"When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"
It's been a whirlwind since Monday. So much for updating later on that evening--I was wired, restless, and could do little else but watch 'Horrible Bosses' for like the third time in the past week. I've yet to get tired of the comedic holy trinity of Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, and Jason Bateman. I'd even go so far as to say that Colin Farrel's role in this movie is almost as funny as Tom Cruise's in 'Tropic Thunder' (or at least it made me go from hating him to giving him a standing ovation in my little heart).
Anyway, this week and all of its earthly delights (disclaimer: I didn't dress up like or "have funsies," as a friend of mine would say, inside a strawberry)
Tuesday I had the pleasure of bellinis at Cipriani's in Grand Central, a prix fixe lunch at Cafe Boulud on the Upper East Side, drinks at Raines Law Room, and then a trip to the Meatball Shop with one of my cousins and his fiancee, both of whom are awesome and let me stay over that night at their apartment. I am going to dream about the food and drinks from that day for a while. I cannot wait until I have the financial wherewithal to relive that day, made over the top by the indulgence of Laduree macarons.
Wednesday and Thursday I was down at the shore with a friend from Princeton. There was great beach weather on both days and after weeks of passing by but never going inside, I was glad we got drinks at Johnny Mac's and Baca Bar. Johnny Mac's is an all-around a great bar, with hilarious quotations and jokes on all surfaces and Baca Bar is a place on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park that probably fills up its comfortable, geometric sofas and barstools quite nicely on a summer weekend, but was pretty empty on Wednesday night. Still watching a random fight break out (and 7 police cars arrive) outside the bar windows while sitting on a couch drinking whiskey and cokes was just enough entertainment to offset the emptiness of the bar. Extra points to the place for having "Last Nite" playing on the speakers. We walked on the beach at night for a bit before encountering the highlight of the evening at the random bar/one room open dance floor: getting dance complements from a totally random person there. Still two white kids getting complemented for dancing by a big, highly legit looking, and seemingly sober black guy is pretty great, even if the comment is facetious. I wish I'd taken a picture or two for the record.
Last night, everything hit me at once and I came down from the high of getting the job, the chill middle of hanging out at the shore, and crashed back to earth and reality that I am actually leaving this place and need to start a new life, meet new people, all that. I talked to a bunch of friends who got me to tilt the scale of anxiety vs excitement back in the direction of excitement.
Tonight I've organized a farewell sendoff for myself (I hope that one day I have the types of friends who plan parties for me--I don't think I've had anyone throw me a party since my Bat Mitzvah, and when it's your parents, does it really count?). A guy I met while interviewing for IBM in Februrary is going to be in the city, too, and if our parties manage to collide, it's going to be a hilarious and epic reunion since he's celebrating his birthday, and I'm celebrating leaving Jersey/starting work. The fun is beginning at one of my favorite cheap eats in NYC, Veselka, and there's even going to be a small Wildcats a cappella contingent there to participate in the festivities--in which case, there must be karaoke or street-singing of 'It's Raining Men' on some corner in the East Village.
As for the song that titles this post, it's Billy Joel's 'Vienna' from the B-side of the album 'The Stranger.' I think the first time I heard it was during the movie '13 Going on 30' with Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner, and even though that movie is highly ridiculous, the song stuck with me. It also became the song that I identify as "belonging to" one of my past relationships--you know when couples have "their song," that kind of thing. And since I'm seeing that person today for the first time in over two years, right before my farewell party, it came to mind.
It's a beautiful piece, a sort of perfect, sweet, but also sad slow dance song. It's a poetic song about life, changes, passion, and all the things that remind you that music is art and its capacity to move you is boundless. Billy Joel said it was one of his two favorite songs in his corpus, according to a NYTimes interview ("Just the Way He Is," Dan Barry) and that says something for one of the greatest composers of the 20th century:
"Slow down, you crazy child
you're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, tell me
Why are you still so afraid?
...
But you know that when the truth is told.
