Awhile ago I wrote about whether or not I thought I could ever be one of those people that lived...somewhere other than Manhattan. Brooklyn, specifically.
I've been spending a lot of time in Brooklyn lately. Not for any special reason mind you, but mostly because more and more of my potential fun weekend plans have involved the BK. Bootie NYC in Williamsburg, Brooklyn's best wings competition in Greenpoint, amazing pizza at Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend, game night in Clinton Hill, dinner at applewood and mini Texas state fair in Park Slope.
I'm happy to have fun reasons to get to explore a borough of NYC that's sort of new, or at the very least unfamiliar, to me.
In May, I will have even more opportunities to explore the territory because I WILL BE MOVING THERE.
The apartment I mentioned on here months ago, one where I'd be moving in with 2 good friends from high school and will probably have insane amounts of fun in the process, came to fruition. I visited the apartment on Friday to confirm.
I am PUMPED. It is high time I moved out of the house and back into NYC. Shit is about to get real.
My sort of belated New Year's/new life resolution
Friday, February 18, 2011
Labels:
All about Arielle
I don't actually make New Year's resolutions because...well, for a variety of reasons, really. But somehow over the last month or so, possibly coinciding around the start of 2011, I made a new...life resolution. Well, it's sort of two related ones.
1. Do more things outside my comfort zone (like, try out for a tackle football team).
2. Try more new things/don't make dumb excuses to not do things I've been curious about.
So for example, back in December I saw that Linkin Park was coming to Madison Square Garden in February. I delayed in buying tickets because I'm a moron, and then when I finally tried to buy a pair, they had none left. At first I was bummed because I wouldn't be able to go, and then I decided that I just REALLY wanted to see them and if it meant going alone, so be it. So a few weeks ago I went to the concert solo, and it was fabulous. And really, why was I nervous about going to a concert alone in the first place? Never again.
Doing things alone is definitely a big part of my new resolution. I'm probably more comfortable doing things by myself than most people I know, but I still have a ways to go.
As another example, over the summer some friends and I were talking about going to a shooting range. Or more like, I was talking about going to a shooting range and they were willing to indulge me. "Organize a trip," they said. And I failed to do so because apparently there's nowhere in NYC where you can shoot a handgun without a license and like 6 months of training or something like this. Rifles do not excite me. However, when I saw a Groupon for the rifle range, I decided to take advantage because rifles are better than nothing and emailed all my peeps. And...no one wanted to go.
(Dear everyone: I hate when you do stuff like that. If you're not interested, just say so from jump, please)
Anyway, so I was all, "FINE I will go alone." And then I tried to buy it and deal was sold out. Wah.
Then another deal for the same place popped up on yet another Groupon site (PS I hope everyone else also uses "Groupon" in a generic sense much like other people use "Band-aid" or "kleenex") and I did not hesitate to buy it. So whenever I do that, it will encompass not only doing things outside my comfort zone, but also trying something I'm interested in and not letting dumb excuses get in the way.
My quest to be more adventurous has led me to buy all sorts of Groupons to the point where I'm banning myself from purchasing any more for the time being (unless something REALLY GREAT) comes up. Still yet to be put into use: 3 tennis lessons, a trampoline class (!!!!), a high fall stunt class (jumping 3 stories onto an air bag? OKAY YES PLEASE), Muay Thai boxing classes, a day with a personal shopper, and...too much more. I'm also starting a month of bikram yoga soon, and when all my other sporty things are over and I've moved into NYC, I'm going to start adult gymnastics classes so I can try to get my tumbly skillz back.
I also have some more ideas in the works for fun things I want to try, but more on that if/when they happen.
I'm excited about my new exciting life!
1. Do more things outside my comfort zone (like, try out for a tackle football team).
2. Try more new things/don't make dumb excuses to not do things I've been curious about.
So for example, back in December I saw that Linkin Park was coming to Madison Square Garden in February. I delayed in buying tickets because I'm a moron, and then when I finally tried to buy a pair, they had none left. At first I was bummed because I wouldn't be able to go, and then I decided that I just REALLY wanted to see them and if it meant going alone, so be it. So a few weeks ago I went to the concert solo, and it was fabulous. And really, why was I nervous about going to a concert alone in the first place? Never again.
