N.Y. day 3

Saturday night was actually pretty low key. Gina, Jimmy, and I were going to go to a Cuban restaurant in Ridge Hill but they were booked between 6 and 9:15. So instead we stayed behind and had some buffalo chicken meatloaf, mini potatoes, asparagus, and homemade key lime pie.

Jimmy's mom made breaded avocado bites as an appetizer. I ate two of them and my stomach throbbed for the next hour. I don't know if it was the quality of the avocado or she put something like mayo on to help the breading stick. Anyway, Jimmy, Gina, Peter, and I made a grocery store run to New Rochelle and during the thirty minute ride, I felt I could hurl. Thankfully I didn't. We spent the rest of the night playing uno and watching old game shows on tv.

I woke up on Sunday around seven, much earlier than the others. Jimmy got up and made coffee. As a non coffee drinker, I opted for water. On the other hand, Gina needs about five cups to just begin functioning. Jimmy and I went to get bagels and I got a dozen to bring home. I did show Jimmy and Gina how to do some DDP yoga. Since Gina is a trainer, she was mostly observing. But Jimmy tried a few things for five minutes and stopped.

They were going to brunch and a beer garden to celebrate Gina's birthday, while I was going to Citi Field. I'd heard rain was forecasted for Sunday, but by the time I got to Queens, it was just cloudy and 60. It took about 90 minutes to get over there. I met Joe Curci, three plus years in the making. I gave him a big hug and we went into the stadium. I spent a good amount of time in the Mets Hall of Fame and team store.

For food, I hit up Mamas of Corona for an Italian sub. And since they have coke now, I happily spent $5.50 for a bottle of cherry coke. Noah Syndergaard pitched and his 100 mph fastballs and 90 mph sliders were awesome to watch. Michael Conforto belted a long home run and the Mets won 3-1, sweeping the Brewers in three games.

We had to leave in the eighth inning adj I could get to the airport. The night before, I realized I booked myself for a flight on the 29th, not the 22nd. So I switched my flight to the 6:55 and realized that the flights were a lot more full than I realized. All the flights were either red or yellow, meaning no chance to fair chance of getting on as a standby passenger. I told Joe that I needed him to drive me to LaGuardia and I wanted to leave early. We took the backroads and he got me there at 4:10. Thankfully, with no luggage to check in, I printed my boarding pass and headed through security, which was a lot easier than last year even I got frisked and screened privately.

I knew there was a 5:50 flight, but it turned out there was also a 4:50. I headed over to D3 and the flight was already boarding. I spoke to the gate agent as professionally as I could and asked to be placed on the standby list for this fight. There were already 15 names on the standby list and only two had been confirmed at that pint, so I thought I had no chance to get on, I just wanted a better chance to get on. She explained I had to go to the rebooking center at D1 to do it in the future, but she'd do it this time. I told her thank you and I appreciated her service and that I didn't want to add any stress. I walked back over to my bags and put on some music.

Five minutes later, they gave me a last call. My eyes perked up and I sprinted to the gate. They told me to get my bags. I ran back got my bags, and ran back to the counter again! I had to check my bag in, but I was on the flight. I was baffled, but thrilled to get home in the early evening.

Now to find some dinner...

N.Y. day 2

I woke up at 6:30. Jimmy's friend Gina had stayed the night over, but I didn't know that when I arrived and everyone was out cold. They're close friends, but they have that vibe where you're convinced that they're a couple. I guess it's more brother and sister than anything.

So Gina had to go to work for a couple of hours at the gym where she trains her clients. Jimmy had to work a bunch of hours at the men's clothing store where he's a salesman. So I left on my own and took the 6 train all the way to the end, at the Brooklyn Bridge stop. I walked across the bridge, took a bunch of pictures. Even on a cloudy day, you can get some wonderful views of the city. I took shots of the Freedom Tower, Statue of Liberty, Verrazano Bridge, etc.

Then I really wanted to explore Brooklyn, because I hadn't really done too much of that as a kid. I headed into the Metro tech area, which is a refurbished urban area. I saw LIU, Borough Hall, the Brooklyn Law Academy. I wonder if that's where Vinny Gambini from My Cousin Vinny graduated law school. Anyway, this neighborhood is not too far from Junior's cheesecake, which wasn't a draw back either. I had to stop and get a piece of pineapple cheesecake. And its still true, there is no other cheesecake in the world anywhere near as good as Junior's.