That you can get what you want or you get old
You're gonna kick off before you even
Get halfway through
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"
The idea that life waits for you, "Vienna waits for you" it's hopeful.
And, though I'm finding it hard to believe, Boston waits for me.
Anyway, this week and all of its earthly delights (disclaimer: I didn't dress up like or "have funsies," as a friend of mine would say, inside a strawberry)
Tuesday I had the pleasure of bellinis at Cipriani's in Grand Central, a prix fixe lunch at Cafe Boulud on the Upper East Side, drinks at Raines Law Room, and then a trip to the Meatball Shop with one of my cousins and his fiancee, both of whom are awesome and let me stay over that night at their apartment. I am going to dream about the food and drinks from that day for a while. I cannot wait until I have the financial wherewithal to relive that day, made over the top by the indulgence of Laduree macarons.
Wednesday and Thursday I was down at the shore with a friend from Princeton. There was great beach weather on both days and after weeks of passing by but never going inside, I was glad we got drinks at Johnny Mac's and Baca Bar. Johnny Mac's is an all-around a great bar, with hilarious quotations and jokes on all surfaces and Baca Bar is a place on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park that probably fills up its comfortable, geometric sofas and barstools quite nicely on a summer weekend, but was pretty empty on Wednesday night. Still watching a random fight break out (and 7 police cars arrive) outside the bar windows while sitting on a couch drinking whiskey and cokes was just enough entertainment to offset the emptiness of the bar. Extra points to the place for having "Last Nite" playing on the speakers. We walked on the beach at night for a bit before encountering the highlight of the evening at the random bar/one room open dance floor: getting dance complements from a totally random person there. Still two white kids getting complemented for dancing by a big, highly legit looking, and seemingly sober black guy is pretty great, even if the comment is facetious. I wish I'd taken a picture or two for the record.
Last night, everything hit me at once and I came down from the high of getting the job, the chill middle of hanging out at the shore, and crashed back to earth and reality that I am actually leaving this place and need to start a new life, meet new people, all that. I talked to a bunch of friends who got me to tilt the scale of anxiety vs excitement back in the direction of excitement.
Tonight I've organized a farewell sendoff for myself (I hope that one day I have the types of friends who plan parties for me--I don't think I've had anyone throw me a party since my Bat Mitzvah, and when it's your parents, does it really count?). A guy I met while interviewing for IBM in Februrary is going to be in the city, too, and if our parties manage to collide, it's going to be a hilarious and epic reunion since he's celebrating his birthday, and I'm celebrating leaving Jersey/starting work. The fun is beginning at one of my favorite cheap eats in NYC, Veselka, and there's even going to be a small Wildcats a cappella contingent there to participate in the festivities--in which case, there must be karaoke or street-singing of 'It's Raining Men' on some corner in the East Village.
As for the song that titles this post, it's Billy Joel's 'Vienna' from the B-side of the album 'The Stranger.' I think the first time I heard it was during the movie '13 Going on 30' with Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner, and even though that movie is highly ridiculous, the song stuck with me. It also became the song that I identify as "belonging to" one of my past relationships--you know when couples have "their song," that kind of thing. And since I'm seeing that person today for the first time in over two years, right before my farewell party, it came to mind.
It's a beautiful piece, a sort of perfect, sweet, but also sad slow dance song. It's a poetic song about life, changes, passion, and all the things that remind you that music is art and its capacity to move you is boundless. Billy Joel said it was one of his two favorite songs in his corpus, according to a NYTimes interview ("Just the Way He Is," Dan Barry) and that says something for one of the greatest composers of the 20th century:
"Slow down, you crazy child
you're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, tell me
Why are you still so afraid?
...
But you know that when the truth is told.
That you can get what you want or you get old
You're gonna kick off before you even
Get halfway through
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"
The idea that life waits for you, "Vienna waits for you" it's hopeful.
And, though I'm finding it hard to believe, Boston waits for me.