Month: January 2008

Saw this photograph of the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library on Gothamist yesterday. This is where I go to work sometimes. There are other entrances which don’t involve climbing stairs, but I always chose to go in through the front. I love climbing up and walking in through this magnificent entrance.

Yesterday I sent a blistering letter to Con Ed, the City of New York and my landlord about the gas leak. My gas is still turned off and I found out yesterday that repairs were made for everyone BUT me. Con Ed can’t turn my gas back on until my landlord makes the repairs. The City told me I had to make a new complaint, which puts me back at the back of the line. My head exploded. (It’s better now.)

Thank you everyone for the help! I bought a tension rod, and David and Nadine’s (and Julia’s via email) suggestions made me remember I had these clip things and voila! A pretty bathroom curtain.

I feel so capable!

I handed in my book yesterday, so I’m trying to do mostly fun stuff for a few days. I have to start working on this NPR piece I’m doing, but that’s fun so that’s okay. Did I mention the topic? It’s audio forensics. These are people who listen to recordings and try to solve crimes, figure out why planes have crashed, investigate terrorists, etc. Very interesting. Audio detectives. And in some cases, audio archaeologists.

I added a link to a Petfinder script, which randomly links to pets for adoption in New York. I wonder if it will ever lead to pets being adopted, but might as well try.

I tried to hang this piece of fabric like a scarf across the top of my bathroom window, (valance? swag? what it this called?) but it didn’t work.

I’ve got it nailed up now, but it needs a curtain rod. Here is how it looks now, but I could use some advice. It doesn’t look bad in this photograph, weirdly, but I swear it isn’t quite working. How should I hang this piece of fabric?

Thank you. I’ve been going back and forth to Bed, Bath & Beyond the past couple of days. I bought a comforter, and then didn’t like it, and returned it for another. Then I bought towels but I got the wrong size and had to go back and switch them. And now I have to go back for a curtain rod. I wish I was rich so I could just pay someone to do this for me. I’m not good at this stuff and I don’t really enjoy it.

I think I posted about this before but I keep a journal where every day I write down three things I accomplished that day, no matter how small, ie, “fed the cats.” Then I write three things that made me happy, again, no matter how small, “had Half & Half in my coffee.” I think the point is that most joys and accomplishments are small, but nonetheless, every day has them. It sounds so lame, but it’s a habit now and I enjoy doing it. I started it on January 10, 2005 because I was so miserable I could barely breath, and I think I got this idea from Oprah, or someone told me about it who heard about it from an Oprah show. This morning I compared my January 10th posts for the past four years.

1/10/05

Wrote Gretchen about talk radio. She answered in a friendly way.
Took a walk. It wasn’t as big a deal as I thought.
Picked up certified letter. It was money.

The cats continued health, my rent stabilized apartment, Howard.

1/10/06 (I was in Durham, NC)

Connected with Det. Arostequi.
Emailed Joyce about coming into the Rhine Research Center.
Worked out at fitness place.

Pizza, the show Supernatural got good, walking on paths.

1/10/07

More work on the chapter.
Got caught up in email.
Picked up kitty litter and laundry.

Howard cheered me up after the party, I looked good in any case, that’s a confidence builder if nothing else is, curling up with TV after.

1/10/08

Emailed section to Brenda.
Emailed with Sally about loose ends.
Worked on final draft.

Clean house, pedicure, Grey’s Anatomy.

That must have been some awful party last year. I have no memory of it. The picture is of more clothes I cannot possess of course, more yellow clothes specifically. This store also had a really cute yellow belt in the window, but I can go to Loehman’s and see if they have something similar for $5.

Ever since I bought a yellow shirt last year I realized yellow is my favorite color. The signs were all there, I painted the walls of my apartment yellow, I pick paintings with yellow in them, buy yellow coffee cups, etc. But when I put that shirt on I knew. (I also love various shades of green.) I saw this in a window the other day. Practically speaking, I don’t like coats that tie like that, they wrinkle whatever is underneath, but still. Pretty.

Gas situation update. I saved people lives yesterday!! (Exaggeration alert.) Here’s the story. After they turned the gas off to my apartment, I still smelled gas. I opened the windows, turned on fans, but something still continued to generate that smell. I called Con Ed, and they came back, but they said, “no gas.” I called the EPA, then I called the City who called 911 and soon my street filled with engines and sirens. It was very embarrassing, but turned out well because those cute fireman brought their own gas detector which started squawking when they turned it on and they said, “yeah, you got a leak.” They called Con Ed and said, “she does too still have a leak,” and Con Ed came back and said, “yeah, there’s still a leak, but since we turned you off it’s got to be elsewhere.” (Something I had been saying to them since they turned it off.)

So now everyone in the building is without gas. I had to leave signs up on every floor because apparently someone expressed anger about me to the Con Ed guy and he had to explain that it wasn’t my fault and not in my apartment anyway. I mean for the love of God. Not only is it not my fault, but in my mind we had a potentially dangerous situation which I rescued everyone from. That gas would have kept building and building and maybe BOOM. They should buy me that coat. (Kidding.) But seriously, what did they think?? The only reason I could smell it is because there’s a hole in my floor and it was pumping up into my apartment through this hole. The Con Ed guys said the pipes came up this side of the building and the other apartments they saw were better sealed.