Status Report: NY, NY

Status Report: NY, NY

New York is very impressive. That's the word I keep using, and I think it fits. The place is huge, the buildings larger than I've ever seen, more people than I've ever seen, and a lot of important sights and sites. And more languages than I've ever heard at one time.

So, you ask, what have I been doing? Missing being with Abi. Besides that, you say? Well, here are some excerpts...

Got here on Thursday afternoon after a very eventful trip. Not because of traveling woes, but because of pressing business I carried with me from home. I called Diane at the office from Marta in Doraville and left a message for Jim/Mike concerning my possible, imminent job at Fujifilm. Both Jim and the guy getting me the job at Fuji called while I was at security in the airport, but I waited until I got to the gate and could call Jim back before talking to Cliff (the Fuji/Apex guy) about the details of the internship. So, I got everything cleared with Jim while in the boarding line, and called Cliff back once I was on the plane. Although he had been completely positive about everything up to that point, when I talked to him again, he said they couldn't offer me the position unless I could work 5 days a week for the summer. With school and music...I had to decline. So, I don't have an IT job...God's got another plan, and I trust Him. I was just kind of attached to that offer. But what's coming can only be better! Anyway, by the time I called people at home about that, the plane was taxiing out and I had to shut off my phone. So I had a lot to think about getting to and during my flight.

Another snippet...went to a very cool gospel concert by the Marble Community Gospel Choir at the Marble Collegiate Church (here in Manhattan). The church was very cool...high Victorian style, and very interesting. It was quite warm, but still inspired the appropriate architectural awe--just without the cold, Gothic arches and gray color. This church was Dutch Reformed, and it showed...they had tried to avoid any sort of Catholic or Anglican influence. It was like a big, tall, elongated, but warm Victorian house. It has had a continuous ministry since 1628--pretty impressive. I'll post a pic when I get it appropriately downsized and hosted. This church, interestingly enough, was where Norman Vincent Peale was minister (1932-1984)...you know, the "power of positive thinking" guy. Unfortunately, the church has nearly accepted his message as doctrine. Anyway, the concert was very impressive. They performed old Negro spirituals, modern gospel and hip-hop style songs, as well as some rockin' choral pieces. The music was all live: piano, drums, keyboard, bass, etc. And the choir was really into it. They drew the crowd in and to their feet quite often. Worship songs in the mix kept it well-focused. The soloists were also very talented, with some awesome voices. The whole production was, well, impressive. Sorry I don't have more pics, the usher guy told me to stop taking pictures when I was just getting the choir pics to focus in the low light.

Went to the Statue of Liberty Friday. The weather was horrible: rain all morning. I had an umbrella, but I still got somewhat wet standing out in the open in line for the ferry for about 45 minutes. Let's just say, the peddlers made a killing going up and down the line with cheap, $5 umbrellas. (They were about big enough to keep a skinny person dry in vertical rain.) So that was the day I decided to leave my jacket at the apartment...and I wore a t-shirt. But I wasn't too cold, except when I was walking around the Statue of Liberty island several times and the wind off the water was vicious. At least when I came back down from the Statue, it had stopped raining and I got a few more pics without the rain. But the whole place was very impressive. Got to look up into the interior of the statue's structure and get a bunch of pics from the platform, looking out on New York, and below, looking up at the Statue. And, yes, I got someone to take a few pics of me out there, just for you, Abi. Of course, I took pics of their family in return, and about five other couples and families saw I was offering my services...and I was taking other people's pics for about 10 minutes. But it was fun being there without it raining, and helping people, so it was all good. I was alone, so I knew how it felt. They had cool stuff at the gift shop on the island, too (hint, hint). So that was a fun, if wet and cold, trip.

Everything has been photographically documented, so more to come. As soon as I get home and format them so they'll fit on my BellSouth server, they'll be up here (or, at least a link will be). I've taken about 300 pics thus far. *grin* I love my camera. Just wait until you see the time-exposure photos of Manhattan at night that I took from the Empire State Building. Oh, yes! The Empire State Building! Well, that'll leave me something to talk about next time, won't it? You may be able to guess by now, though, that it was (you betcha) impressive.

So, until the next installment of Status Report: NY, NY...farewell!