This One Is Dedicated To "The Bubble"

Note: I swear I will never make a post this long. I don't even want to proof-read it. I apologize to all of my rabid blogging fans.

We've been here in New York for some time now, and I'm not sure what kind of a picture we've painted of our lives here. I decided tonight while I was at a Priesthood meeting that I should blog about some things that I've learned, and had reinforced since being here. And since Katie has reminded me several times that it's my "turn", here goes:

- Katie and I have been so blessed with the families we grew up in. There was always love in our homes, and never were we abused or hurt in any way, shape or form. I see, and hear, of so many parents here treating their kids like they wish they'd never been born. Such a sad thing, and it makes my blood boil seeing parents here treat their kids like trash.

- Utah really is a "bubble". If you haven't spent much time out of it, you could never imagine the language I hear on a daily basis. I feel like I'm in a locker room with testosterone-laden teenage guys all trying to be more crude/"manly" than the next. This doesn't just apply to guys, I have heard the foulest things coming out of the mouths of women here...

- I have always said that I enjoy winter, and it is true. I enjoy Utah winters, but I am coming to really dislike winter here in New York. I think the difference is, in Utah I was always in a car driving from place to place. The only time I was in in the snow for extended periods of time was for playing: skiing, building snowmen, snowball fights, making caves - all the good stuff adults do in the snow. Here, I am standing in the freezing cold waiting for my bus, then walking from the ferry to the train, then walking from the train to school. It's miserable, and we've only had maybe 8 inches of snow all winter...

- Utah drivers are WONDERFUL drivers. The minute you start believing otherwise, you need to come here and take a little drive with me. I swear, it is the goal of each and every person driving a car here to irritate everyone else to no end!

- I miss my scholarship at WSU. Now that I have to pay for school, it kills me to see what my money (albeit LOANED money) goes to pay for. Halloween parties at the Raddisson in midtown, totally catered, costing at least a couple hundred thousand; a New Year's party at Dave & Buster's in Times Square where the whole place was rented out for us: open bar, large buffet, cards with $15.00 on them for everyone there, etc. (This one was fun, so I didn't mind it). Virtually every weekend there are sponsored parties at local bars where the school rents out a floor or some rooms, covers the appetizers, and sometimes the drinks (or at a reduced cost). Salaries of individuals who are supposed to be at school teaching us, but instead SLEEP while we work, or talk the whole time on their cell phones... Extracurricular wine tasting classes, where not only do you gain an appreciation for sampling wine, cheese is provided as well! Paying $2,000 a year for my books on DVD, when I really only need to buy it the first year (the other years are to get the UPGRADED versions of the books I already have in the first year). Wow, does this post sound negative at all?

- It is against the laws of nature for New Yorkers to be JUST nice or JUST civil. Either they are EXTREMELY nice, or COMPLETE jerks. There is NO middle ground.

- My presence at church, or lack thereof, is noticed on a weekly basis. I am NEEDED there. This isn't to say that I am amazing, but rather that EVERYONE is so important. If you are willing to just go to work here, you can make all the difference in the world. The work would go on without me, but I can make such a difference here, and many of our wonderful ward members are doing just that.

- I never realized how much the system gets abused here. Even doing things here which should be simple (ie registering your vehicle, which is a salvage title), turn out to be the most complicated series of steps ever invented. If it weren't so here, the government would collapse and chaos would reign. Everything has to be complicated so that people don't work the system too much.

- Movies take on a whole new level of enjoyment. I swear that half of all movies ever made are based in New York City. It is so much more fun to watch them now that I live here. Even watching the "Today Show" or "Good Morning America" takes it to a whole new level.

- $4.50 is an absurd amount to pay for a gallon of milk. How much is a bottle of Vitamin D pills???

- Our rent/utilities here are almost 50% more than what we paid back in Utah for our house. And we are pinching pennies! Another reason I don't like winter here: $200 for gas, $200 for electric in 1 month???

- People here are very open-minded. You could dress like a complete weirdo, and nobody here on the streets would even look twice.

- If you've got a good head on your shoulders (and have money), it is impossible to get bored here. Between Broadway plays, museums, beaches, Times Square, parks, television shows, sporting events, parties, cultural events, Rockafeller Center, restaurants, architecture, zoos, famous sites, etc, etc, etc. In my opinion, this is the most happening city in the world.

- I've now been working on this post for 3 days, so I'm just going to end it here. I could probably go on and on. Despite how it may sound, we love our lives here!