I am at this moment, sitting on the stoop outside my apartment, keeping watch over my vehicle. It would feel foolish in any other place but here it is commonplace. The majority of people sit in their car for the 90 minute stretch. It’s illegally parked as I wait for the street cleaner to come by so I can illegally park it again and wait and watch to make sure that it is not towed away and/or ticketed until 11am when it is safe to leave it again (relatively safe that is).

Lately I’ve had a string of freakish good luck when it comes to parking. Not that I haven’t had to work for it (as i am now). But I’ve been able to park it right in front of my stoop for the past 3 weeks or so. I have a feeling that I will be doing a lot of sitting and watching in the next few months as I just took a jo

a little joke.
“Why are New Yorkers so depressed?”
“because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.”

So growing up in the Dirti Jerz, I have always felt that “the city” was somehow included in “where I’m from”. Sometimes I would just say NYC when people asked where I was from. Well apparently, NYC doesn’t feel the same way. I’ve been noticing some strange reactions from people in regards to the bastard step child that is NJ.

from the new roommate….
“Ohhhh you’re going home TONIGHT??! Be safe. See you SOON!”

or overheard in a coffee shop…
“New Jersey scares me! I’m pretty sure there are still cannibals there!”

I often get the…”you’re going all the way to Jersey!” phrase, as if it were miles and miles away, not just over the bridge. But then again New Yorkers rarely get off the island anyway so I guess it is far for most of them.

I always just found it funny, all my life, I pretended that I was part of this crowd, only to realize they were making fun of me behind my back. My world is shattered.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/07/oh_no_british_people.html

Here’s a post about how waiters hate British people. It’s true. We do. Some people I know refuse to even wait on them. The comments are pretty rough, lots of British people defending why the system’s flawed, they shouldn’t have to tip us blah blah. I had a hard time even reading them. It sucks not getting paid. It’s demeaning and makes you feel worthless. I love my British friends, I don’t want to be racist. But I hate waiting on British people.

Meet “The Code”.

Codey is a fine gentleman from the midwest. He is an actor/bartender (such a cliche, I know). But he’s for REAL, he even tap dances! (We’re working on getting him liquored up enough to prove this to us but so far have been unsuccessful). He lets us talk about boys and even gives sound advice! From the moment I first met him, I knew that he was the type of person that needed an article before his name. Not everyone can sport it. But Codey can. And he has brought all sorts of positive things to the house. Things like a wii! and a big tv!

He also brings a hammer and a screwdriver and the natural boy sense in actually knowing how to use them. Before he moved in, he would come over and measure every possible corner of the house, apparently there was a reason for it and he was dreaming up possible things to do to the house in his head. Like build counters! and redo the kitchen floor! No complaints here.

Here’s a picture of the desk and shelf set he built in his room.

He even put up my shelf that has been sitting in my room(s) unused for far too long.

This list could go on for more than you would want to read but allow me to mention one more very important thing. Codey fights mice. This makes me want to hug him. Tightly. He also fights cockroaches and other crawly things, sets traps, cleans diligently and will stand with me in “THE FIGHT”. Now they don’t stand a chance! BEWARE EVIL CREATURES! you will meet your DOOM!