How Young Are You?

My sister is 8 1/2 years younger than I am.  I have always had a pretty good grasp on our age difference, but sometimes, I get blindsided.

The perfect example occurred a few weeks ago, when the talk of Erin's 16th birthday came up.  We knew she wouldn't be having a big Sweet 16 party, but my mind jumped to the next milestone: 21!  I said, "you could have an awesome 21st birthday party, just like me!"

.... Three seconds later...

"Oh my gosh!  The year you turn 21, I will turn 30!  Ahhh!"

...my mom chimed in...

"Oh, how fun!  Then, you can bring your kids to Aunt Erin's 21st birthday party!"

Blindsided!

The most recent example was only a few days ago.  While walking to pick Erin up from ballet I passed yet another Starbucks.  In my mind, I thought about how shocking it was to see so many people using their computers in the coffee shop, considering you pay for wifi there!  The next Starbucks I walked past, I had the same thought.  But, I glanced at the door, and saw a sign advertising free wifi!  Free wifi?!  At Starbucks?!  You're kidding me.

I met Erin at Alvin Ailey and immediately asked, "how long has the wifi at Starbucks been free?"  I knew she would know the answer, and I knew that my absence abroad would explain my shock.  Instead she said, "Uhhhmmm, for-eh-ver." (In a snobby teenager voice)

Blindsided.

Is Erin really so young that she doesn't remember when you had to pay for wifi at Starbucks?

So, I asked Maddie, her 19- year- old best friend.  Her response: "Hmmmm.... forever?"

Blindsided!

No!  No!  No!  Girls, you are wrong.

When I was in school, my friends and I chose study locations based on the price of wifi.  For example, if we needed to focus, read, write, etcetera, without any distractions, we went to Starbucks.  Because no one in their right mind would pay for wifi.  However, if we simply needed to get off campus, and could spare the wasted time online, we went to Panera, or any other coffee shop for that matter, where wifi was free!

No, girls.  You are babies.  Starbucks has not had free wifi for-eh-ver.  They have only had free wifi since July 2010.  Booyah.  And, now I feel old.

Mehhh

That is how I feel right now.  Very mehhh.

It is my eleventh day living the city, and this is the first day I feel like this.  I'm a little bit frustrated with the job search and a little bit frustrated with life in general.  I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be living in NYC.  And I am even more grateful to be living in an apartment and not worrying about rent.  But, this isn't me.

I don't want to be dependent.  I strongly dislike depending on my parents to pay the rent right now.  I strongly dislike depending on my sister to give me something to do every day.  But more than anything, I am disliking the lack of structure I have in my life right now.  Other than picking Erin up from ballet every day, I have nothing to do.  I spend a lot of time on my computer job huntin', but there is no time requirement or schedule that comes with that.  Oh, and I have been reading A LOT.  It has been great, but it also lacks a schedule.

I envy the people in a hurry, rushing to meetings and appointments.  I want to set my alarm in the morning and have a reason to wake up at that time.  I am sure there are plenty of you reading this blog, envious of my lack of schedule, structure, obligations in general, but I'm tired of it.  I quit my job at Anuban Khon Kaen last July.  And aside from a few more weeks of The American After School Program and tutoring, I have been happily unemployed since.  I spent plenty of time traveling and enjoying my life and friends in Thailand, but I'm not in Thailand anymore.

I become bored easily.  I have loved every second of being unemployed thus far, but I'm ready for the next thing.

So, today was tough.  I didn't receive any of the emails or phone calls I was hoping for.  I didn't have a schedule to adhere to.  I wandered the streets of NYC, watching as the rest of the population raced through the city.  I was jealous.

Luckily, I was forced out of my mehhh mood because it is Erin's birthday!

Happy Sweet 16!  (Sorry you can't drive...)

Erin's best friend Maddie and I surprised her after ballet.  I came armed with a best friend, a balloon and a crown, it was bound to be good.  The three of us headed to Ellen's Stardust Diner for a loud, and slightly embarrassing dinner with singing.  It was just what she (and I) needed.

Opening presents at midnight.  I was already in bed, and Erin wouldn't take "no" for an answer, so presents were opened at the foot of my bed. 

Chex Mix and baked goodies from Ellie

COLORFUL throw pillows for the couch

And fuzzy penguin pajamas.  Classic.

A crown, a balloon and an Brownie Explosion Sundae (on the house!)

He sang to her and fed her.  Is this Forno?

Rockin' a balloon on the subway.  NBD.

