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| Kind of enjoy going by this on the train every day! PK..... KID! |
Jaaaysus where do I begin? It's been about five weeks since I last got a chance to write a single word on this! Time is of the essence so will have to fly through things.
I eventually forked out rent. Spending the final week of July on the couch of Rob Kelly and Keir Manno's place in Yonkers, I managed to get in touch with a girl, from Donegal, who had room for one more in her place down in Sunnyside, Queens. On the phone, she told me that they had a fine establishment, already plenty of housemates but were looking to bring the rent down that one step more. She gave me the price it would be for the month and my mind was made up in a second!
So at the beginning of August I moved in with the few housemates that were already here, Lisa Marie, Lauren, Phyliss, Niamh, Ruairi, Liam, Helen, Shona, Carol, Kelly, Eilis and Caroline. Don't think I forgot anyone there. Represented are Donegal, Tyrone, Cork, Westmeath, Laois, Dublin, Galway, Mayo and CLARA, CO. OFFALY! The amount of people didn't really bother me, I was happy to finally have a proper place after two months of couch surfing, even if it's a little congested, with mattresses and bodies everywhere. By now, I'm friends with most of them on the Facebook so I'd have to be careful with what I write here but there wouldn't be anything overly negative to say about any of the housemates anyway, they're all quite pleasant. Four of this group have fallen and headed back to Ireland so we're down to nine. Telling you though, it's tougher than I anticipated living with so many girls. For when I go to bed, I could do with buying tighter boxer shorts. I'll say no more.
Have to find another fucking place to crash come August 30th as that's when everyone leaves here, pain in the bollocks! Annoying too because I love this area in Queens, the month has flown by and I really don't want to leave!
Have to find another fucking place to crash come August 30th as that's when everyone leaves here, pain in the bollocks! Annoying too because I love this area in Queens, the month has flown by and I really don't want to leave!
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| I look like a bit of a pillock but it beats garbage! |
At St. James' Tower, I got "promoted" to doorman for August. Filling in for Rachid, who went back to his home country of Morocco for four weeks, I couldn't wait to get away from dealing with garbage and the vacuuming, or the efforts to actually look busy each day. It does be a long eight hours standing in the one spot but the work is pretty much non-existent and that's fine with me! The array of stuff that does go through my head in a single day is ridiculous.
I had made a challenge for myself at the start of this doorman project; Get chatting/friendly with the INSANELY hot girl in the building; long blonde hair, tanned skin and an ass that just will not fucking quit! She left to go back to college Sunday so I can confirm that, after three weeks, the project FAILED!.... And Jesus it failed so bad. I mean, at the beginning, I did try. As amazing looking and fit as she is though, she seems to let herself down by not being particularly friendly. Of course, if I looked like she did and had the money like she did I probably wouldn't make much effort with the loser building doorman in the photo to the left, who has a head on him the very same as Master Splinter, either. She was always polite and said "Hi" or "Thank you" when I'd open the door for her but never had time to stop and chat poor PK. A couple of my initial, and dismal, attempts went as folows;
The day I asked her what her name was. She smiled and said "Natalie" and I replied "Pretty name. I'm Paul". I do genuinely think it's a nice name. I'm not sure if she actually heard mine though, she had already started walking away as I was saying it. Still, I didn't crumble, not yet!
The day it was lashing rain. This effort truly was pathetic and I seriously needed a good long look at myself in the mirror afterwards. The rain was pouring down and she came running in the door soaking wet, even with her umbrella above her head. Ahhhh she looked even better drenched I must state. She was laughing about how wet she'd gotten so I felt I'd say something and not just stand there like an idiot drooling all over the place. "I hope you stayed relatively dry" I says. AHHHHHHH *Multiple slaps to the forehead*. What a moronic thing to say! 1. Because she was clearly saturated 2. I fucked up the word "relatively", out of nervousness I guess, so it sounded more like "I hope you stayed relshjscjkmd dry". Why couldn't I just have said something simple like "Good thing you brought an umbrella" or something not quite as lame?! She pretty much ignored it anyway, so not so bad!
The night she was going out. This was actually the best I got from her. It was about 10 bells PM and she was looking stunning about to hit the town. "Ask her where she's going, you bell-end!" my brain yelled at me. "Going out?". "Yeah" she replies. "Ah cool you'll have to show me where the hot spots are". "What?" she asks having not heard me. "You'll have to TELL me where the hot spots are". Good thing she didn't hear me the first time, she probably would have thought to herself "Is this creep asking me out?". She simply responded, with a delightful smile, that the best spots are downtown and I wished her a good night and that was that.
So there was my dire effort to chat a solid 9/10 summed up really, what a fucking waste of time! Anyway, the guys at work tell me she's nuts, and not in no adorable way either, so no harm not knowing her I suppose.
Moving quickly on, I crossed something off my Bucket List. Always a pleasure to do so. I bought myself and Jenn tickets to see the Jets against the Giants at Metlife Stadium. It was only a pre-season game but I figured it'd be fun as I support Gang Green and she likes Big Blue and just in case I didn't get the chance to attend one again.
I didn't expect to have such a good time at the game, they're actually so much better to watch live at the stadium as opposed to on TV, even if you occasionally don't have a notion what's going on. Jets are bloody woeful though, I mean fuck me they are chronic! Tebow came on and briefly inspired before being quickly tamed by the Giants reserve defence. The final score was 26-3 to the G-Men. I've been to Old Trafford and seen United score more goals in one game than the Jets scored points in this one. A dandy Saturday night it was nonetheless.
