Well, today I had to finish up all of the errands that I couldn’t get to during the transit strike, as well as some errands that Ashleigh couldn’t get to because she’s been working too much. I was concerned that everyone else in New York would be doing the exact same thing, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared. Usually in New York, when you have an idea to go do something, thousands of other people have the exact same idea at the exact same time. It’s one of the side effects of living in a very crowded city. But today was relatively tame, and I was able to cross a bunch of tasks off my list, spanning from Fulton Street to 80th Street. Hooray for the subway!

Thank goodness the Transit Workers’ Union waited until this month to possibly have a transit strike on the subways and buses. Both Ashleigh and I now walk to work every day, so it won’t really affect our ability to do our jobs. It’ll still affect us in many other ways, but as of now it seems like that will be the biggest problem for most New Yorkers.

I think it will affect us most because of the mass commotion on the roads, because of the fact that our street will be an artery for emergency vehicles (according to the Mayor’s contingency plan), and because most businesses and services will be running at lower than normal levels (due to stranded employees).

Still, I doubt the strike will last longer than a day or two (if it starts at all), so if anything, it might be no more than a long weekend for most of New York.

Welcome to September. In California, I always hated September because it was merely an extension of August: very hot. But here in New York, I’m optimistic that September will be what it sounds like: a transition into fall. The air will be less humid, evenings will be cooler, and maybe a leaf or two will change color in anticipation of the beautiful October.

Normally I don’t do surveys, but I actually like this one. Or maybe I’m just more bored than usual.

1.When you look at yourself in the mirror, what’s the first thing you look at?
My hair… it’s always doing something interesting, like leaning precariously to one side.

2.How much cash do you have on you?
Fifty-nine dollars. Usually I have even more. After all, this is New York, and although there are a lot of muggings, most places still take cash only. I swear, new technologies (like credit cards) always come to New York last.

3.What’s a word that rhymes with “TEST”?
Nest! …or.

4.Favorite plants?
To be honest, I’m not a big fan of plants. I suppose I like some trees, but I can’t think of any specifically offhand. Banyan trees are pretty cool, I guess. Oh, and there are some edible plants that I like simply because of what they produce, such as cacao trees. I hate flowers, though, because they die.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My friend Sharie holds that honor. I think she was calling to ask me to help her move. Oops.

6.What is your main ring tone on your phone?
Normally my phone is on vibrate, actually. But when it’s not on vibrate, it’s… hold your excitement… the sound of a ringing phone.

7.What shirt are you currently wearing?
I’m wearing a striped dress shirt that Ashleigh got me for either Hanukkah or my birthday. I can never keep those holidays separate in my mind because they’re within a few months of each other. Anyway, it’s a white base with tan, brown, green, and blue stripes. I’m also wearing a red t-shirt that features a squirrel playing the drums.

8.Do you “label” yourself?
Only when someone leaves the Dymo out. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, I think I’m some kind of computer geek/drama geek/emo kid/person who’s too old to have a label but doesn’t know it.

9.Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?
Diesel. Funny, since I’m usually in Converse. But today, instead of the red Converse, I decided on the red Diesels with velcro. It was just a velcro kind of day, know what I mean?

10.Bright or Dark Room?
I’m not sure if you’re asking which I prefer or which I’m currently in. If you’re asking which I’m currently in, it’s definitely bright. It’s an office. I couldn’t get much work done in a dark room. Well, unless I were a photographer. And actually, come to think of it, since everything I do is on the computer, I suppose I could still do it in a dark room since the monitor is its own light.

11.What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Amanda and Deirdre both took this before me, and I think they’re sisters. Oh, and I think they’re both amazingly talented and beautiful, and I want like ten thousand of their babies. Also, I miss making fun of Amanda with Deirdre. And I miss making fun of Amanda with Amanda.

12.Ever “spilled the beans”?
Sure, I suppose. I can’t think of a specific incident right now, but I’m sure I have.

13.What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping. Actually, it’s more likely I was tossing and turning. When the air conditioner comes on, I get too cold, but then when it turns off I get too warm. So I’m constantly moving the blanket on and off of myself during the night, as the air conditioner turns on and off. I know, I should just leave it on or off all night, but then I can’t use the super-cool “energy saver” feature.

14.What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?
It said, “boarding for boston. see u next week,” and it was from Brandon. He’s getting on a plane to go to Boston, and then he’s coming to New York after that, so I’ll see him while he’s here.

15.Do you ever click on “Pop Ups” or Banners?
I think I sometimes click on banners, actually. I visit a lot of computer-oriented blogs, and they often have ads for really cool gadgets and things. So sometimes I click those. Not pop-ups, though. Usually those are for things I don’t want.

16.What’s a saying that you say a lot?
I’ve noticed a few one-word sayings I’ve been using lately, including “clearly” and “sweet.” Okay, so I lied. A couple, not a few.

17.Who told you they loved you last?
It was either my mom or Ashleigh. Ash said it in a text message earlier, but then I talked to my mom on the phone, and I can’t remember whether she said it or not.

