Here She Comes...

You are a Self-Discoverer

You're not religious, but you've created your own kind of spirituality.Introspective and thoughtful, you tend to look inward for the divine.You are distrusting of all forms of organized religion.You especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who you feel are charlatans.

What's" Your Religious Philosophy?

The New Year fast approaches. I mean, damn, we only have like 5 days left.

Christmas didn't really feel like much this year- I admit, I didn't get into the spirit at all. Kind of pathetic, what with the lights everywhere and the huge tree in Union Square, and the ice skating and the (dear god) Christmas shopping. The lines were long, the stores were crowded. It took me an hour at the post office one day. And I think that was it. I firmly decided that nothing would be purchased or sent out until after New Years. Couldn't take the congestion. (One person without deodorant ruins it for the rest of us)

It's just a crowded time of year in this city. The rain finally came after hanging off for most of December- that means the busses are more crowded, and soaking, and you can't find an empty cab to save your life. Everyone uses umbrellas when they walk down the street, so umbrellas are bumping into each other, water down your neck, waiting for the bus, money gets wet, seats are wet, person standing in front of you is dripping on you. It's just the time of year that makes you stop and say, "Man, there are a LOT of people crammed into this city".

You can feel it too- which I suppose is still sort of a revelation for me, being from a fairly small city where you can still take a wrong turn and end up in the middle of nowhere. You can be walking down a street here, totally deserted in the middle of the night- no cars, no lights on, and you can STILL feel all the people. You are never alone in this city.

Which is part of the reason that apartment hunting is so interesting- a pain, for sure, but to see all of the different and creative ways these nooks and crannies have been created to house so many people on such a small plot of land is really fascinating. When Jumpin' J. and I were apartment hunting when we moved here, we must have looked at 20 apartments before we decided on the one we are in now. We saw a warehouse where people lived like it was a commune, and old building where everything had been painted so many times that the cabinets wouldn't close anymore, an old house set back off the road amidst a slew of apartment buildings... so many odd and interesting places. Some, completely unimpressive- some, so filled with stories it made your head spin.

It's not just apartments either. For example- the office I work in is set on a very small back alley type of street- one way when people pay attention to the sign. My office is part of a larger building that hosts a retail store and a Chicago-style Jewish deli. We all share the bathrooms. Across the "street" are two businesses being run out of garages. One of them is a coffee shop that just uses the sidewalk, and if you look over the barrista's shoulder, there's a woodworking shop behind them with guys building furniture. We also share this alley with an auto repair shop, a car elevator, a lingerie store, and a drycleaner. And- there is a park with a playground on one end of the street. A park built in the middle of a boulevard.

Interesting, isn't it? We're all crammed into whatever space we can find to do what we need to do. The whole city is like this. Space is definitely limited.

But there is this amazing vibe here. Most likely why I've fallen completely in love with this town. We're all squished together just trying to survive. To find and follow our dreams. To find our little nook, light a candle and call it home. And if you feel crowded? Head to the beach while it's raining and pick a spot to sit where you can't see the park rangers truck. Look out into the ocean and realize that you are on the edge of a continent.

And baby- that's all you need.

questions- comments ~ blog [at] katdowns [dot] com ~