd and was totally enthralled by everything I was seeing and learning. The Kansas City area is larger than Salt Lake, however Salt Lake has light and heavy rail whereas KC just has bus. However they are coordinating transit services between two states and various other agencies, while UTA has control over the entire Wasatch Front. Topeka is tiny compared to the two.

There were a few free moments during the lunch hour when I had time to get outside and explore KC. Even though it was muggy and awful, I was happy to be out of the hotel and outside. I love busy streets and local shops and people walking around. The Plaza is a district sort of like City Creek, except that it's spread across multiple streets and isn't connected like a mall like City Creek.

I walked around with my conference badge and bag, and thoroughly enjoyed the city I was visiting. Whenever I was in downtown Salt Lake and would see people walking around with their conference name badges and bags I always hoped that they were enjoying Salt Lake. It's weird to think I'm doing that now.

The hotel also had some pretty awesome art and furniture, which made being in dreary conference rooms without windows somewhat bearable.

 

My dad managed hotels when I was little, and we spent a lot of time in them. We even lived in one for a few months when we first moved to Pocatello.  Because of that I'm slightly fascinated with hotels. I love staying in hotels when I travel. And I guess I'll start liking them for conferences, too, since that is why I'll likely be using them these days.

Ticket Stub Tuesday

I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife (which I got at the thrift store for a dollar). This book was crazy popular a few years ago. So popular that it was made into a movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. I saw this movie (obviously). This was the summer I moved back to Salt Lake. I had no job and no money, but my sister and I made the trek down to The District to see it.

The movie was fine, but if you read the book you'll get, as usual, a lot more from the story. As I was reading it, I wondered if it would be nice to know your whole life who you were going to marry. It would certainly take the stress and worry out of dating and all that. But also the surprise and fun...and the stress and worry. While I do dislike stress and worry, I really like surprises and would hate to give that up.

Happy Birthday Mo!

My youngest nephew is 8 today. I wish I could be there celebrating with him. Since I'm not, here's a bunch of pictures of him. Love you Mo!

Celebrating 40 Years

During the summer months Topeka hosts Friday Night Art Walks on the first Friday of the month. This month Topeka Metro got in on the action because we were celebrating our 40th birthday. Or, as the cake said, "40 Years of Service". Quincy Street Station turned into an art studio for the night--the local high schools had students submit artwork to be displayed on a bus bench that represented their school or community and the winning pieces were displayed; local camps and kid programs also made artwork to be displayed inside the buses.

 I stood around, wearing my name badge that says 'Julie Anderson, Planner', while I handed out balloons to kids (and some adults), while jammin' to the live music that my boss procured just hours before. It was a hit and there was plenty of cake, water and music to go around. Yay for transit providing services to people!

Live music and a balloon--does life get any better?!

 

Old Foto Friday

Since I have been feeling nostalgic for New York this week (combination of being in a "small" city with August being the month I prepared to make the move), I will post some New York pictures this month that haven't previously been shared on my blog.

This is my second day of living in New York. That morning my mom, sister and I went to church. My mom had to catch a plane back to Salt Lake, so after putting her on the M60 bus my sister and I made the trek to Times Square. We got a little lost, but found our way to the Hard Rock Cafe (notice that Em is wearing the Hard Rock shirt I got for her in Paris). September 2, 2007.