Doing things alone is definitely a big part of my new resolution. I'm probably more comfortable doing things by myself than most people I know, but I still have a ways to go.
As another example, over the summer some friends and I were talking about going to a shooting range. Or more like, I was talking about going to a shooting range and they were willing to indulge me. "Organize a trip," they said. And I failed to do so because apparently there's nowhere in NYC where you can shoot a handgun without a license and like 6 months of training or something like this. Rifles do not excite me. However, when I saw a Groupon for the rifle range, I decided to take advantage because rifles are better than nothing and emailed all my peeps. And...no one wanted to go.
(Dear everyone: I hate when you do stuff like that. If you're not interested, just say so from jump, please)
Anyway, so I was all, "FINE I will go alone." And then I tried to buy it and deal was sold out. Wah.
Then another deal for the same place popped up on yet another Groupon site (PS I hope everyone else also uses "Groupon" in a generic sense much like other people use "Band-aid" or "kleenex") and I did not hesitate to buy it. So whenever I do that, it will encompass not only doing things outside my comfort zone, but also trying something I'm interested in and not letting dumb excuses get in the way.
My quest to be more adventurous has led me to buy all sorts of Groupons to the point where I'm banning myself from purchasing any more for the time being (unless something REALLY GREAT) comes up. Still yet to be put into use: 3 tennis lessons, a trampoline class (!!!!), a high fall stunt class (jumping 3 stories onto an air bag? OKAY YES PLEASE), Muay Thai boxing classes, a day with a personal shopper, and...too much more. I'm also starting a month of bikram yoga soon, and when all my other sporty things are over and I've moved into NYC, I'm going to start adult gymnastics classes so I can try to get my tumbly skillz back.
I also have some more ideas in the works for fun things I want to try, but more on that if/when they happen.
I'm excited about my new exciting life!
The time I almost joined a women's tackle football team
Saturday, February 5, 2011
...but didn't. Sorry to give the punchline away so quickly there.
I'll back up.
One day, a friend of mine broadcast on Facebook that she was trying out for a women's tackle football team. I was intrigued. Except by "intrigued" I more mean, "OMG I WANNA BEAT SOME BITCHES SIGN ME UP." You know how I do.
After some back and forth of exchanging info about the team, waiting many weeks, and even a trek in the snow to the park to toss a football around for practice, we headed to tryouts.
I use the word "tryouts" loosely because everyone at our tryout (we were the last of probably 5) made the team. And I imagine this was the case for every tryout. Whatever.
Tryouts were pretty interesting but insanely fun. Lots of push-ups and sit-ups and sprinting and footwork drills and agility tests and other stuff that I don't typically do unless someone is hovering over me telling me to do them. And because you don't actually have to have any football experience to join the team, the only real football-related thing we did was run different routes and try to catch the ball when the QB threw to us. Which I did with a success rate of 100%. Booyah.
It was also pretty hilarious because the people from the team who were there used all this footbally jargon that I don't understand because, oops, I hate football (sorry, don't tell them). Except watching football (BORING) and playing football are 2 different things. This much I learned when I played 2 seasons of flag in b-school.
Anyway, tryouts were had and then they were all, "you made it!" and I was all revved up to get in my helmet and pads and start taking some girls out. And THEN they started talking about how much it actually costs. Apparently it costs an obscene amount of money to get a jersey and helmet and a bus to travel to games and pay for coaches who by the way used to play in the NFL but don't ask me their names because I DON'T KNOW.
And then they started talking about the practice schedule and I'm thinking about all the things I need to cancel from now until June in order to make this happen (volleyball, dodgeball, kickball, happy hours, dinners out, Friday night drinking, Saturdays, living in New Jersey).
So in the end, I decided not to join the team. It's a lot of money, an insane time commitment, and the commute back home to NJ would be hellish and/or impossible with the practice schedule. And while I could probably deal with 1 or 2 of those problems, it is way too short of notice to take care of all 3. So I'm going to let my friend, who had no qualms about handing over her credit card, play for this season and see how it goes. And assuming all goes well, I'll consider going back next year.