18.Last furry thing you touched?
Besides myself? I think the last furry thing I touched was actually Sharie’s cat, Charlie. He’s a cute kitty.

19.How many hours a week do you work?
Well, I’m at work for about forty hours a week. I don’t know how much I actually work, but it’s theoretically slightly less than that. Maybe thirty-nine.

20.How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None. In fact, I’m really surprised that this question is on here. Most people are using digital cameras these days, especially if they’re people who have blogs. I mean, sure, my grandma might still use film, but I think she’s unlikely to be filling out this survey anytime soon. Granted, if I sent it to her in an email, she’d prob’ly fill it out. But the fact is, I really don’t care what my grandma’s main ring tone is.

21.Favorite age you have been so far?
I bet a lot of people answer their current age, but I bet a lot of people who fill out surveys aren’t in their mid-twenties yet. For me, my favorite year was either the year that I was twenty-one or the year that I was twenty-three. For anyone who knows me, those years include West Side Summer and the summer of the Beavs.

22.Your worst enemy?
I really can’t think of a worst enemy, so I’ll use the philosophical cop-out and say “myself.” Or maybe “time.” But really, time is what will lead me to dinner tonight, and I like dinner.

23. What is your current desk top picture?
It’s a collection of five white circles of various sizes on a bright blue background. I made it myself. There’s no particular reason for it; I just like circles.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
“They used to be a fixed width because of NEON. I can’t remember if that’s true for SAP though. I think it is. You might ask Chris or Josef instead; I have a feeling they’re closer to the answer.” See? I do work!

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time to fix all of your mistakes, which would you pick?
Clearly I’d pick the million dollars, because I believe that nothing is a mistake. Everything is either a good experience or a learning experience, and I wouldn’t be who I am without my past being exactly how it is. Everything always works out better in the end as a result of whatever happens; that’s just how it is. So where’s my million dollars?

This Subway Quiz is fun if you live in New York (or at least if you think you’re familiar with the New York City subway). I scored 14 out of 15. I guarantee you won’t do that well.

When my hard drive mechanically failed last year, it was impossible to recover any of the data from it. Fortunately most of it was backed up on my laptop, on my iPod, or on CDs. The big casualty, however, was an album of photos taken at Sammi’s Halloween party (the night before I left for New York).

Last week when my new hard drive failed (non-mechanically), I purchased some file recovery software so that I could copy all of the data off the drive. Now, this software still wouldn’t be able to do anything for the mechanically failed drive, but it sparked an idea.

I decided to run the file recovery software on my digital camera’s memory card. Lo and behold, it was able to “un-delete” several of the photos from Sammi’s Halloween party, and I was a happy camper.

My parents and my cousin are coming to visit for a week, starting today. I’m taking a few days off work to spend with them, and I think we’ll have a good time. Our only set plan is seeing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Saturday night. We’re looking for other family-friendly ideas. What is there to do in New York City?

We’re letting our lease expire June 30 (because we’re not terribly fond of our location, our building manager who takes months to get things fixed, our super who can’t fix things himself and who doesn’t speak English, our cafeteria tile floor, our mouse, and so forth), and we’re looking for a new apartment for June 1. We want a month of overlap so that we can paint the whole place our own colors, really design the interior, and take our time moving.

In a normal city, we’d start looking 1-2 months in advance. In New York City, the recommended time to start looking is 3 days in advance because they like to rent things immediately. There isn’t really a shortage of real estate, as the brokers would have us believe; they just don’t like to advertise an apartment until it’s truly ready for a tenant, and then they hope to get a tenant in there immediately. If you’re not ready to move in for a month or two, they’d rather keep looking for a tenant who’s ready sooner. Of course, that’s not to say they’ll find one, so often you’ll find the same apartment is still available when you’re ready for an immediate apartment.

Also in a normal city, you wouldn’t pay a broker half of your limbs, but in New York City they control, and solely represent, most of the buildings you’d want to live in. It’s a winning situation for the landlord, since the broker takes care of the advertising and screening and doesn’t charge the landlord. It’s a losing situation for the tenant, because the broker does very little work and gets paid an exorbitant amount, but the landlord and broker don’t care.

Today I contacted several brokers whose apartments were listed on Craig’s List. I’m going to view one of the apartments today (because I called that one instead of emailing), and I’m crossing my fingers to find what I want without too much hassle.

Anyone from New York City can tell you that the best place to satisfy a pickle craving is at Guss’ Pickles (on Orchard at Broome). I went there for the first time last month, and I became an instant fan of their “spicy half-sour” pickles. So today I ventured down there to get a whole quart of them, and now I get to enjoy them all week.

It’s currently 63 degrees outside, which is phenomenally warm for winter in New York.

I was able to sit outside at Starbucks today and enjoy the nice weather, and I’m really glad I did since this is apparently the warmest high temperature we’re going to get–by about 20 degrees–for the rest of the month. It’ll go back to being in the 40’s (with lows in the 20’s) by tomorrow.

Oh well. It was nice to have a preview of spring to remind me that it can actually be pleasant here.