A bit o' writer's block

There were a couple times this week where I wanted to write something, or even began writing, but lost the energy, motivation, or creative spark to complete it.  I also sometimes felt that what I had to say was too mundane or uninteresting to really make it worth writing.  Still, I want to write, so I'll share a few of the interesting things that happened throughout the last week:

On Sunday, Tomm and I treated ourselves to dinner at a restaurant in the neighborhood.  I say we treated ourselves, but really a friend of the family treated us with a generous gift certificate to the establishment.  When we got there I asked if we could use the gift certificate and the man looked at it quizzically, looked at me, took the slip of paper, and mumbled some comment or question about where it came from.  I suppose they don't have many patrons using or even requesting gift certificates.  When I told him it was a gift from a friend back home, he said "Oh right!  She ordered it from... where was it..." "Wisconsin," I offered.  "Ah, yes."  It's a small world.

After Tomm ordered, the man looked at us and said "You know how I can tell you're not from around here?  You said 'please' three times."  Apparently we stick out like sore thumbs with our Midwestern sensibilities, but at least it makes for a good laugh.  And as far as identifying habits are concerned, being overly polite isn't such a bad one.

The week was predominantly lazy, and I treated myself a couple times with swimming laps at the pool, finishing books, making trips to the library, and even going out once.  I've become an amateur fan of Meetups, the website dedicated to social groups and their outings, and the site led me to a Yoga group that happened to be meeting on Tuesday in Manhattan.  The group leader was hosting a free class, and though I haven't done yoga for years I've been itching to get back to it so I felt this was the perfect opportunity.  The weather was pristine for an evening of outdoor yoga on a pier by South Street Seaport, a wonderful little corner of the city.  I was swept away with the carefree, lazy-summer-day nonchalance that tinted the air that evening.  The passersby strolled to and from little boutiques and restaurants, some of which were delightfully impermanent and made you feel that you had to experience it just once before it drifted away with the summer breeze.  I suppose that's seasonal capitalism at its best, but I prefer a more poetic outlook.

The yoga group consisted of less than ten people, a cozy group suitable for the patch of grass on the roof of a restaurant on the pier.  Nearly surrounded by water, with a vast blue sky and a perfect panoramic view of Brooklyn with its sandy browns and reds, I wouldn't have needed the yoga to relax.  But once we felt the entirety of the group had arrived we began by adjusting our posture and finding our breath, and for the next hour I followed the instructor's soft voice through poses that I surprised myself by still remembering.

Afterward, feeling sufficiently relaxed and appropriately chill, I popped into a shop offering "artisanal lemonade," and ordered a "Coolcumber" lemonade with cucumber and basil.  It seemed like just the sort of yuppy drink one should have following yoga, and it was incredibly refreshing.  I smiled all the way home.

Yesterday I had a final interview for a part-time job at a public school in Manhattan, and it was conducted as a group interview.  It went well, but even more importantly for my social life I made a friend!  At least that's what facebook tells me.  But between that and yoga the day before, I feel like I've had more legitimate conversations with otherwise strangers this week than I have since I arrived.  It felt good.

After the interview, I made my way back to Brooklyn to meet the sister of a family friend who lives there with her wife and (as of today) one-year-old son.  On my way there I stopped for a slice of $1 pizza - just my price!  When I ordered it the man behind the counter said "Just one?  Okay.  One million dollars."  He agreed to give it to me for just a dollar, with the promise that I'd have the million next time.  Oh, those cheeky New Yorkers.  Ever so generous!

I had a lovely afternoon with the friend's sister and her adorable son, as well as her cat and dog, and we chatted for hours about working in New York, pets (I've resolved to get a cat at some point), children, and neighborhoods around Brooklyn.  She loves being in New York and specifically in Brooklyn, and she had no lack of good things to say about various areas.  However, she admits that not every neighborhood exemplifies what she views as the most endearing aspects of the borough, and I wondered if perhaps it might be best for us to find a community a little more to our liking for next year.  But we'll see how the rest of the year turns out.

And now I have about four hours until Tomm and I leave for a Shabbat dinner hosted by a friend, which gives me plenty of time to finish up a few errands and chores.  For the first week since I got here, my only responsibility for Shabbat dinner is the cake (which I nearly destroyed getting out of the Bundt pan but I think it's salvageable), so I'm enjoying the relaxing afternoon and looking forward to Shabbat.

(P.S.  Sorry if this post seems a little disjointed.  I wrote it in between playing a game of "Hide and Go Seek" with the mouse in our apartment.  I think it's winning.)