Commuting from Jersey is not my thing!

Today was the last straw...every morning as I am making my way to the bus stop I see a bus go by while I'm still two or more blocks away. These buses really seem to take the schedule as merely a suggestion...not to mention, when the next bus arrived the traffic had gotten so bad that it took me nearly an hour and a half to get to work from the time I got on the bus! Not the way I wanted to start my day, but life goes on...
Fast forward to the evening commute....I missed the bus I wanted to take as it always seems to leave five minutes early. So, I had to take the bus that drops me a bit farther from the house. I don't really mind the walk, but this bus stops so many more times, it takes a full hour to get home even on the 7:30 p.m. bus! For some reason tonight a lot of people were getting on the bus once we were in Elizabeth. This seemed strange because it is typically a commuter bus, where people mostly get off to go home. In any case, the bus reached a point where it was standing room only. This made it quite interesting when someone in the back of the bus needed to get off at their stop! At one point, there was so much movement in the aisles that the driver shouted out..."Don't squeeze the Charmin!" I nearly burst out laughing, and then to top it off the lady behind me shouted back...."Charmin bounces back, ya know...it's alright!" This was exactly what I needed to make the commute a bit more bearable. Luckily the crowd didn't last two long and by the time the bus got to my stop I had no problem getting off the bus!

Seeing the Tree Lighting....or not

I'm a few days behind...so bear with me. I'll be posting the last few days activities as I have time.

Wednesday night was the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. My friend Marlene was in the area for work and we were planning to meet in the city. I was already tipped off first thing in the morning by the woman I've been staying with me. She mentioned that I would see the tree lighting better on tv than in person. I already thought this would be the case, but decided I had to at least try.
So after work I ventured on the subway to Rockefeller Center. The subway didn't seem too crowded. When I got off the subway at Rockefeller Center though, I realized that we were being herded like cattle. They had all the entrances and exits to the subway roped off so that there was only one way traffic. It was quite a maze to even get to street level. Once I got to street level, I was in a sea of people unlike anything I've seen. Everyone was moving very slowly en masse. I called Marlene to see where she was and they were coming from the other side of Rockefeller Center. So, we decided to head toward each other and then call again. It took me about 5-10 minutes to go one block at which point I called Marlene again. They had reached a point where the crowd was so think they couldn't really move and had decided to head back. I agreed that the way things were going where I was I don't think I'd get anywhere close to Rockefeller Center. So, we agreed to meet up at a restaurant near Times Square.
Before I headed back, I did snap a picture of Radio City Music Hall all lit up...

And, in this picture, you can see an entire block away is the video screen where people who are standing a block away can see the broadcast, as they won't actually be able to see the concert as the skating rink is below ground...
The night turned out to be great! We had some wonderful food at this great Italian restaurant Marlene's friend recommended. It was family style and the White Clam sauce was amazing! We only got a seat at the restaurant by pure luck, as the waiting list was full by the time we got there. And, wouldn't you know, right nixt to our seats was a flat screen tv on the wall, where we could see the tree lighting ceremony. A warm restaurant, great food, great friends and the tree lighting right there for us to see....what could be better?

