MOST STRESSFUL DAY EVER.

And it's not even 12:00pm.

I'm doing a trip reimbursement form.

1) Found out I'm not reimbursed for food: -$50.00
2) Found out the f-ing hotel charged me for a night that I didn't stay. -$207.00
3) Found out the lady who does billing at the hotel doesn't get in until 3:00pm. F*** YOU, ATLANTA PEOPLE WHO GET INTO WORK AT 3:00PM
4) Had to get employee ID #, went to find it on pay stubs. Found out that the last three paychecks I've received are about $750 short. The tax witholding jumped about 8 million percent for no reason. -$2,100.

Oh my god my head is going to explode. I'm somehow out of about $3,000 and I have to more or less depend on other people to secure it for me. I'm taking a break for some tea before I kill someone.

The approaching coldness.

I know everyone says it, but I really can't believe how fast it's gotten cold and dark. I think it's appropriate this time around, being that summer really only lasted 2 months, tops. However, not all is bad! I've thought of some things that cheer me up about the coming winter.
1) Neat new winter coat, NYC-style, from Macy's. So cute I look like I belong in one of those black-and-white "A Christmas Carol" movies.
2) Winter and Christmas-themed coffee drinks now out. I always thought these were the best ones anyway, with things like peppermint and egg nog. Delicious. Also, in the winter hot coffee tastes and feels good, and you don't have to get an iced one - blech.
3) Studying is easier when the sun isn't beckoning you outside for a picnic.
4) I always sleep better when it's cold out. Open up the windows and snuggle under the blankets.
5) Fun cold-themed activities:
a. Ice-skating! Didn't go last year but definitely going to make an effort this year. I'm horrible at it, btw, so I'll also definitely wear butt-padding.
b. Skiing. Yes, skiing. Finally. After... *cringe* 6 years? Oh, I'm sorry, skis... :'(. I'll rescue you from the basement and take you out. Apparently we're going on a trip to Mt. Snow with a humongous bunch of people (~30, yikes) and Adam doesn't want to look like a total fool so he said we should practice. He wants to snowboard after having had horrific experiences skiing and only semi-embarrassing ones snowboarding. HA! YES! Practice right now means doing lots of wall-sits and side to side jumps since there isn't any snow yet, but come late November we should be able to head up for some day trips. SO EXCITED YOU HAVE NO IDEA. At Mt. Snow maybe I can even try out some of the new racing skis for a day... *drool
6) Hot food tastes better. Pho. Mmm.
7) And last but not least... holiday season! I want to take the day after Thanksgiving off and then Christmas is on a Friday so no worries about that. (Last year I came in after Thanksgiving and boss came in after Christmas... but since there's no trade-off this year I'm going to really try to have Black Friday off. I'm hoping that's our first skiing weekend, eee!)

Don't comment about all the good summer things because I know there are some but I don't want to think about it.

...

.... not happy.

Saving Money

Going to make a serious attempt at this. I'm not losing money or in debt or anything drastic like that; it's just that whenever I check my balance, it's always the same... despite biweekly additions of over 1k. I would say, "I don't get it," but I know why that is. Having a steady influx of money is really a heady thing, and you can go shopping when you feel like it without having to just look, buy lunch instead of bring it when you want, etc.
But now that I've 1) noticed my flatlining bank account, 2) realized that I may have to finish school sans job and 3) have added responsibilities for the apartment like monthly electrical bills (instead of balancing it out at the end of the year like before), I think I should pay some attention to what I spend. That's the thing: I usually just chuck the receipts because (guilty look) I don't like seeing how much money I've just spent. Time to face the music.

Things on the forbidden list:
Unnecessary clothes: one of the greater evils I face...
Books that aren't school-related: probably the second-greatest evil...
Bought-out lunch: not too bad recently, although I have to learn that my eyes are bigger than my stomach
Starbucks for class - go to Oren's instead (very acceptable-tasting medium coffee for $2!): not usually a problem, but Starbucks is so expensive that it's worth putting on here
Random things that are on sale that I don't need: Adam's all-time favorite that I fall prey to sometimes.

Going to pay more attention to:
Groceries: going to not waste food when I already have it. If that means getting up earlier to make eggs for breakfast instead of cereal, so be it.
Electricity: turn off those lights! And plug all the tv stuff into a single power strip that can be turned off when not on.

Excluded (from the forbidden list) things:
Necessary outerwear: this includes winter coat to replace 3-year-old one whose pockets have been sewn back on twice already.
Going out once in a while money: we don't usually go many places, and it's worth it when we do.
Cheap restaurants on weekends: huge bowls of pho for $5 do not count. This could have easily been one thing at the grocery store (DAMN markets in Manhattan are expensive!).

Obviously you can tell I'm not going on lockdown or anything. I hate penny pushing; I think it ruins your day when you could indulge in something small and be happy for a while but don't do it because you hate spending an extra $2.99. However, I do realize that 5 things of $2.99 is already $15 and will keep an eye on it.

