Tropopause: the great belt of calm air

After a break from everything, I'm back to report.

Despite the transit strike, I was able to make it to the Newark airport and was with my family by noon. The entire trip ended up being a recuperation vacation. I was quite ill for a majority of the time including Christmas Eve and Christmas. I was trying not to be a bummer or ruin anyone's Christmas, but I had no energy and wasn't my normal chipper self. It was an amazing Christmas though. My parent's spoiled all of us as usual and although my enthusiasm was subdued, I appreciate everything they gave me. My mom was especially sweet when she gave me her gift. She had taken all the diamonds from my Grandma's wedding ring and had necklaces made for me, my sister and herself. We all got a little teary-eyed and wished Grandma could have been there with us.

Tyler surprised me with a Christmas miracle...a new iPod to replace the stolen one. It is absolutely glorious, 30GB, video, color. It's a beautiful thing.

I don't have too much more to say about the vacation. I was a terrible, terrible friend and didn't feel well enough to call very many people. That's something I'll be doing in the next couple of days. For all my Jewish friends, I still have a couple of days to make it before the holiday is over.

Today was an adventure in the travel diary. We left Salt Lake at 11:45 pm and flew to Atlanta...2 hour layover...flew to Newark...2 hours of train rides home and walked in the door at 11:00 am. Not the most ideal but I was so happy to be home I didn't really care how long it took me to get there.

After chasing the moon across America several times over in the past two months I am ready to stay in one place for a while. I'm looking forward to a bit of routine and a normal schedule. I know I'll be cursing the fact that I just said that in about a week, but I can't very well get another acting job if I'm not even here to audition.

And that's the next chapter.

Carpool? Anyone? Hello?

Yep, it's true. I'm one of those poor fools who live in the city that thinks it's indestructible. Yet, when the subway lines are no longer available, all hell breaks loose, chaos ensues and millions of dollars (a sum I may never be familiar with) are lost. Not so much the 'greatest city in the world' or 'center of the universe' anymore. Hmmm.



The first day of the strike I was sick, hacking up a lung and such, and any attempt to get into the city was completely futile. With the contingency plan in place today I thought I'd brave it. I have to say I've never seen anything like it before, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Only about a two and a half hour commute into the city with all the waiting in lines for LIRR tickets and then a shuttle train that only comes every 20 minutes. I made some new friends and together we cursed all the illegitimate taxi services raking in the dough during the chaos (5 to a car, $20 a head and they make at least five trips in the morning commute).



I lucked out getting home because I left work early and just happened to catch a train that was leaving right away.



Now the trick will be getting to the Newark airport...from Queens...through Manhattan...to catch a plane at 7:00 am. Do you really think there are any car services available? Ha Ha Ha! That's funny.



I'm determined though! I will make it out of this city. I will catch my plane and I will be sipping my Dad's hot cocoa by noon, Salt Lake time.



To all my friends who are still having to deal with the mess here, my heart is with you. Stay warm and wear good walking shoes. I love you all and I'll see you before the New Year.

Topsy-turvy in a VapoRub Cloud

My body has finally forced me to slow down and take a day off. I'm sick at home and I can't even remember the last time I had a chance to sit and relax for a bit. I feel like I've been running ever since I got home from Mexico...actually, I've been running since October 1st.



Pause for sneeze...



So, to sum up the last few weeks all I've been doing is working and doing what ever I can to make extra money. Actually, my little alterations business is blowin' up. I started doing alterations and sewing projects for co-workers and now I find myself working on projects every week. Some days I make more sewing than I do schleping burgers.



Thanks to my amazing Dad and 100,000 of his frequent flyer miles Ty and I are spending Christmas together FAR FAR AWAY from New York. I cannot wait to get out of this city. I'm so tired of fighting just to make it through the day. I'm planning on writing a book...Encountering Assholes:101, A Practical Guide. It would include all my recent stories from a co-worker three times my size threatening me that "if I ever touch him again he will f*ing mess me up" to a 40 year old man practically pushing me to the ground and yelling at me to get a seat on the subway after I give my seat to a pregnant woman. Yep, I'm done fighting.



Two more days in Hell.



A little R&R is in sight. I'll come back healed by a cup of cocoa, a warm blankie, my family and everyone I love around me. That's what matters.

It's true...

I'm alive. And I just spent the last two hours writing about all my adventures only to lose the entire thing when I hit 'post'. That would happen the one time that I don't save my draft in Word.

I'm a little too upset to re-type everything right now and I may never have the energy again, but I'll try to include little snippets here and there.

I'm out.