It looks as if I’ll be leaving New York City in a year to a year-and-a-half. My boyfriend is leaving in about a month to pursue a reporting job there, and I am planning to follow in order to learn Mandarin and see a little more of the world.

About two years ago, I was waiting to hear back about my applications to the journalism schools at U.C. Berkeley and Columbia. Berkeley had accepted me but I had yet to hear from Columbia, and so for several weeks leaving New York City was a very real possibility. I was paralyzed with anxiety; I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else and being really happy. To me, New York City was the center of the universe, and I wanted to consecrate myself to it for the rest of my life. I ended up getting into Columbia, and was so, so happy.

Now, however, I’ve realized that the price I have to pay for living in New York City is insanity (not to mention spending half of my monthly income on a semi-basement studio). Today I was walking past one of those emergency phones on my way to work, and I briefly considered picking it up and screaming into it: “Yeah, I have an emergency! I’m freezing, I’m overeducated and I’m POOR!” That’s when I realized, maybe I could leave NYC, at least for a little while, without breaking my heart.
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The best thing going tonight this side of a Metroblog Meetup.

How did I miss this until now??? Seriously. John Waters hosting a screening of Duras’ Le camion? And I can’t go?!? Curses!

Every cinephile in NYC will no doubt be in attendance. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[photo by Greg Gorman, via FIAF’s website]

Yes we here at Metroblogging NYC (or MBNYC for all those acronym lovers out there) are crazy. Sometimes, we are so crazy that we throw together a drinking excursion at the very last minute. As it turns out Kathleen from LA is in town this week so some of us are getting together to meet her. Also, it’s Fat Tuesday, a day in which (as I understand it) people are absolutely required to get drunk. It’s either that or we need to eat pancakes. I always get that part confused.

So here’s the plan:

Tonight 2/28 @ 7:00
Blue Owl
196 2nd Ave @ 12th Street

Blue Owl is a new place we’ve heard about and have been trying to check out. It’s a speak-easy style cocktail bar with snacks, so really, what’s not to like?

Hope to see you there!

So I did it. Speed Dating. I’ve done this before, last summer when I met someone I actually dated for a couple of months, so I thought that even if I didn’t meet someone I’d date for an extended period of time, at least I’d meet one or two interesting and attractive prospects to go on real dates with.

Not so much.
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Needed for a good podcast:

1. Really expensive recorder (lower left hand corner)
2. Really great producer/friend (hand on the right side)
3. A digital mixing program (front & center)
4. Music (not pictured)

Big, sloppy wet kisses to our newest Metroblogging family member–Nashville, Tennessee!

And for those of your keeping score, that’s #43!

Why not head over there and say “Howdy!”

I’m going to break from form and actually discuss some politics here, since this definitely affects us here in NYC. (And cause I am dying to code something in our new, lonely Politics category)

Of course everyone is aware of the controversy going on about the potential contract of US port operations to a Dubai based company. And if you are not, you’re obviously drinking way more than I am, and for that I envy you.

But seriously…

There a great post over at Dubai Metblogs discussing why the people of the UAE are upset by American’s reaction to this port deal–a post I highly recommend reading. For what it’s worth, all I can tell the people of Dubai is to me it looks like their nation has been drawn into an unfortunate political fiasco over here, a battle that has less to do with racism and hate and more to do with misinformation and political posturing. I must admit when I first read about the deal I was taken aback, but upon learning that 80% of our ports are already controlled by foreign companies, it didn’t make sense as to why this deal would garner so much press and outrage. Again, it’s an issue of education and reading more than just the sensationalist headlines and the word “Arab”–you have to get to the real issue behind fervor. The fact that the UAE based company has called for a security review itself is indeed encouraging, not to mention the fact that it has come to light that they would be handling operations and not security.

The bigger deal I think is the American people feeling that the Bush administration is pulling another fast one on them; trying to get this deal in place before people were aware of it and it had been properly reviewed. To me, the real story here is about Republican leadership breaking from the Bush administration and speaking out against this deal when they’ve seemingly drank the kool-aid on every other counter-initiative he has going on, from Iraq to wiretapping to Katrina. All I can say is “It’s about freakin time, guys.”

On, and I posted a map of the UAE cause I didn’t actually know exactly where it was and I bet there are plenty of you out there in the same boat. But now we know, and knowing is indeed half the battle.

And, just like that. It’s over.

I hate to get all dramatic on y’all, but after calling the leasing department of my building’s management company because I was sent the wrong lease renewal form, I was told that my building’s owner has decided not to entertain the lower rent concession that I have been receiving for the past 3 years. The base rent started out at $1475.00 per month, but I signed onto my original lease at a rate of $975. Over the next couple years, my rent increased by only 4%. But, now, the owner wants to charge me the full base rent should I want to renew, and that would mean a price tag of one-thousand-six-hundred-something dollars per month, which is insane for a studio the size of mine.

The woman in leasing told me that I can write a letter to the owner and ask her to reconsider, which is probable, apparently. But, I just have to hope that she does, and hope that she lowers it to something I can afford and that I find reasonable (for 16-something, I could be living in a much nicer one-bedroom).

My lease is up in 30 days, which doesn’t offer me a lot of time to make other arrangements. Finding a room somewhere is an option, but I have so much fucking stuff and a cat. I would have known about all this months ago, but like I said, I was sent the lease renewal forms for another tenant and have had a very difficult time getting a hold of someone from my building’s management. Their phones are always busy and their voicemail box is always full.

Long story short, after finding my footing in this city once again, I might STILL have to move back to California.

I’m simply crushed.

The Bling Bling gang was captured today. I just found this story to be amusing because of the recent hype about cocaine through blogs, my friends, and the current trend in NYC. They based a lot of the crime in different cities around the world including NYC, London and were eventually captured in France. They cashed in millions of dollars and bought out villas, cars, jewelry – but for some reason, they don’t look that blinged out in their mugshots.

Photo courtesy: The Guardian