Back in New York

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! We had an eventful one. I was back in Nebraska for a few days sorting out more things to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. I was able to enjoy a girls night out with a few of my friends, it was great to see them! We spent Thanksgiving at my parents. My mom made a wonderful meal, as usual!! The pecan pie was out of this world. When I asked Mzee what he was thankful for, he responded, "I'm thankful for pumpkin pie and turkey." It was great to spend the day with many of my family as it will be longer than usual until we see most of them again.
Friday was spent organizing and sorting and packing the car to bring back to NY. We even found time to go out to dinner with some friends at Mzee's favorite restaurant Sam & Louie's! Saturday my Mom and I ventured out with a very full car for a very long drive! We were blessed with wonderful weather, so the driving was pretty good! It took two full days to get to New Jersey. The scenery and landscape in Pennsylvania was beautiful. Everything went pretty well and we were making pretty good time until we hit New Jersey. The traffic really picked up and our mapquest directions didn't seem to match the signs I was seeing. Luckily, I had a bit of my bearings and recognized some road signs, so just went where I thought we needed to go. We were very fortunate to find our hotel without incident! We got checked in and then I went to where I am staying temporarily to unload part of what was in the car to clear out the back seat. We then walked next door to our hotel to have a nice dinner. We woke up Monday morning to pouring rain! We made our way to the train station - I got us lost once, but we eventually got there, with the help of a friendly police officer! When we got there, we just missed the train because we had to wait for the ticket agent to help the person in front of us! Fortunately, there is always another train. It was a long walk in the rain to work, but we made it. Mom spent the morning in the Visitor Center and we had lunch in the Staff Cafe, a nice sit down restaurant on the fourth floor of the UN. There are two cafes like this (one is a buffet) in addition to the three full cafeterias and several coffee shops throughout the UN campus.
Because of the weather and the busy post-holiday travel, Mom's original flight was delayed and would have caused her to miss her connection in Chicago. She managed to get on an earlier flight only to find out that her connecting flight would be delayed by an hour and a half anyway due to mechanical issues. Needless to say, she had a very long day getting home!
It's nice to have a car here, I can drive to the bus station, the train station and even to get food!
The kids are doing well and had a nice Thanksgiving. Milan is learning more words every day. She loves Grandma and Grandpa and has really become Grandpa's girl since I've been gone! Mzee has a sinus infection so is on decongestant and an antibiotic. He was concerned that Grandpa would be lonely while Grandma was with me driving to New York. I let him know that Grandpa was going to be working during the weekend and so would be ok without Grandma.
Tomorrow is the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, and I'm planning to go see it. I have a friend who is in town for work from Colorado so we are making plans to meet up for the tree lighting. It will be great to see her!

One Laptop Per Child

If you haven't heard about One Laptop Per Child, I wanted to let you know about it. Don and I have been following the project for awhile. It is a great initiative to put a laptop in the hands of every child in every developing country in the world. A friend at the UN actually knows someone working on the project. The technology is truly amazing as it runs on very little power, and can be recharged with a solar panel, or a pull cord. It is very durable, built to withstand heat, dirt, and bright sun!
If you want to read more about it check out laptopgiving.org and the NY Times article at the following link: NYtimes
It is really very interesting to read the NY Times article about the technology. If you are looking for a charitable organization to contribute to during this holiday season of giving, consider this one.
The organization is having a Give 1, Get 1 promotion through the 26th, if you'd like to have an XO laptop of your very own! And you'll put one in the hands of a child in a developing country as well....what a wonderful tool to further their education!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, today I had an interesting bus ride home. I missed the bus I meant to take but there was another leaving at the same time, but apparently running a couple of minutes late! I knew it would take me near enough to the house, though not as close as the bus I missed! I got on the bus and everything was going fine until I realized that the ride was taking longer and longer. Then I thought for sure I had missed my stop. I resolved to just ride the bus all the way to the end of the route and then back to my stop. I had a map with me and was trying to look at that as I struggled to see street signs here and there in the dark. I finally realized that we were still in the town before the one I needed to be at! So then it was back to watching street signs again. I finally spotted a bakery that I recognized, but it still didn't really seem like my spot. Something told me to head to the front of the bus though. I asked the driver what stop it was and lo and behold, it was my stop. Then I only had to walk about 10 blocks home. It was a nice night and a nice walk!

I'm flying home for Thanksgiving tomorrow, so don't expect to be updating until I'm back in New York again! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for! I'm thankful that I get to spend the holiday with my family! And I'm thankful for all my family and friends that I won't be able to see too!

The Sights of New York

I started the day moving to my temporary housing. I was very grateful to have a co-worker offer to pick me and all my luggage up and drive me to the house. I got settled quickly and then Carlyne (my hostess for the next two weeks) drove me to the train station where I took the train into the city. I arrived at Penn Station and after walking around for just a bit I realized the city is MUCH more crowded on the weekends, than during the week! My first stop was Macy's at Herald Square. It is all decorated for the holidays. The were having a one day sale and the store was so crowded you could barely move. I found the Ball that will be dropped from Times Square on New Year's eve and took several pictures. It's very beautiful and changes colors on display.