And a group effort Sweet 16 cake!  The cake was baked by Mom (no oven... remember?), frosted by Meaghan and decorated with candles from Mom and Ellie.  That's teamwork.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

A more fitting title would be, "Meaghan, I have a feeling I'm not in Thailand anymore," but there isn't a youtube clip to go with that one.  

I went for a run this afternoon, and it became blatantly obvious that I'm not in Thailand anymore.  If I hadn't already noticed that I'm not in Khon Kaen, this run made things very clear.

I started running in Khon Kaen as a way to tire Manao out before I went to work every morning.  Then, I really enjoyed it.  And for a while, I felt as though I was rockin' it.  I was running six mornings a week, with at least three of those mornings involving 7.2 miles in 1 hour and 6 minutes.  I knew everyone that ran, they all smiled, waved and gave the me the thumbs up or counted on their fingers with every lap I finished.  Then, life happened.  I had a terrible sinus infection, then the accident, then the traveling, then the move, and here I am as slow as ever.

My run this afternoon really put things in perspective for me.  For one, I was passed.  By Thai standards, I was pretty quick.  And by New York standards, I'm a joke.  But, my speed is not the only joking matter anymore.  Let's break down what I realized on this run.

lululemon spandex with discreet zippers and strategically placed reflective material: cool

vs.

Reebok pants that are in the limbo phase between being spandex and being sweatpants: not cool

Tech shirts in fluorescent colors that breathe and wick sweat: cool

vs.

Hooded Alma College sweatshirt from the Champion outlet with imperfect screen printing: not cool

Running because you are fast and good looking: cool

vs.

Running because you want to be fast and hope to eventually look good: not cool

Clearly displaying your iPhone, and most likely listening to Pandora as you run: cool

vs.

Clipping an iPod shuffle to your shirt and jamming to B Spears: not cool

(But I think I win this one- no one wants commercials while you are running, and Britney is my number one motivator!)

Black and/or neon colored sneakers, preferably Adidas or Nike: cool

vs.

White, teal and gray Mizunos that are comfortable and very supportive for my knees and back: not cool

(Also, I think I win this one as well.  My back feels good and I love my sneaks.  LOVE them!)

But, no matter how silly I looked running along the East River, I had an incredible afternoon.  Just look at these photos, how could I not love running here?  

I can run to see the Statue of Liberty!  That's awesome!

Hi, Brooklyn.  Last night was fun.

I'll be back on the river tomorrow, probably rocking a very similar outfit, but loving every second of it.

No oven? What's a girl to do?

I had a meltdown before moving to NYC.  Gosh, I feel like I write about those a lot lately.    It happened just as we were packing the car to move.  The car filled up very quickly with all of our things, and I began to stress out.  I was worried about the size of the apartment, the amount of stuff we were going to try to cram into it, and life in the city.  As I started bringing all of my baking apparatus back into hibernation in the basement, my mom stopped me.  She convinced me that there would be space in the car, and that I would regret not having my kitchen gadgets in New York.  When I composed myself enough, Erin and I hit the road, red Kitchenaid and all.

We arrived to our apartment and were pleasantly surprised.  It is much larger than we anticipated, and has plenty of closet space for all of our clothes.  But as nice as the kitchen is, there isn’t an oven.  The microwave doesn’t even have a convection feature.  So, the Kitchenaid stayed in the car, and drove back to Saratoga.  

A few shots of the new apartment!

The kitchen without the oven.

Our living room/ dining room/ Erin's bedroom.  (She sleeps on the window seat!)

The hall closet and view into the bathroom.

My bedroom

I was texting one of my friends a few days later, telling him that I was busy applying for jobs, but looking for an activity to take a break.  His response:

A: Bake some cakes!

Me: Grrr... My apartment doesn’t have an oven!  I’m very sad.

A: Ah shee-it.  What’d you do with the one in Thailand?

Me: I left it there and sold it.  I wasn’t going to bring it back, because what place doesn’t have an oven in the US?  Well, I found out.

A: I would have baked on the plane ride home.

Me: Ridiculous.

Baked on the plane ride home?  Really?  

But, texting him, reaffirmed what I already knew about myself: I crave baking.  When he mentioned that I should “bake some cakes,” it was exactly what I wanted to be doing at that moment.... And every moment, for that matter.

So, now what?  

In between “formatting a resume” and “entry level jobs in NYC” searches in Google, I have been searching “baking without an oven.”

Luckily, allrecipes.com is filled with no bake cookies and desserts.  It’s time to get creative!    

Anyone have any oven-less baking ideas to share?