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trilogy
As a most-embarrassing cultural reference point once said, life in New York is comprised of episodes of bitching about one of three things – habitat, romance, or employment. One will always, and inevitably, be the current source of your distress.
Moving here was remarkably easy for me; I had a dirt-cheap rent-controlled apartment waiting, abandoned for one year by a friend who was gathering dissertation research in Paris. My job, too, was arranged before my arrival, as I had lucked out and landed my first-choice in the first round of interviews. My only source of turmoil was in the dating department, as it quickly became time to move my focus from medical students in other cities to Irish bartenders just blocks away. Still, in the grand scheme of things – I had it good.
I never had the Omigod-I’m-going-to-live-in-a-refrigerator-box-under-an-FDR-overpass panic until years later when I abandoned an overpriced apartment to live with a boyfriend, but never actually moved in. This began a year of packing and unpacking three times, ending finally when landed on the softly padded surface of Alex’s adorable apartment.
I’d also never had the I’m-going-to-be-found-four-days-post-mortem-half-eaten-by-my-cats scare until I tried online dating, when it became clear that all the boys were – quite clearly – pricks, and the half-eaten thing had more appeal. This too ended shortly after I began dating Alex, when he arrived one night at my apartment with two white chocolate lattes from Starbucks and a box of condoms. (Girlfriend knows a good thing when she sees it.)
And so it only makes sense that now that I’ve got the boyfriend and the apartment inline, I’m overcome with I’m-never-going-to-amount-to-anything-slash-this-job-is-killing-me hysteria. It’s a kind-of disturbing karmic balance, right? Like a balancing of forces… Besides, I hear that whenever someone manages to get their love, home, and work lives in balance at once, the entire order of the Gothamic universe become unaligned and you are asked to leave the island. And well, we can’t have that.
Just once, though – I’d love to beat the odds.
comments (6)
wow.. yes. yes. and yes. my current gripes definitely sit in the romance/job category. although, i've become indifferent to romance (online dating is so depressing) and the job thing, well, i'm working on an epic post about how my boss and i had a little 'you need to manage your career' chat... i'm sure you'll find something that you will love. just need to be patient..
1 | writersbloc gal | September 8, 2004 02:09 PM
You can buy condoms at Starbucks? Damn. New York is a lot more progressive than I thought.
2 | Howard | September 8, 2004 04:22 PM
I hear you. I'm living in a cool apartment with the girl that I love. Only, I had to quit my job and move 200 miles away to be in this situation. Now I while away the days, wondering if I will ever find a job, or at least a hobby, again. But as it's been said, two out of three ain't bad.
3 | saltydog | September 8, 2004 05:32 PM
Smit, please do not leave the island. What would we all do?
4 | Wicked H | September 9, 2004 11:47 AM
is it even possible to attain "supreme happiness" by having all three? i've got the job that gives me free boozies, the new place on the lake, but the boy? where the heck is the boy?
best 2 out of 3 - that's all i'm hoping for these days...
5 | jamsy | September 9, 2004 11:56 AM
Free boozies? Hire me!
6 | deb | September 9, 2004 12:11 PM