Shrek is the mascot for Macy's this season. He's on all the shopping bags and they have an inflatable above the door, similar to the balloons for the parade next week.


The crowds in Macy's were really too much so I made my way out of the store and found the nearest Dunkin Donuts (they are everywhere here) for a cappuccinno. It was pretty cold this morning, so a hot drink was definitely in order. Once I got warm again, I set out for the biggest Apple store in existence. Being a recently converted Mac user, I wanted to check it out for myself. I made my way there via subway and couldn't believe what I saw when I got there. First of all, the store is quite a sight to behold. There is just a clear glass structure above ground as the store is actually below ground. So, it is very cool looking. There was actually quite a line just to get into the store. Due to the popularity of the store, and fire codes, they can only let so many people in at one time. My first reaction was "forget about it, I can buy anything I need online." But then I realized that I didn't have anywhere I needed to be, and I noticed the line was moving pretty quickly so I decided I'd go ahead and check it out.The line did move pretty quickly. The picture below shows the circular staircase down into the store and in the middle of the staircase is the round elevator.
When I got inside, it was amazing. There were people everywhere and lots of employees to assist with whatever questions one would have. If you've never been in an Apple store, they are very interested in letting you interact with the merchandise, using the computers, iPods, etc. In this Apple store they even had two table dedicated to their smallest customers. They had kid tables with chairs all around. The tables were outfitted with iMacs filled with kids games. It was adorable! I know Mzee would have a blast, and I'm sure we'll take him there at some point. I did realize there was one thing I could buy there, a case for my iPod, but they actually didn't even have the one I wanted...go figure!
My next stop was Central Park. In all my visits to New York, I'd only ever been on the perimeter of the park, so decided that since it had actually turned into a pretty nice day, I'd take a walk through the park. It was amazing! The park is truly an oasis in the city. I entered very near the Central Park Zoo, so was able to see the sea lion show from outsize the zoo. I did discover that the zoo is very reasonable by New York standards, about the same price as Omaha's Zoo. Of course, I'm sure this zoo can't compare to Omaha's. They also have a separate Children's Zoo.

The changing leaves really made for some beautiful scenery in the park. It was just a great day to walk in the park and take it all in.



I walked through Strawberry Fields, where the memorial for John Lennon is.


After the park, I made my way back to 42nd street. I stopped in Bryant Park where they have free ice skating. The skating rink is surrounded by little structures containing shops where you can buy all kinds of things. It was a great place to sit and watch the skaters.
From there, I made my to Grand Central and then to get a bite to eat. I walked back down 5th avenue where I saw the Lord & Taylor all lit up. They have some of the most wonderful window displays for the holidays. I also walked past Macy's one more time on my way to the train, to see it all lit up as well. They were also starting to reveal their holiday windows.
All in all, it was a great day of sightseeing. I had an uneventful train ride back, where Carlyne was nice enough to pick me up at the train station.

The big news from home is that Mzee had his first sleepover tonight! He was so excited about it! I think they are having a great time! Milan is hanging out with Don and 'the guys' tonight. Some of Don's friends are in town, so they are having a small get together.

What Are You Thankful For?

Apparently Mzee is really missing his Mommy these days. This is according to Don, not Mzee. So, tonight Mzee and I talked a little longer than usual. On a normal night he won't stand still to talk more than two minutes as he's too busy playing. Tonight we were talking about me coming home for Thanksgiving. So, I asked him what he was thankful for. At first I got his usual response, "I don't know." But then, I asked again and he said "I'm thankful for watching Dora." There happened to be a Dora DVD on that Don had put on pause so Mzee could talk to me. I guess this was his way of telling me we'd talked long enough!
When we were saying goodbye, I blew Mzee a kiss into the phone and when I told him that I'd done that he said, "yeah, I caught it right here!"
Milan is doing well, her appetite has returned so her virus must be subsiding. According to Don though, she's become very clingy and wants to be held all the time. Of course, I like to think that she's just really missing her Mommy, but I'm sure it's just a phase!

