Albany 101: Lesson two: How (Un) Sweet It Is...

Hello friendly readers!

Today's Albany 101 brings up a subject very near and totally dear to my heart. If you know me as well as you think you do, then you know when I go out somewhere what my drink of choice is.

(the answer is sweet tea if you didnt know!)

Well, apparently, up here in New York, they "only serve unsweet tea." The first few times I ordered it and was turned down I didn't think much of it. I mean, really, not every place serves sweet tea (although they totally should). However, as the days have gone on, my heart has broken each time I hear the phrase "we only have unsweet."

New York, why are you killing me so? Put some sugar in the tea and put it in my cup! Are you still sore about the Boston Tea Party? Because that didn't even happen in New York! So where's the issue?

So today, I told myself, hey self, if you want some sweet tea you're just gonna have to get it. I took my first trip all by myself out into the New York world! I went to Wal-Mart. And yeah, Wal-Marts are kind of annoying sometimes, but the moment I stepped into this one, I swear I heard angels cry.

Exhibit A:

that is correct, friends, you are seeing this clearly. Please choose one of the following to complete this sentence. The inside of this Wal-Mart:

a) is two stories.
b) has an escalator and elevator.
c)is the coolest Wal-Mart EVER
d) all of the above.

The correct answer was d. And for those of you that were right...I'm sorry but I don't have a prize. I apologize!


So, I betcha are wondering "Hey Mel, how'd you get to Wal-Mart if you dont have a car?"

And cue Exhibit B: My sweet ride.



Such a boat but has all the leg room a long-legged girl could dream of :)

So today I had lunch at the Toll Gate Ice Cream store and restaurant. That place is pretty darn neat. It also happens to be right next door to my apartment. And uh, they make homemade ice cream. That's right--they have famous Peanut Butter and Jelly ice cream! But I was so full from the lunch *I had chicken tenders if you were interested* and I couldn't even finish them all! So hold tight for reports on the ice cream but you can bet your booty im going to have somma that! You can check out more of their flavors of ice creams and sherberts at http://www.tollgateicecream.com

Now, I wonder if anyone of you are wondering what my apartment looks like on the inside? *a few posts earlier I posted a picture of the walk-up* well I thought today I'd show you some pictures. You must keep in mind that in a few days we are moving to a bigger apartment where we each have our own bedrooms, so these pictures are the "in transition" phase. Do NOT panic.



This is our swanky living room. When we're home, we totally live here. It's also our makeshift dining room right now. That little table doesn't go too far, but I usually sit on the floor *I'm a messy eater*, Miles eats on his lap, and Jordan takes the little table. It works for us. For now.


This is our kitchen/office. Today I spent the good majority of the day giving it a good scrubdown and throwing out all the expired foods I happened to stumble upon!


It sorta feels like I'm back in the college days. This is the guys' idea of dinnerware. I get it, but I also got some plastic plates and bowls at Wal-Mart today. I don't mind washing a dish or two, you know? I just can't eat on paper plates all the time--I need to feel like an adult sometimes! *mind you, not all the time, just sometimes*


This is my temporary room. Notice the suitcase in the corner? Yeah that's my closet right now. But my bed's comfy and I got a great pillow. I think that we're off to a good start here. As soon as we move into the 3bedroom apt we'll start living like real people!



This is our one bathroom. It's tiny, alright, but not too bad. Except for that toilet. Let me tell you somethin bout that toilet: it was made for a toddler. I promise you. It's so small and low to the ground I feel like I'm going to get stuck. No bueno. *thats No Good in Spanish*

This is the random wood pole that is in the middle of our kitchen/hallway to the bedrooms. You can see the boy's bedroom right there to the left. Straight into the middle is the bathroom and if you take a right at the pole you'll hit my room.

And thus concludes our tour of the apartment. And also the end of this entry. I am very tired and surely have a busy day tomorrow! So sleep tight, y'all and I miss you!

until later,
xx
Mel

Albany 101: Lesson One: History

Hi friends, its the new New Yorker here! Just settling in to bed but wanted to stop in and share some photos with you to give you a feel of what's going on here on my end! Today was a busy day--we went on a few site visits, went to the store (because I didn't have alot of stuff that I need!) and did some more work. But in the middle of all that I got to take a few photos of the place we're living at.

Now, this place is called Toll Gate Apartments. However it's not a complex. So go ahead and get that thought out of your beautiful minds! But I will tell you some super cool history/info. Here's the lesson for today:

I don't live in Albany. Rather, I live in the town of Bethlehem (and yes it is a little town, just like the song said), which is in the city of Slingerlands, which is right outside of Albany. Ya catch my drift?

Anyway, this little Bethlehem town has a section called Toll Gates. This used to be a boomin town in the mid 1850s, when they built this plank road that connected good ol Albany to Gallupville. But because the government invested so much money in the planks, they had to recoup their losses. So...they charged a toll. (this may or may not be one of the first toll roads, I dont know). Toll Gate area gets its name because right around where I live, there used to be a Toll Gate (aka a toll plaza) where people would be charged depending on their mode of transportation. Here's a pic of the original toll gate (it was demolished in 1908):

She's a beaut, ain't she? Anyway, on with the history lesson. The original post office, called Normanskill, was built in 1852, and was run by a man named...can you guess it?