Then I just kept walking south on Flatbush Avenue. I saw the Barclays Center, which is where the Nets and Islanders play basketball and hockey. It is one weird looking arena, between the brown wood design and the weird almond-shaped structure of the building that I have never seen anywhere else. Right next to that is the new Atlantic terminal, which has a lot of chain store shopping and restaurants. I even stopped in DSW to check out some shoes, particularly summer shoes. But I felt I'd spent enough money on clothes this trip. I continued to walk down Flatbush towards Prospect Park. They have a big statue of John F. Kennedy. And it was just a really relaxed area to walk down. My dad said it wasn't the best neighborhood, but I've had no difficulties.

Gina picked me up and we drove 40 minutes to L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn. They specialize in Sicilian square shaped pizza. I hadn't been there in maybe five years.  Gina is a rather stubborn driver. The parking lot has maybe fifteen spaces, so parking comes at a premium. They should actually have a valet service, they'd make a lot more money. We drove the same loop five or six times trying to get a space. Finally, she pulled into the lot and waited for a car to pull out and she took it.

She only had one cheese slice. Now one of these pieces is about the size of a playing card, they're not enormous. When I told her I was having three, she stared at me in disbelief. She thought there was no way I could put three down. And just as we got out of the car, the rain slowly started falling. And all the available seating is outdoors. To eat pizza in the rain, it's something that needs to be done quickly. I finished them in a couple of minutes and I could have easily eaten two or three more.

I asked her to take me by my grandparents old house on Bay 20th Street. It's amazing but I never realized how hard it was to drive and park in the Bath Bay neighborhood. But the outdoor stairs that led to that house seemed so daunting when I was a kid. Now they seem so small. I just took a minute, paid my respects, and went on my way. It took us about 90 minutes to go from Brooklyn to Pelham Bay. During that time, we talked about everything from church to fitness to bad jobs to driving habits. She's a very blunt New York girl, and we got along quite well. I'm realizing when I'm in New York, I'm mellow by comparison.

N.Y., day 1

After arriving at LaGuardia Airport around 9:30, I took the S60 bus into Northern Manhattan where I connected to the 6 train, which I took north to the Bronx. I dropped my luggage off at the house I was staying at in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. After changing, cleaning up, and charging my devices, I caught the 6 train for an hour long ride back into lower Manhattan. By the way, it is so refreshing to see a subway that operates every 5 to 10 minutes all day long, unlike and Chicago.

I got off at Bleecker Street and walked east on Houston (pronounced How-stin) Street to Katz's Deli. I was really in the mood for a pastrami sandwich and this is by far the best place to get it. The one thing they do differently than many delis is they hand slice it instead of machine slice it, so the slices or little bit thicker than they would normally be. And the police was absolutely packed. It was just a huge crowd of people. Well one line I spoke with some people from around the country. They were from places like Sacramento, Baltimore, and Baton Rouge. The sandwich was amazing with some Swiss cheese and mustard.

Then I took the J train to the financial district where my dad used to work. I walked south to the lower tip, Battery Park. While sipping on a German lager beer, I removed my shoes, socks, and Mets pullover shirt, so I could get a little color on my skin. I did the same thing last year and it was so relaxing.

After an hour or so, I headed north on Greenwich to the North Pool and South Pool of the September 11th memorial. I want to to take some time and pay my respects. But I still feel like there's more to do with this memorial site. It's been 15 years since the tragedy, and I still have the feeling there's going to be an even bigger museum then there already is.

From there, I brought a pretty nice 3/4 sleeve t-shirt at Mets Clubhouse. It's blue sleeves with a gray torso and the Mets logo across the front. Also, it's Dri-Fit, so it's lightweight, but great in rain. I also spent about an hour just hanging in Bryant Park. I watched a lot of people play games like chess and Chinese checkers. There was even a spot for a bocce court. Every time I see old man play bocce, I think of my great grandfather. It's just a really cool small spot to hang out. Then I took the 7 train over to Citi Field. Then I gotta to a good start when I got up the subway and they were giving out free cups of Haagen Dazs ice cream. Thank God they had vanilla in addition to peanut butter chocolate.

I met up with my FB friend Lori and I got into the game for free just for trading her my free Mets Rushmore t-shirt. It was about as ho-hum of a one run game as I have ever seen. At least the Mets won. Then I had to take the 7 train west back to Grand Central and connect to the 6 train and head all the way back north to the Bronx. I got back to the house in Pelham at 11. I had been awake for about 20 hours. I can't remember the last time sleeping on a couch felt so welcoming.

