Last year at this time:
Quietly freaking out cuz I had no home, and I was moving to god knew where. And trying not let the fear show.

Now:

Dont know where Im going, what I'll be doing... nervous. But now, at least the fear factor isnt as high.

Heh. After awhile, ya stop worrying and just deal.
Cuz it never stops, Ive learned.

Im not sure if I'll be returning to Jersey to live tho.
I think if I do - I need to avoid being so far from the city, dependent on having a car for work, basics etc etc.
However, Jersey has a lot to offer. So, I wouldnt rule it out as a place to live.

Just closer, thas all.

Bayonne? I would buy a house here, definitely, but otherwise - I doubt I'll be back anytime soon.
Staten Island would be a better option if I were looking for peace, quiet and reasonable rentage.

Where will I go? Dunno.
What will I be doing? Dunno.

But I have some ideas.

One option that is getting me kinda jazzed.. is FINALLY going back to school.
I figure if I can get me some sorta work on campus, I can start easing back into the life.

*cough* Co-eds were not a consideration. *cough*

Well, Ive always said - I wanted to finish my degrees, so why not? I now have the time for that as well as the other schtuff.

Yeah, I know - When you have the time, you dont have the munny. And when you have the money, one can rarely spare the time.

But.. if Ive learned nothing, its this: Time is far more valuable than money.

So, Ive got the time.

Its been hard-earned.
-------------
Damn.. it has gotten chilly, even though the temps arent drastically low.

Sun is right when she sez..

The cold out there is the kind of cold that makes your ears, face, hands and HAIR sore.
Using Haydz and I's favorite quote..."why the fuck did we move here?"

Heheh.

To be in NooYAWK, baybee. :-)

This feels like Chicago weather.

At least we havent had a white holiday.
Quite unlike Buffalo and upstate NY where theyve gotten 4-7 FEET of snow this week.

Jeebus.

I aint gonna complain.
-----

"I do not seek to follow in the footsteps of men (and women) of old;
I seek the things they sought."
Basho

10 years ago, I wouldnt have considered that quote 'profound'. Now I do.

Another one of those things I appreciate more now that Ive reached *cough* middle age. :-)
----------
Oh wait, no. According to the rules - I have one more year before I leave 'young adulthood'. Whew.

Princess Moshi. Made me grin wide today.

Her xmoose (hadda swipe that one, fred :-) envelope came after xmoose (I think it was prolly being held up while being irradiated at the Jersey processing center), but when it came today...

She's da best. :-)

Umm. I want more of that hand-made soap hon. (I had the librarians smelling that light tea flower scent and they were going apeshit...)

I woulda been glad just for the soap, but then I felt something else in the envelope....

Oh man. :-) Sumthin' for my soul.

((((hugs))))

She's da best.
--------
From my apartment window, you can see the stars and planets on clear nights.

Unusual for the New York area, but its an accident of geography as Im looking past Staten Island and Brooklyn into the darkness of the Atlantic where there is no light pollution.

Anyway.. after 9-11, it was odd to not see any planes in the sky, where I used to be able to see the lights of 10 at a time. Apart from the occasional helicopter.

When they resumed, the airliners were flashing like Christmas ornaments - all lights on so the patrolling fighters could see them.. but passing by one at a time.

Occasionally, I would see, high up, the distinctive strobe of an F-16 flash as they made their turns and disappeared.

Now, it feels odd to see so many planes flashing around as theyve started allowing normal flight patterns.

Flying past the stars. A grand sight in its own way, I think.

They all slow down as they pass by Manhattan.
---
In the spirit of looking back and reviewing.. random old school pix:


July 2000. 23rd and 6th Avenue, Chelsea
Friday nights/Saturday morn in Manhattan, you see .. things.. .
This area of Chelsea is rife with clubs.
So after work one friday night, I was eating a calzone at this pizza joint. I had set the camera down onto the table, and this couple came in..
Hence the picture.


Canal Street and Broadway, Chinatown


B44 bus, Nostrand and Fulton, Brooklyn


Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
63rd and Broadway, Upper West Side
----------

Waiting outside my apartment for LilBro to pull up and load up most of my posessions...

&$#^$%^ DAMN its cold!

Checking the bank time and temperature sign indicated it was 30 degrees..

Me: &#%$% sign is optimistic. It says 30 degrees and it feels like 15.
Rational Brain: Hey. Dumbass. 30 degrees. Thats BELOW FREEZING.
Me: Oh. Yeah.
-----------
I was about to throw out a bag of clothes, and looking in there was outerwear from the Chicago days. Over 10 years.

Hey, Ive lost a bit of weight this year, so I tried a storm jacket on..

HEY! It fits!

In Chicago, I bought quality outerwear that would last for decades.

After tossing most of my detrius (still have some clothing to wash, sort and pack), I went out in this jacket - not having worn it in a decade (I didnt need it in Jacksonville).

Whoo doggie. This quality non-K-Mart shytte kicks ass.

Even with the sharp noreaster blowin, I was boiling after a few blocks.

Quality is quality.
--------
Anybody need a gong? If I dont find storage for it, Im gonna havta toss it...