See 9/23/13 See 9/23/13

Rusty and Pauline's Wedding: The End of the Wedding Trilogy

Rusty and Pauline got married in upstate New York. Actually, at John Leguizamo's lake house near Rosendale, NY, to be exact. Because why not?This was the final act in the three week wedding odyssey. One final test for my liver. One final pad to the frequent flier account.I flew in to JFK Friday afternoon. I found myself getting much more excited than I had anticipated as we flew over the Jersey Shore. I looked out at Coney Island, then the vast expanse of green that makes up Greenwood Cemetery and Prospect Park. Home. The sound of the subway rattle. The crush of white black brown tan and every color in between. Finally, my stop. The only stop during this brief layover. Times Square. I guess I'm officially a tourist now.I met Rusty's friend Randy at the Beer Authority. After a quick beer, we got on the bus that would take us upstate. Randy would be my roommate and partner in crime for the next 48 hours, even despite the snores. We met up with our other housemates Drew and Clara, then settled in nicely to our little cottage in Rosendale.

See 1/22/13 See 1/22/13

The Vanderbilt Family

Rusty Singletary - The Shapiro Sisters - Kylie Fife - Lindsay Shanks - Reese Truesdell - Clint Wood (+1) - Eric Bishop - Tyler Phillips - Andrea Laug - Michelle Power - Mike Paller - Laurens van Lieshout - am I missing anyone?!

See 12/20/12 See 12/20/12

Born to Run

The surprising thing is how smoothly everything went. For a cross-continental move, what more could you ask?After 1891.7 grueling miles and $689.43 in gas money, I had arrived and almost completely intact. There was only one incident - I may have clipped mirrors with another truck on Canal Street. I guess that's what happens when you put a bike rider behind the wheel of a 16 foot truck.

See 12/12/12 See 12/12/12

So this is how it all ends...

And suddenly, moving day was here. All the worries, all the sentimentality, in that last week, it all disappeared. Just like my time in New York.Interestingly, I didn't feel any pressure about checking something off the bucket list. I had been sure to take care of that during the last six months. Importance was really placed on seeing the people and things that had made an impact on me these last six years.

See 11/29/12 See 11/29/12

Ode to Brooklyn

Just a couple of songs running through my playlist today:

See 11/29/12 See 11/29/12

Looking Back: Craigslist and the City

I moved to New York and I didn't know sh!t. No friends. No acquaintances. And not a clue as to how the City functioned.My possessions consisted of two suitcases, a backpack, and a 25 year old brain that thought it was much more clever and experienced than it actually was. Thankfully included in that list of possessions was a job that would start just five days after arriving.Getting off the plane, I asked a group of three mid-20 year olds where a good place in Brooklyn was to live. They laughed at the absurdity of the question, then told me to avoid Williamsburg regardless of what people would say ("unless you like walking over trash everyday"). Park Slope was nice, but trending expensive. And with that advice, I was suddenly alone.

See 11/28/12 See 11/28/12

Viva Moses!

The myth of Moses started at first sight. There he was, pictured in a Craigslist ad, hunched over, cane in hand, giving a tour of the apartment I would eventually call home.

See 11/18/12 See 11/18/12

One More Boot for the Road

In some ways, I felt it had all built up to that evening. Six years of living in New York. One final goodbye party. Had I overcome the challenges of growing old and living in the City and actually made relationships? I already knew the answer to that. It's nice to have that point you can hold on to though.And let's be honest: saying "it had all built up to that evening" is a bit dramatic. Sorry for going a bit strong on that one. There's a tinge of truth to the thought though. Just a tinge.

See 11/12/12 See 11/12/12

(no title)

Imagine putting every emotion you have in the pit of your stomach, then shake it around a couple of times. That's how I feel right now.

See 11/11/12 See 11/11/12

Goodbye Brooklyn.

Ok... deep breath... Hard to believe and even harder to say, but I'm moving. It absolutely breaks my heart having to leave Brooklyn. This is home. Six years. As my Gigi said though, you cry good and hard as far as the city limits, then you get on with things. The move-out date will most-likely be at the end of the month.

See 10/31/12 See 10/31/12

Sandy, you bitch

It wasn't that bad really. At least not in Brooklyn. Cesar and I were supposed to go to the Jets game. Given the dire predictions and closed subways, we decided to watch the game at Plan B. It was supposed to rain all afternoon, but didn't. After the Jets had lost and the Cowboys had won, I walked home without an umbrella.

See 10/29/12 See 10/29/12

Video for Those Stuck at Home During the Hurricane

It's the moon landing. Spliced together are video, audio, texts, the lunar module pitch angle, and most incredibly, a monitor of Neil Armstrong's heart rate. 150 beats per minute!!!

See 10/28/12 See 10/28/12

Hello Trenton.

Viva le Tour de Jersey! Two days, 90 miles, and a layover in the state capital, all on the (t)rusty Ross bike.After a short train ride to New Brunswick, the tour kicked off with a visit to the State University of New Jersey - Rutgers. Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting much, but Rutgers has a really nice campus. In fact, the parts that I visited reminded me of a northeast private school or, dare I say it, an Ivy League school.

See 10/14/12 See 10/14/12

Maine-stay in Vacationland!

Rain is to be expected in Portland, right? Grey, mist, rain, that's all you hear about. But lobstah Portland? They get the rain too?! Apparently. I spent a week in Maine and all I saw was rain. Seriously. Even when it stopped raining, it was still somehow raining.

See 10/8/12 See 10/8/12

Restoration 10K: That Bed Stuy Brooklyn Badass Feel

35:51 10K and a top-ten finish. Not a bad day on the streets of Brooklyn!

The Bed Stuy Restoration 10K lived up to Rusty's advance billing: very fun. There was even a bit of ironic joy in the post-race puking. Just a bit though.

See 9/28/12 See 9/28/12

The International Cocktail

San Francisco. Dresden. Tennessee. Belgium. Texas. Brooklyn.

Mix well, serve over ice, and you're looking at one heckuva weekend.

See 9/22/12 See 9/22/12

home.

See 9/21/12 See 9/21/12

They Start 'em Young Out in Jersey

JUST as I took this picture of Hamilton Park in Jersey City, a kid, he couldn't have been more than about 5 years old, tripped while playing with his friend. As soon as his hand hit the ground, he mustered the loudest "FUCK YOU" that his lungs could handle. The entire park stopped and looked at this kid, even the hiphop kids gathered under the gazebo. He just sat there with a defiant look of fear, unsure of what he just did. I look at the kid and go "I'm not even allowed to say that". I look over at his dad and he just kinda smiles and throws up his arms like "what's a guy to do"?

See 9/19/12 See 9/19/12

The Philly Express

Inside the old Central Railroad Terminal of New Jersey. The terminal reminded me more of a greenhouse than a vestige to industry.

See 9/18/12 See 9/18/12

The Not-So-Dirty Jers (Maybe just Kinda-Dirty)

A 5:30am wake-up call got me headed out to Newark for the Claudio Reyna 5K. It was billed as an all-star race, but I don't think they got the turn-out they were looking for. Nor were they truly prepared to manage an all-star race: no bag check, no course description, no mile markers, etc.

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