A Creepy Home Coming!

Well, first you need to know that I came home from the city much later than usual tonight. After work I went to the office of the Baha'i International Community at the UN where there was a dinner where many of the Baha'i's working at the UN were able to meet and visit with one another. It was nice to meet other Baha'i's that work here at the UN. The woman that heads the BIC office lived for 15 years in the town we will be moving to, so she offered me lots of information. Anyway, it was a nice evening, but I didn't leave to head home until about 9:15. My commute home was uneventful, I listened to a podcast and worked a sudoku puzzle on the train ride home.

When I got to my apartment I stopped at the mailboxes where there were flyers indicating a water emergency in the building. Apparently a water main broke near the building and the water was shutoff in the building at some point during the day. I didn't think much of it and assumed the water must be back on by now. When I got up to my apartment I opened the door to find the light on and I could hear water running. Quite a creepy feeling. I walked into the apartment and into the bathroom where the water was running in the bathtub but the shower curtain was closed. I slowly pulled back the curtain to find the water on full blast and the bottom of the tub covered in black sludge...gross!

Once I got over the initial shock, I remembered that today was the day the cleaning people were scheduled to clean my apartment. The cleaners are provided by my rental agency...since it's just me, there is no reason for me to pay extra for that service, but since it's included, I do enjoy it! Given the water notice, apparently the water must have gotten turned off while the cleaners were cleaning my tub. For whatever reason, they must have forgotten to turn the faucet off. So, I spent the next 15 minutes attempting to clean out the bathtub. It isn't great, but it will do.

Other than that, my day was pretty uneventful. I had lunch with my "buddy" from the UN. She was assigned to me to be a sort of a mentor with regard to the UN system. She came into the UN through the same channel as me so knows the ropes. We had a very nice lunch and some great conversation!

It's Getting Hectic!

Well, it's been a few days since I sat down to update everyone. A lot has happened in that time! I was able to home last weekend to see Don and the kids! It was great to see them again! The kids are doing well. Milan has a virus of some sort, but otherwise is doing well. And Mzee is doing great! My parents came to our house for the weekend as well and we spent most of Saturday loading an entire large trailer with items we aren't moving out East with us! Much of it my parents will sell on one of there many garage sales, and some of it they will be able to store for us! Thanks Mom & Dad! It was great to see them and Mzee and Milan love visits from Grandma and Grandpa! We went out to dinner on Saturday night and the waitress mistakenly tried to deliver dessert to our table. She said: "I have ice cream" and something else I don't remember. In any case, Mzee was quick to say: "I like ice cream, I'll take that!" We all got a big kick out of that!
Milan is cruising all over the place, but still gets very nervous looking if you try to get her to take a step on her own. She loves to sit down hard and say "boom!" She'll also say "Boo" any time and if you say it back to her, she cracks up with the biggest belly laugh ever!
I flew back to New York late on Sunday night, landing at the airport at 11 pm. I then took a bus to the subway and had to transfer once to get to my apartment. All told it took about two hours. I really expected the trains to be deserted, but was shocked to see how many people are out and about after midnight on a Sunday night! In any case, I'm still recovering from that night of staying up so late...I'm definitely not as young as I used to be!
Everything is official on our new house, the lease is signed and at least I will move in the 1st of December! My lease at my current apartment ends this weekend. Rather than extending this lease, I am going to move in with a woman who works at the UN who rents a room out in her house. The price is great and I'll actually only be there about 9 nights! It's farther into New Jersey than where I am now, so I'll likely commute by bus!
I'll be flying home early next week to do some more work on sorting out things that won't make the move. I'll also get to spend Thanksgiving with my family! It will be great to see some of my extended family in addition to Don and the kids!
Things are heating up with our house in Nebraska. We put it up for rent last week and before it was officially up for rent got an interested party to look at it. They came back for a second look tonight, so we'll see how it works out. There is also an interested renter that may come by this week. So, hopefully something final will materialize in the next week or two. That would be a great relief!
Tomorrow Don is meeting with the movers to do a walk through of the house for our moving estimate. Once that is done, we should have a better idea of when our items can be shipped here. That information will then determine when Don drives out and I fly back to get the kids. They will fly out with me, since I thought 20 hours in the car would be a little much for them! So, hopefully the moving timeline will be finalized pretty quickly!
I hope this finds you all well!