Maybe Confessions-of-a-Shopaholic style? Keep all the receipts and write down how much I spent that day? I think that'll be a pretty good deterrent, especially since I don't like looking at the receipts at all.
Today: $0 so far... going for the gold!

Family Junk

Apparently the reason we aren't that close with my dad's older brother's family is because... they don't like each other. :O *gasp* Not my dad and his brother, but my dad and his brother's wife. Now, I have nothing against anyone, really, but I can definitely pick up on some awkwardness etc. I had a big phone convo with my dad about it because she recently friended me on facebook and is commenting on almost all my stuff and they find it a bit weird. Speculating that her daughter is growing up and she needs someone else to supervise? I don't mind, as long as it doesn't get too weird that I notice it. I'll just delete some stuff.
Then there was this mini-fiasco: my mom commented on a status with an inside joke that I realize now can really be taken the wrong way. Well, my aunt took it the wrong way and (I think) recruited my cousin to look at it, who commented also. That's the one thing I found kind of unacceptable; my 15 year old cousin was like, "Aunt Amy, that sounds really horrible and I hope I misunderstood that." I would NEVER write something like that to my aunt/uncle, judging something that "I hope I misunderstood", because I probably did misunderstand it.
My fault: for posting an obscure conversation, not quoted. Mom's fault: for commenting with something that is a big social faux paus when misinterpreted. My aunt's fault: taking it way too seriously before asking what happened. My cousin's fault: For even commenting at all.
I deleted everyone's comments and explained what was needed, and no more. Now my mom and my aunt are blocking each other and going through me and I can just tell the fake icky niceness and *shudder*. If they can't be grownups I'm going to stop mediating soon.
Also, another cousin has testicular cancer. Guh.

I want to go out west for the reunion next summer. Lots of heat, cornfields, beer, potatoes and steak. And cows. And farm dogs. And swimming in "cricks" and riding in the back of pickup trucks. Driven by 14 year olds.
I think it's going to be a big one... which means somewhere in the vicinity of 800-1000 people. I want to bring Adam because he's never been west of New York State or something ridiculous that I refuse to acknowledge. Also, my great uncles want to take him gopher hunting; another worker to get those gopher feet and trade them directly in for beer at the gas station. Sigh.

Kindle?

I've been adamant about not getting a Kindle thus far and have had multiple discussions why I think real books are better. Then my friend got one.
Heavy books. Blah.
Adam's made disparaging remarks about my ginormous book collection. I'll admit, it was a pain to move them.
We compared prices of this new book I wanted to get that just came out. Real version: hardcover, $17.99. Kindle version: 0 space, $9.99.
And that's expensive for a Kindle version... most are just $2.99.
She downloaded 5 books while I was sitting there. Drove me insane.

So, I think it's going to be the one thing I hint about for Christmas. Sigh. Giving in. Oh well. Can't stop the book craving and this is probably the least expensive (in the long run) way to do it.

Good turnout

Things are lining up!
Our broker - who isn't a tall, grim-faced man in a suit, like you would expect someone to be who was a "broker", but a small asian girl (yes, girl) who trips constantly over her sandals but still manages to show us around all the places with broken pavement in Manhattan - pulled through for us. She got our management to send the landlord reference letter to the new leasing office today, and now we're just waiting for the credit to run and them to call us to SIGN THE LEASE YAY.
Lunch with June: not as weird as I feared. Although he did insist on paying (which is stupid, I mean, come on, I probably make more than he does), we had a pretty normal conversation and I didn't feel awkward when the silences came up. Probably because I was eating. My huge sandwich. With pickles. Mmmm....
It got a little iffy at the end when he was saying we could hang out with "some beers", but then it was better cause he invited Adam, too. And then I was like oorrrr you can teach me about Korean food! 'Cause honestly that's one of the big ones I don't know enough about and really should. I told him I had bim bim bap before and he said that was a good choice for a "beginner". Ha.

And whoever says they have some errands that they may enjoy? After work today I get to walk around in the perfect weather, return some library books, pick UP a library book (even though it's the 3rd in the series; the 2nd one is "in transit" and the first one isn't even returned yet! guh!), get my other textbook down at NYU, double-check that I know where my classroom is so I don't get lost. No, seriously. Because I will.
When I get home I'm going to attempt some yoga by myself (if Jared isn't there to make fun of me) and watch some Herrooooeeesss. And then have Jared make fun of me because he told me it was addictive. Pah.