Speaking of United, myself and Caomhan got out of the feathers very early the following Saturday morning to head into the city and watch the match against Fulham in the famous Nevada Smith's football bar. The place is actually being renovated at the moment, we learned upon arriving, so they've temporarily moved location around the corner down on Third Avenue and 11th. It was a decent atmosphere for a game on so early this side of the pond. RVP's goal was sumptuous and nice to see Kagawa score but the second half was rather painful to watch so it was a good thing I had beer in my hand throughout! Caomh and I haven't had many opportunities to hang out since himself and Giller arrived in NYC so it was nice to be able to spend the day with the man.
I'm going to Chicago this week and I can't wait! What else should be super about this coming week is two other really good mates of mine Paul Lewis and Kate Hennessy are in the jungle so I'll definitely be hoping to meet with them for a couple of brewskis. I received a pleasant surprise last week when the Freeman sisters, Amy and Patty came down to visit me from upstate for a couple of nights. It was a joy seeing them and I was pretty sad that they had to leave so soon, but will be heading up their way in a month or so, in a bid to cross Niagara Falls off my list!
A few nights ago, on my way home from work, I stopped at the 99c pizza place (99c a slice of very acceptable pizza, you can't beat that!). I was so high on life, as I normally am when I finish work up each night, music in my ears, not a single care in the world. There was a homeless guy waiting in line ahead of me, kind of hunch-backed and shockingly thin, his spine coming out his back was so visible, it wasn't pleasant. He laid all his change on the counter, having enough for just the one slice. When he received it, in a flash, he put it in a bag and then left to probably find some corner of the street to eat it on.
I'll be honest, seeing him nearly had me in tears. Like, I don't know this guy. And it's possible he's made a few bad/wrong decisions in his life but it's so upsetting that there are millions of people who have to live this way in the world, and not just in NYC. It makes me so appreciative and grateful for everything, the friends, the family and the health that I'm so fortunate enough to have. Sure, I'm low sometimes but truth is I could not be happier, especially with life as it currently is. This has been said many times before, and perhaps at times by people who didn't quite mean it, but after 21 years, I finally, truly recognise the value of life. There's fuck all that I care about or that I deem to be a big deal anymore, when I know there's millions of people in far worse situations than I'll ever be. I have no idea what my purpose on this earth is yet, I'm a bit of a waster right now, but I have this Bucket List, and all I'm concerned about is completing it and enjoying myself while I'm able to.
The night she was going out. This was actually the best I got from her. It was about 10 bells PM and she was looking stunning about to hit the town. "Ask her where she's going, you bell-end!" my brain yelled at me. "Going out?". "Yeah" she replies. "Ah cool you'll have to show me where the hot spots are". "What?" she asks having not heard me. "You'll have to TELL me where the hot spots are". Good thing she didn't hear me the first time, she probably would have thought to herself "Is this creep asking me out?". She simply responded, with a delightful smile, that the best spots are downtown and I wished her a good night and that was that.
So there was my dire effort to chat a solid 9/10 summed up really, what a fucking waste of time! Anyway, the guys at work tell me she's nuts, and not in no adorable way either, so no harm not knowing her I suppose.
Moving quickly on, I crossed something off my Bucket List. Always a pleasure to do so. I bought myself and Jenn tickets to see the Jets against the Giants at Metlife Stadium. It was only a pre-season game but I figured it'd be fun as I support Gang Green and she likes Big Blue and just in case I didn't get the chance to attend one again.
I didn't expect to have such a good time at the game, they're actually so much better to watch live at the stadium as opposed to on TV, even if you occasionally don't have a notion what's going on. Jets are bloody woeful though, I mean fuck me they are chronic! Tebow came on and briefly inspired before being quickly tamed by the Giants reserve defence. The final score was 26-3 to the G-Men. I've been to Old Trafford and seen United score more goals in one game than the Jets scored points in this one. A dandy Saturday night it was nonetheless.
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| "Nevada Smith's - Where football is religion" |
I'm going to Chicago this week and I can't wait! What else should be super about this coming week is two other really good mates of mine Paul Lewis and Kate Hennessy are in the jungle so I'll definitely be hoping to meet with them for a couple of brewskis. I received a pleasant surprise last week when the Freeman sisters, Amy and Patty came down to visit me from upstate for a couple of nights. It was a joy seeing them and I was pretty sad that they had to leave so soon, but will be heading up their way in a month or so, in a bid to cross Niagara Falls off my list!
A few nights ago, on my way home from work, I stopped at the 99c pizza place (99c a slice of very acceptable pizza, you can't beat that!). I was so high on life, as I normally am when I finish work up each night, music in my ears, not a single care in the world. There was a homeless guy waiting in line ahead of me, kind of hunch-backed and shockingly thin, his spine coming out his back was so visible, it wasn't pleasant. He laid all his change on the counter, having enough for just the one slice. When he received it, in a flash, he put it in a bag and then left to probably find some corner of the street to eat it on.
I'll be honest, seeing him nearly had me in tears. Like, I don't know this guy. And it's possible he's made a few bad/wrong decisions in his life but it's so upsetting that there are millions of people who have to live this way in the world, and not just in NYC. It makes me so appreciative and grateful for everything, the friends, the family and the health that I'm so fortunate enough to have. Sure, I'm low sometimes but truth is I could not be happier, especially with life as it currently is. This has been said many times before, and perhaps at times by people who didn't quite mean it, but after 21 years, I finally, truly recognise the value of life. There's fuck all that I care about or that I deem to be a big deal anymore, when I know there's millions of people in far worse situations than I'll ever be. I have no idea what my purpose on this earth is yet, I'm a bit of a waster right now, but I have this Bucket List, and all I'm concerned about is completing it and enjoying myself while I'm able to.
Peace out, rock on.
PK
