Humans of NY

I came across this tumblr this morning and love it.


http://humansofnewyork.tumblr.com/


It makes me pumped to move in just a few short months.

The Butcher

So I know a few weeks ago I talked about vegetarianism, but today we are going to talk about meat.  We are going to talk about meat because I keep having the same experience and it has made me think.  Like I have said before we don't eat a lot of meat, but when we do I buy it from a butcher near our house.  Buying it from the butcher makes it feel more real, and less processed.  I can see them in the back cutting up large pieces of meat into smaller portions.

 If you want your meat cut or divided in any way, they will do it for you too.  It is kind of nice.
 I like to think that they recognize me, but in a reality they probably don't at all, and that is fine to.

I also like the butcher because he grinds his own ground beef on a regular basis throughout the day.  This ensures me that it is fresh and does not contain any pink slime, this makes me happy, and coincidentally the meat is always really good and fresh.

 I have also seen him sell out of his meat by the end of the day so I know that everything from him is fresh.

Also, the butcher is a cash only establishment, unless you look sad and pathetic because you didn't bring enough, then they will wink and say, "well alright, just this time." As you happily hand over your credit card.
I like cash only establishments, it feels more real for some reason, more local and less big business.  All things I can get behind.

However every time I go to the butcher I watch him handle and wrap up my meat in brown paper, he takes my money, and gives me back my change all in one exchange.  The thought of raw meat germs on my money and in my wallet makes me squirm.  I know it probably isn't as bad as it seems in my mind or they wouldn't be doing it, but I don't like the thought of germs.

Is this a legitimate concern?  Maybe I should just try harder to pay with exact change.  One time I actually came home and disinfected my wallet with a Lysol wipe.

Last Paper

Last paper of graduate school officially submitted.

Only one test left.

Two weeks until graduation.

I almost can't even believe it's over.

Dangerous Skirts

Let's just say that the other day everyone on Broad Street got a little peep show.

This skirt and a very windy day are apparently a very bad combination.

At least one of the onlookers said it was a very Marilyn Monroe moment.

I am taking it as a complement.

Spring time

Spring time I love you. I love you more than fall because I don't have to dread the up coming winter with each passing day. I can look forward to nicer warmer weather each day. I love that now I can leave the window open to feel a breeze. I live that I can wear sandals, which allows me to stop spending so much time looking for appropriate socks. I love the blossoms. I love that the city shines again, after a long winter. I love that it means in just a couple of weeks we will have our summer work schedule of early out Fridays. I love the arrival of new fruits in the market that I have been missing all winter. I love that I don't have to spend time in the mornings acquiring all the necessary winter accessories. I love that it means the ever closer end of a semester, and not the start. Oh spring, I love you every year a little
More.

Sometimes it is the simple things in life that make all the difference.

Our TV

When Joseph and I first got married my parents said that we could have one of their old TV's. Joseph begged me to get a "real TV" (this has been a persistent theme through out our 3+ years of marriage). But, since we [read I] didn't really know how the finances would shake out, and with both of us being entirely responsible for all of our bills for the first time in our lives, we were cautious and kept the old TV. I told Joseph it would just be for that year in Provo.

Then we moved to Philadelphia. Philadelphia was more expensive than Provo, and I had some trouble getting a job so I couldn't justify spending money on a new TV, so we didn't. Despite, again, persistent requests.

Then as we went into our last year of graduate school, we declared that we were only going to keep this TV until we moved from Philadelphia. It was not making the move to NYC.

As many of you may be aware we are now only 3.5 months away from moving from Philadelphia.

On Sunday morning when we woke up, our old TV (that was manufactured in 1998, yea that's right the 90's) was working just fine. I only know this because Joseph had been watching his morning round of SportsCenter. You know, in case something life changing had happened in sports in the past eight hours - while he was sleeping.

When we got home from church we were both pretty tired so we had a little snack, and I had just laid down in the room for my Sunday afternoon nap, when I heard Joseph frantically yell my name. I thought something serious had happened. And it had. The TV had broken. The picture was gone. You could still hear the audio just fine, but there was no picture. Just a sad little line. Our TV had turned into a radio.

We knew we didn't have the money to really replace the TV, since all of our pennies are currently exactly counted out to last through The Vacation of a Lifetime and until Joseph starts his big-boy job. So Joseph got on craigslist and found us a replacement. This TV is bigger and was manufactured in 2004 (movin' on up!). But it still isn't a "real TV."

It is sad to say that our 25 dollar craigslist TV is a major upgrade. But it really is. We both sort of chuckle about it every time we look at the TV.

But at least we were only without a TV for 24 hours.