This weekend is looking to be positively sublime, also.
Here's the lineup:

Saturday: Hopefully get the lease locked down. Look at a couch we might purchase. Go to Silver Spurs for brunch. Ignore bemused stare of busboy who we see every weekend.
Saturday night: I was going to put "Yael's barbeque" here, but then I checked and it's next weekend. Probably a good move on their part to not have it Labor Day weekend so that people could actually show up. So, instead, I may put: go home. :)
Sunday: Wake up "early" to dad cooking a simple breakfast that somehow still is fantastic. Get made fun of for waking up "late" at 7:30-8 by dad who's been up since 4. Probably get roped into doing some chores outside, which may include any of the following: spreading mulch in my bare feet, harvesting rhubarb, pulling the deck chairs up the back porch, bringing coffee upstairs to my poor mother who likes getting up at 10am and can only do so when the mug is juuuuuuust out of reach on the nightstand. Play with the dog. Forever.
Head over to Scott's Ridge to meet up with Conway, Marybeth, Jillian and Avery to watch Danielle play some travel soccer, wooooo!
Monday: Get picked up by Adam and his dad and head up to Limerock for vintage weekend. Watch some cool races. Get extremely sunburned (which always seems to happen at Limerock, even if the day is overcast). Head back to the city. Fall asleep early.
Tuesday: Go to work. Go to CLASS! AHHH!

Even adding a little drama to the none that I currently have is annoying...

Postdoc is either:
1) A nice guy who thinks its appropriate to want to have lunch with me as a coworker.
2) A little dense and wants to have lunch with me even though I talk about my boyfriend. Who I'm living with. Soon to be living with without an additional roommate.

I hope it's #1. I also hope that in his mind this is a one-time, get-to-know-you kind of thing, because I don't do staged coworker lunches all too often. Too awkward. Especially if it's just me and one other person! Maybe he got the idea from the boss, who took him to a restaurant last week... ugh... another notch in the "dislike" section.

Stress!

1) I can't hand in my Tuition Remission form until after school begins, 'cause NYU's Bursar's Office is an asshole (just like all the other important offices, i.e. bank, post office, etc.) and is only open M-F, 9-5 for the "summer". I know it's for students, but wtf! I have until Sept. 23, which is ok, but I keep getting ominous emails entitled, "Your NYU Electronic Bill is now available".

2) School starts soon, if you weren't able to figure that out.

3) The NYU Bookstore still doesn't have the textbooks for one of my classes. *stabby motion*

4) I had to call and cancel our application for 225 Rector Street, and explain to a very sad Sean that we found something else. I'll find out if we have to pay the $100 fee this afternoon... the only upside to this is if he says, "We could have shown you that building! Why didn't you call us?" I have a very legitimate answer. "Well, Sean, Antonio said he would email us a bunch of listings and take us around on Sunday, whereupon we would have cancelled our other appointment made last week and gone with you. Since he didn't, we didn't cancel, and you missed out on a sale. That is all."

5) 2 Gold Street seems extremely anal about their application process. Whoever heard of/needed a "Landlord Reference Letter"?? Plus, the income requirement is 45x the monthly rent, which is higher than the normal 35x-40x. This means that with a rent of $2567/month, the combined income of the people on the lease needs to be at least $115,515.00. Dah! Why are they so strict? This building is all younger, just-graduated-college kids - how is everyone making this much money?

6) We forgot/didn't realize we needed to sign the form that 15 Cliff sent us to say we weren't renewing our lease. Now it's 13 days late and it says on the bottom: "Failure to do so may result in an eviction" or something extremely stressful-and-worry-worthy. I mean, I doubt they will actually bother, but I REALLY hope this doesn't affect our application process elsewhere.

7) Now there are people in the fax room, and I feel weird telling them all to move away so that I can fax personal stuff... ;lieu;askdhng.

Get Cookin'!

I've made two things in the past two days that were REALLY good. Felt like sharing... with... myself. Haha.

Note: When I cook, unless I'm making a mixture that needs precise measurements, I just eyeball the amounts. It works out just fine.

Pasta Chicken

skinless, boneless chicken breast
olive oil
linguine
carrots
zucchini
garlic
chicken broth
dried basil
grated Parmesan cheese

Dice up chicken, saute in olive oil in skillet until no longer pink. Remove and let drain.
Cook pasta.
While pasta is cooking, stir fry carrots in same skillet in a little more olive oil, adding zucchini and garlic (mashed in garlic press, makes it so much better) after about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, basil, Parmesan and cooked chicken and let simmer for about 4 minutes.
Pour chicken/vegetable mixture over pasta and serve.

It sounds pretty simple, but this was so so so good! I think the addition of chicken broth and a little bit of Parmesan really made the difference. DEFINITELY making this again!

Summer Couscous (what I got when I searched for things with chicken broth, to use up what was leftover from the previous recipe)

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup couscous (I used tricolor couscous, was pretty good!)
olive oil
diced tomatoes
diced Vidalia onion
diced cucumber
chopped fresh parsley
lemon juice
salt, pepper to taste

Chop everything up. Will take a while.
Heat up chicken broth in pan until just before boiling. Stir in couscous, olive oil and all veggies. Place top on pot and let steam for about 4 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

The recipe said that this was for 4 servings, but I ate it all for dinner. So, if you really want to make 4 servings, make a lot more. I saved about half of the chopped veggies for another go tonight, since there's no way you can use a whole cucumber for a half a cup of couscous. Really good! Nice, light and cool for a summer dinner.