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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

This Post Is Mainly About Floating With The Wind, Bulgarian Cuisine, And New Girl.


Well, folks.

You know that dream I had of being an adventurer?  Of floating with the wind?  Of brashly packing up and going with opportunity, seeing the world and experiencing as much as I can in this short but beautiful life?



Still totes doing that.

I'm moving again.


Schenectady, NY:




-First settled in 1661.

-Awesomely fun name to say, Ske-NECK-ta-dee.  Derived from a Mohawk word which means "beyond the pines."

-Albany, NY (the capitol) is about 15 miles away.

-It was once headquarters for Edison, and then later for General Electric.

-It's 54% White, 28% African American, 20% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 11% other races, and 5% two or more races.  Meaning there's diversity, which is awesome.

-I hear tell that there are Bulgarians there, which might possibly maybe mean that I won't be so hard-pressed to find foods that I can use for Armenian cooking.  I'm not 100% sure; I know there's at least a bit of crossover in both cuisines, but the Bulgarians are more influenced by the Soviets in their cuisine than the Western Armenians are, given that they left Eastern Europe before the Soviet takeover.  Armenian food seems to me to be much more Middle Eastern in style.  I don't even think the Bulgarians drink Turkish coffee.  I DO know, though, that some Armenians settled in Bulgaria in the diaspora.  I even have family there.  So perhaps in this Bulgarian community in Schenectady I will find a sprinkling of Armenians!  We shall see.  I am quite excited either way.

-Hipstery little downtown, just blocks from our house.  Includes places like Moon and River Cafe, a vegan/vegetarian-friendly place, and a plethora of pubs and coffee shops.

-$40 Amtrak ride, 3 hours, into NYC.  Can anyone say "CONCERTS?"  It's also about the same distance from Boston.



Here's what's going down:  I'm going to be New Girl, actually--one girl living with three dudes (if you haven't watched that show, do.  And keep going, they get better after the first couple episodes).  My best friend James and two of our mutual friends, T and J, are getting a place together and I'm going to live with them for a while, until I can find my own place.  I probably won't be as adorbs as Zooey Deschanel, and I really doubt I'll make quite so many cupcakes, but I'm sure I'll still provide the quirky sense of humor and the boobs.  And probably a small amount of cupcakes.








And I'm riding up with T, since I'm selling my car, and we're going to make a ton of awesome stops along the way.  I'm going to see a ton of the country that I never have, just in moving!  Plus T and I get along superbly and his car isn't a wobbly, terrifying tank like James' is, so I'm glad I'm going up with him.

ALSO I'm going to be an auntie in just 3 weeks.  And THEN I'm going to be an auntie twice over a few months after that.  Little Alex and Jim are coming to my sister and cousin this year, and I can't wait.  I'm going to be the badass aunt that travels a bunch and brings exotic gifts and swears and teaches them about sex and shit.  I asked, Hayley said it was okay.

It'll be cold and less summery and free in NY.  It's possible that means I'll go online a little more and keep up with y'all better.  I can't promise though; I've definitely been seeing the world lately and have had little desire to sit in front of a computer screen, as much as I love blogging.  We'll see, folks.  Either way I'll try to keep up a little, like I have been--I don't plan on dropping this blog anytime soon.  I love it and you guys too much!

More soon!


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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Hotel Industry Standards (For The Confused):


-Standard check-in time is 3 pm, standard check-out time is 11 am.  Not the opposite.

-You absolutely must provide a card for incidentals, even if the room/tax is prepaid.  Don't travel without owning a credit or debit card, it's just a terrible idea in this world.

-It is a firm social rule that you tip bellstaff.  Like waitstaff, they rely on tips for their basic income.

-It is special to have free coffee, wifi, breakfast, parking, toothpaste, water bottles, and/or chocolates.  Never be surprised if you have to pay for any of these things.

-Although they are the ones you'd speak with to solve the problem, keep in mind that noisy room neighbors are not the front desk's fault.

-Neither is the weather.  Or inconvenient movie theater locations.  Or traffic.  Or parades.  Or poor service at a local restaurant.  Or stains in your pants.  Or when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

-Acting like an asshole does not, contrary to the information in that worldwide memo that must have been sent out, get you better service.  It gets you a half-assed and half-hearted attempt to calm you, which sometimes includes a discount or a free upgrade, but it will never get you love.  And you squeeze a hell of a lot more free shit out of a front desk agent when she loves you.


Hopefully this has been helpful.  Now get out there and travel, folks! 

Have YOU hugged a front desk agent today?


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