luckycanuck

I've been on the go almost constantly, and I'm exhausted.  I'm also getting a sore throat.  That's what comes from doing pushups in the rain on the Staten Island Ferry.

I've now been to all five boroughs, adding Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens overnight.  Staten Island was just a ferry trip so I could add it to the list and get a view of the city from the water, Brooklyn was intended to be a visit to Di Fara's Pizza (apparently the best in the city, as I confirmed with last night's dinner companion) but they are closed on Monday and Tuesday.  What closes in New York for two days straight??  Instead I had a bagel in what was the most Jewish neighbourhood I have ever been in.  I also made it to Coney Island for more iconic pushup photos, but found that on a grey and rainy November afternoon it is a depressing place.

I also made it to Queens at long last to dine with JAQ for the first time since "meeting" her two years ago.  We've both been remarkably vulnerable around each other, and meeting for real felt so natural, like we had been friends for years.  If I had gone all the way to New York and not met her it would have been a tragedy, but luckily it wasn't.  I added pushups on the porch of her walk up to round out the evening.

I've really liked New York, and I do hope to be back.  It's not too far from my family in Canada, and when I've come that far it would be hard to justify not going a little bit further.  I've met people here who I really hope to meet again, either here or there, and at the moment I feel a bit sad that I won't be able to see them again for a long time.

As great as New York has been, I have found myself feeling a bit lonely at times.  I went to a party on Sunday night (yes, New York has parties on Sundays, and apparently this group of cool but not insufferably cool people has a party on Wednesday too which I will attend if I can engineer an airline strike.)  The party was great, but when heading back to the hotel I found myself feeling very lonely.  I'm pretty good at being alone, and a lot of the time I prefer it, but I did feel very isolated.  I guess New York can be like that.  At dinner last night I learned that New York can be quite a depressing place to be single, but it can also be a wonderful place to be in love.  I think I would like that.

There has also been a lot of pressure to enjoy things here.  I know I'm only here for a few days so I want to get the most from everything I do.  That's reasonable, but it also puts a lot of pressure on me.  If I know that this may be the one and only time I meet someone or visit a place, I really want to tick off all the proverbial boxes and not leave anything undone. Many of the people I've met and places I've been I WILL see again, but some I may not, and it's a bit sad to think "that's the last time I will ever get to speak to x or visit y."

I've got some more photos to take and I will try to pick something up for my sister and pop into a few more restaurants that had bee recommended to me.

See you in Calgary tonight.

I stayed in Canberra this weekend.  Dad left on Saturday morning and I was going to go up to Sydney to take him to the airport but I was going to see him again soon anyway, and in the end staying in Canberra was a better choice, especially given that I leave next weekend.  I'll  have enough going on without driving up and back to Sydney.

On Friday I got home from work and Malice, Roxy, and Helga were into our dress up box.  As soon as I walked into the room I was in a very good mood.  They got a pair of bunny ears and a pink feather boa and fairy wings on me, which I wore in my typical masculine fashion.

(Picture to come... hopefully.)

We then made plans to go out to a friend's house for cocktails they were having, and I quickly went from "extraordinarily good mood" to "periodically rocking with stress" just before we left the house.  It was aspie time and there was a minor freakout.  The evening had gone from being spent with people I know and like to being in a foreign and far more complicated environment.  I did go with them, and felt a bit stressed in the early stages of cocktail night, but eventually relaxed a bit.  I did spend more than my share of time outside alone on the balcony where there was nobody to talk to.  (I decided that aside from my housemates, I wasn't all that interested in speaking to anyone else.)  I did have a mojito for the first time in my life (and possibly the last as I'm not really a cocktail guy) and I chose not to go out to a bar in the city with everyone afterwards.

On Saturday, there was footy to be played.  It was Politicians v Press in a pretty fun game.

(Team photo to come... hopefully)

The Sydney Swans donated their training tops for our team to wear, and I discovered after the fact that the guy who normally wears number 8 (chosen by me because it is 2*2*2 and therefore one of my preferred numbers) is the same height as me, but is 17kg lighter.


(Not pictured, Luckycanuck)

They put me at a key position at centre half forward and I nearly managed to kick a point in the first half but the play had already been whistled dead.  The Australian Capital Territory Minister for Sport kicked all three of our goals in a match that ended Politicians 3.2.20 Press 1.4.10.

I also got to use my rugby tackling skills to good effect and caused a couple of turnovers, one of which led to a goal about ten seconds later.  I wasn't allowed to play in my rugby boots as they have metal studs, but a borrowed pair of more appropriate boots were found just in time.

Later that night the girls came to the pub where we were having drinks after the game, and after I went home for a shower, I joined them at a pub frequented by university students.  I was at least a decade older than most of the people there, and Helga's assurance early in the evening that I would "pick up for sure" was ultimately unfounded.  It was really not my scene.  Coming home and having sausages and poached pears in mulled wine made by Malice was much nicer.

Today I picked up an electrical adapter for my trip to America and went for a big session at the gym.

TW: Tabata "Pushing".  Bench press, wall ball, dips, kettlebell swings, pushups, corner presses.  Then practicing thrusters to improve my form and my willingness to go deeper in the squat part of it, and later 100 more pushups in the sauna.  HOORAH!!!

I think I may do tabata workouts for pulling, legs, and core for the remainder of the week.

Also, the housemate formerly known as Malice really doesn't like the name, so I think I'll change it.