Security checkpoint mistake

I've been communicating with this girl for four days and she is definitely catching my interest. One of the things I found very interesting was she is a security agent at terminal 3 at o'hare airport. What is so funny is that's where my mother is a gate agent. I found out she was working the early shift on Friday so I'd have a chance to meet her when I flew east.

I got up at 2:30 a.m. for my flight to NYC. She warned me that morning that the line was already out the door at 3 am. I was worried and drive to the airport at top speed. So much for these three hour long security lines. I got through it in 15 minutes. I got to see her after I came out of the full body scanner.

But little did I know, I guess I aggravated the girl. I mentioned to her colleague, who she was standing next to, that we were meeting for the first time. It turns out she didn't appreciate that I said that at work. She messaged me later, telling me so. So I had no idea it would bother her and now I've probably blown this.

Why do so many women feel the need to ruminate on a mistake men make and then bring it up again and again. I'm not taking about a bad mistake that keeps getting made. I mean an error that we made, we didn't know it would offend her, and now we can't get back in their good graces.

My mom has accused me of being insecure. There's a little part of me that still may be insecure. It comes down to this. I like the girl, even though we've only been chatting for four days. And I want her to like me. And I know what it's like to do the slightest thing wrong, try to make amends, yet still get tossed away by a woman. It's happened several times and that's a main reason why the idea of dating has me feeling so jaded. Because I have to tip toe around and if I do something wrong, women rarely, if ever forgive. And that's sad. Truly sad.

Month off

Well, after a one month break, I'm back in action. I'm a few days away from finishing my fourth straight six day work week.

1) I'm one week from returning to NYC. I'm thinking this time I'm not going to spend as much time in Manhattan like I usually do and I'll hang out in Brooklyn instead.

2) I tried painting last Saturday night with my friend Natalie. Not the outside of a house, like I used to do. But we went to an art supply store and bought paint, canvasses, palates, brushes, and a color wheel. The latter of which, I still don't know why we needed it. I already knew red and yellow make orange when combined. But I found an image of a sunset online and went for it. I didn't want to do anything too crazy, I was more concerned about the colors appearing on the canvas add I envisioned them. And I'm pretty pressed with the result. I can see myself getting into it. The only thing is what would I do with the paintings once they're done.

3) It's finally starting to feel like spring in Chicago. Two straight days in the 60s and sunny.

4) The social events which I used to be able to count on happening have just dried up. I've seen this cycle so many times that it doesn't surprise me. I'm just glad that I'm working as much as I am so that it doesn't have to bother me too much.

5) And truth be told, some of these people, I don't even care to spend time with anyway. There was one young singles group in Naperville that I attended a couple of times. Now I realize these type of groups can be clicky. But this one felt very closed. I'm not comfortable interrupting conversations or sitting down at a table where no one knows me but the other people all know each other. The way I was treated, it felt like I was intruding. So I'm really not interested in returning. Maybe it's that I'm almost 35 and have far less tolerance for BS than I used to.

6) Can Bernie Sanders just quit?

7) I'm feeling more and more like I could leave Chicago and be happy. Drastic change isn't something I'm comfortable with, but I'm feeling more and more receptive to it. Not sure where I'd go, but the mid Atlantic region, Dallas, Arizona, and North Carolina are on the list.

8) Part of me wishes I had a dog to go home to. The other part of me knows the dog would be alone 12 hours a day, and I'd be sleeping 6 of the other hours. A dog doesn't deserve to be alone like that.

9) Candied bacon from Honky Tonk BBQ. Stellar.

10) Knowing that I have the ability to get under certain people's skin without even trying is an interesting experience. I've never set out to upset people, unless they offended me or got personal with insults. Once I realized that I just have a knack for getting this one guy frustrated, I didn't expect to have the feeling of power and satisfaction that it gave me yesterday. But then I asked myself how many times have I given that same kind of power to other people over the last three decades? And how many more times did people try to push me just to get a reaction from me? It shows me that it's important to stay in control of my temperament. There are certain situations that continue to challenge me, but when it comes to challenging interactions with other people, I need to maintain control of myself.

Yes, no sports mentions in this post and only one on food. I'm getting more diversified.