It sort of makes me sad to do this because I was looking forward to the sense of badassness that I imagine comes with telling people you play on a tackle football team. And also I really wanted a jersey with my name on it. Plus I love team sports. And seriously, a jersey with my name on it WILL SOMEONE PLEASE BUY ME ONE MY BIRTHDAY IS OCTOBER 24TH. And maybe if I played football I would take more interest in the Superbowl aside from the 7 layer dip I plan on making tomorrow. Yum.
On the bright side, I have another year of life in which I am less likely to get seriously injured. So that's good. I told my Jewish worrier-mother and I'm pretty sure she's hoping I forget that the team exists between now and next year. My brother played exactly 1 year of high school football and managed to get a concussion in that time and thus he ruined it for me because my mom is never going to associate anything else with football except concussions.
So maybe this time next year I'll be writing a post about the joy of purchasing shoulder pads that come with space for your boobs. Who knows.
I'll back up.
One day, a friend of mine broadcast on Facebook that she was trying out for a women's tackle football team. I was intrigued. Except by "intrigued" I more mean, "OMG I WANNA BEAT SOME BITCHES SIGN ME UP." You know how I do.
After some back and forth of exchanging info about the team, waiting many weeks, and even a trek in the snow to the park to toss a football around for practice, we headed to tryouts.
I use the word "tryouts" loosely because everyone at our tryout (we were the last of probably 5) made the team. And I imagine this was the case for every tryout. Whatever.
Tryouts were pretty interesting but insanely fun. Lots of push-ups and sit-ups and sprinting and footwork drills and agility tests and other stuff that I don't typically do unless someone is hovering over me telling me to do them. And because you don't actually have to have any football experience to join the team, the only real football-related thing we did was run different routes and try to catch the ball when the QB threw to us. Which I did with a success rate of 100%. Booyah.
It was also pretty hilarious because the people from the team who were there used all this footbally jargon that I don't understand because, oops, I hate football (sorry, don't tell them). Except watching football (BORING) and playing football are 2 different things. This much I learned when I played 2 seasons of flag in b-school.
Anyway, tryouts were had and then they were all, "you made it!" and I was all revved up to get in my helmet and pads and start taking some girls out. And THEN they started talking about how much it actually costs. Apparently it costs an obscene amount of money to get a jersey and helmet and a bus to travel to games and pay for coaches who by the way used to play in the NFL but don't ask me their names because I DON'T KNOW.
And then they started talking about the practice schedule and I'm thinking about all the things I need to cancel from now until June in order to make this happen (volleyball, dodgeball, kickball, happy hours, dinners out, Friday night drinking, Saturdays, living in New Jersey).
So in the end, I decided not to join the team. It's a lot of money, an insane time commitment, and the commute back home to NJ would be hellish and/or impossible with the practice schedule. And while I could probably deal with 1 or 2 of those problems, it is way too short of notice to take care of all 3. So I'm going to let my friend, who had no qualms about handing over her credit card, play for this season and see how it goes. And assuming all goes well, I'll consider going back next year.
It sort of makes me sad to do this because I was looking forward to the sense of badassness that I imagine comes with telling people you play on a tackle football team. And also I really wanted a jersey with my name on it. Plus I love team sports. And seriously, a jersey with my name on it WILL SOMEONE PLEASE BUY ME ONE MY BIRTHDAY IS OCTOBER 24TH. And maybe if I played football I would take more interest in the Superbowl aside from the 7 layer dip I plan on making tomorrow. Yum.
On the bright side, I have another year of life in which I am less likely to get seriously injured. So that's good. I told my Jewish worrier-mother and I'm pretty sure she's hoping I forget that the team exists between now and next year. My brother played exactly 1 year of high school football and managed to get a concussion in that time and thus he ruined it for me because my mom is never going to associate anything else with football except concussions.
So maybe this time next year I'll be writing a post about the joy of purchasing shoulder pads that come with space for your boobs. Who knows.