William H. Slingerland!

Well, in 1863, they built the Albany and Susquehannah Railroad through the Slingerlands, and since they gave the Railroad such a great price, they named the station after them (and in 1870 the post office took the name, too).

New Scotland Road is the main road that runs through the Slingerlands, and that is the road that I live on!

And an even more fun fact than that: the old train station office buildings? Have been converted into apartments...and guess what those are? Toll Gate Apartments...WHERE I LIVE! Isn't that cool? There are tracks behind the house and everything (sorry I don't have pictures of those to share yet)!

So today's pictures are some of the place just so you can get a feel of what life is like here!

This is the font of the Toll Gate Apartments. It's very rustic looking on the outside but don't fret, it's very modern/vintage on the inside!

Look, trees! These are in our "back yard" aka the forest.

I took a few other photos but they came out blurry. Will post more as soon as I can!

So far New York has been kind to me--except for the mild sinus irritation. We should be transitioning into our big kid apartment soon, and I can't wait!

Will keep you posted. As for now, it's off to dreamland for me! The morning comes early and we're gonna be workin' hard!

hasta la vista!

xx

Mel

A legitimate suitcase life for me!

It's almost 1:30 am on Saturday, the day before I'm supposed to be leaving. But what's this...a new development?




That's right, nearest and dearests, there has been a change in plans! Now yours truly will be *begins singing* leaving on a jet plaaaaaane.

When? Oh um....5:30 pm Saturday? *cringe*

There are always changes in plans and such and it's muy importante *thats Spanish for very important* that I get there ASAP. So I'll be flying up with the bossman *I call him Jordan* tomorrow, and then heading back to the Sunshine state in a few weeks to collect my belongings. So now I've got a suitcase full of clothes, a few movies, some make-up, and shoes. So that list I posted got chopped to bits!

Here's a sneak peak in the world's not largest suitcase that has about 2 weeks worth of clothes:


I never claimed it was a gorgeous packing job, did I?

Anyway, it's mighty late and I've got to get some beauty rest...that is, after I go eat a waffle with my Grandma :)

I'll be reporting from Albany, NY soon!

until then
xx
Mel

I'm two seconds away from throwing out everything I own...

Hello peoples!

It's Thursday night, which means I have approximately 2.5 days left before this leg of the journey starts! Tonight's grumble?

packing. and how much i loooooathe it.

You'd think with my new title of 'nomad' that I would be excited about packing light. Well, trust, I am. However, the art of packing light has never been a talent of mine. So maybe I'll list here some of the things I think are necessity for my NY trip and you tell me how silly I am being? Sound good? Okay here we go:

1. Clothes, shoes and purses *scarves included, made by yours truly*

2. Bedding and towels

3. Dvds and computer supplies *such as blank cds, power cords, etc*

4. books and greeting cards *im starting Christmas early this year!*

5. kitchenware *this includes the coveted Perfect Brownie pan*

6. more clothes

7. snacks *provided by Grandma and Grandpa, thanks!*

8. some more clothes

9. beauty supplies

10. tiny tv and bedroom lamp

so, am I doing alright? If I am, then why does it feel like I have way too much stuff?

p.s. did I mention that I have to shove all this in my car, the White Noble Steed?

anyway, in case you need a few visuals of the packing job, here you go:

my closet, with only a few days left worth of clothes.

the world's largest duffle bag which is currently housing about 85% of my entire wardrobe.

I'm starting to feel a bit worn out--tomorrow is my last day of work at my current job, then I'll have one day in between to see friends/finalize all my stuff. Think I can do it?

Oh, you know I'm always up for a challenge.

xx

yours truly,

Mel

Seven Days to Blastoff!

Hey! If you're here then you found my link and that means I did something right ;) I'm officially seven days away from taking off on the journey of a lifetime and I made this blog so you all could see what I'm up to and what I'm getting myself into :)

In case you didn't know, I've recently taken on a new job that will have me traveling while I work (yes this is a dream come true) and I thought that it was time I jumped on the blog bandwagon and gave myself something to look back on one day, while at the same time being able to share it with all of you that I love!

I'm going to try to update this as much as I can, and I'm hoping that you'll join me in this new leg of my life.

My first stop is Albany, NY, and I'm not exactly sure how long I'll be there. August 1st is the big move date as I drive across the country (if you live in neighboring states, beware! haha)

Packing has been a slow process for me. I finally realized that it was a good idea NOT to wait until the last minute, and the last two weekends have been spent getting rid of things I no longer need and putting aside things that I'd still like to hold onto. I never realized how little a person needs to survive--it's incredible!

My room looks like my closet exploded, but I'm slowly getting it all back into some sort of organized chaos. It will be hard to leave the place that I've grown up, but I am looking forward to new adventures!

So I leave you with a picture of the packing so far. It's made some headway, so imagine this with a few more piles of treasured "junk" and maybe a knicknack or two!

Until next time,

xx

mel