Our New Home

The weather has turned colder here in New York. It's not too bad and we missed all the snow that the rest of the state got a few days ago. Things here are going well. I decided to skip the two subway rides tonight and walked all the way to my train. It was actually a nice walk on a crisp fall evening. I walked right down 5th Avenue past lots of the nice shops, including the big Lord & Taylor. They are starting to decorate the windows for the holiday shopping season. I saw on the news this week that the New Years Eve ball that will be dropped from Times Square is currently on display at Macy's. I'm going to try to go check it out next week.

I've been working hard testing the CRM system that we are going to be rolling out in the next couple of weeks. I am also attending an IT conference with representatives from the global UN offices, so am learning a lot about the overall IT infrastructure and organization of the UN. To put it in perspective, I was a little frustrated that it took five working days or more to get my phone programmed so I could make and receive calls. Earlier this week there was an article on the Intranet about a recent phone software upgrade in which they posted some interesting facts and stats about the UN phone system. There are approximately 10,000 phone units just in New York alone that they are responsible for. I guess 5 working days isn't so bad after all!

I'm heading back home this weekend to see Don and the kids, and to get some work done putting the items we won't be moving into storage (a.k.a. my parents place). We are still awaiting the final version of our lease, but I'm attaching a picture of our new house. It is in a great town very close to the city (28 minutes by train). It's a very small town that doesn't feel at all like the big city. But it is close to all the conveniences we'll need! There are two great parks in walking distance, so it will be a great place to call home for at least the next year.

A Weekend at Home!

I spent the weekend at home with Don and the kids! It was great for us to all be together, if even for just a short time. The kids were very excited to see me. Milan must have given me 50 kisses while on our way out of the airport. She's changed so much while I was gone. She can cruise quite well and has learned several new words. We played a lot of hide and seek and peek a boo. She loves that game.
Mzee has matured while I was gone too, and learned some new phrases: "I know everything" is one that comes to mind. He loves to build with blocks now and make tall towers with the Jenga game. He kept telling me all weekend, "Mommy, I missed you so much!"
My flight to New York was better than expected since there was a mechanical problem with my plane in Omaha, so they moved me to a nonstop flight back, which was great.
The house hunt is finished, I think. I got a call that one house I'd looked at that I didn't think was an option for several reasons, was available for less money. They are even willing to construct a fence as I told them that was a deal breaker. I went back to check the house out tonight and told them we would take it. It isn't the "perfect house" I'd mentioned before, but it is a great house and the neighborhood is wonderful! There are two parks within walking distance and the town has sidewalks so we can take walks like we do at home. And, the town is closer to the city, which means a shorter and cheaper commute everyday!

We Have a House...I Think

Well, the big news of the day is that our house decision was made for us. It seems the owner's of the "not so perfect house" aren't that eager to rent and are holding out for a purchase offer...don't ask me why they have it listed for rent...even our realtor is stumped! In any case, the owner of "the perfect house" called today to say that if we still want it they are willing to rent it to us. So, while I haven't actually finalized things with him completely, I believe by tomorrow we will officially have a place to call home starting the 15th!

I'm very excited about going home tomorrow! Don sent me a bunch of pictures of the kids that he's taken while I've been gone. I can't believe how much the kids (especially Milan) have changed in the three weeks I've been gone. Scroll down to previous posts, because I've updated with pictures as appropriate.

Every Thursday is Tumble Bus at Mzee's daycare center. Mzee absolutely loves it. Last week Don went on the Tumble Bus with Mzee's group and observed them. Here are some pictures - check out the running pose, dimples and all!