Jenelle.net Blog

The city has enough to keep anyone busy but I still need to feed my lifelong media addiction… so this is how I do it!

Magazine subscriptions

One of the great things about living here is cheap magazine subscriptions… it is not healthy for a magazine addict like me at all.

My current subscriptions are -

Real Simple
Martha Stewart Living
Yankee Magazine
The New Yorker
New York Magazine
Bon Appetit
Vogue
Vanity Fair
Mac:Life
InStyle
Elle

Radio

1010WINS is my favourite for the morning and right before bed
Then WNYC during the day
Then 3AW streaming online for the morning show (I cannot break my Ross and John/Rumour File addiction. I have woken up to them for the past 20 years – it isn’t ending anytime soon!)
Lite FM for the Delilah show at night (closest equivalent to Love Song Dedications!)

Television

I’ve become accustomed to the local NBC for the local news. Channel 7 in Australia use the same news theme music.
Cable news – MSNBC, CNN, Fox News for Shep Smith, CNN Headline News for Nancy Grace
PBS – Slight addiction to American Experience. Also they show This Old House, Lidia’s Italian Kitchen and Everyday Food.
Food Network – Barefoot Contessa, Good Eats with Alton Brown, 30 Minute Meals (Food Network needs more cooking shows and less reality shows!)
SOAPnet channel - 90210 re-runs and they show Days of our Lives at night
Biography Channel – The Chris Isaak Hour
Lifetime Movie Network – shows the best movies. Hands down. Telemovies rock!
A&E – Intervention
Crime & Investigation Channel – for Cold Case Files
Hallmark – 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel and Little House on the Prarie

NY1 is on regularly as well – especially in the morning for Pat Kiernan’s In the Papers

Note – As Bill hogs the remote and the TV I usually get to watch about 5% of this list!

I was truly angry this morning when I read this news story that a dear friend sent me.

Why? Because, in my opinion, this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and the exact reason why systems end up failing when they do.

I know I don’t know the background behind it but compromising the security and safety in my former workplace where many of my friends still work is truly pathetic by someone who should be setting more of an example.

Why?

Because things like this happen.

“The gunman, Othniel B. Askew, 31, had planned to challenge Mr. Davis in the fall for his seat representing central Brooklyn in the Council. Mr. Askew was apparently able to slip his gun into City Hall by accompanying the councilman, who did not have to pass through metal detectors.“

Whilst I was listening to the radio this morning I heard that one news headline was “E-Coli Warning…”

Then the story starts… “If you eat raw cookie dough then be aware of an E-Coli warning with regards to Nestle Toll House cookie dough…”

I determined right there and then that there would be no other country in the world where you would hear such a story.

We got a fundraising container of cookie dough and I would say 90% of it was eaten raw. It is just that good!

At the moment I have been busy moving my stuff over to Bill’s – yep now, I’ll be officially in Manhattan!

Last Saturday it was about 6.30pm and we had three of my cases full of stuff (being in a furnished place meant I don’t really have much more than what I came over with) and my document box with all my important documents as well as my backpack with my Bose stereo carefully wrapped in towels so I could ensure it was all looked after.

We were getting a cab from my place back to Chelsea and luckily we had no trouble getting one who helped us with all my stuff and promptly started on our way.

When we were nearing Queensboro Plaza (a huge above ground station and railway junction) we were slowed down in the traffic due to an accident. There was a group of about ten or so 13yo boys standing around trying to get the attention of the cars going past and being basically… annoying. As we went past, they were on Bill’s side of the cab and yelled “HEYYY!” Bill replied “HEYYYY!” back. Then before we knew it, the taxi window was smashed and Bill was covered in shards of glass.

What happened was one of the kids had a walking stick and proceeded to smash it through the small window of the back seat of the cab. The driver didn’t realize this had happened and we quickly alerted him to what had gone on and that as there were police right where we were (due to the car accident) he should pull over and get a form for his insurance.

This was the aftermath –

We pulled over (this is a major road, three lanes in each direction) into the middle of the road and in front of the ambulance that was there for the car accident. Bill got out with the driver to walk up to the police and let them know what had happened and I stayed in the cab. They were told to wait until this car accident was cleared and then they would deal with us. Bill was also able to see a paramedic who gave him a bottle of solution to pour over his arm to get rid of all the splinters of glass.

I was still sitting in the cab when guess who walked past? (Well three lanes of traffic away..) THE KID!!! AND… STILL HOLDING THE WALKING STICK!!! So… the feral-Aussie-chick in me came out and I let out the most horrendous “HEYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!” mixed with “OIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” that I have ever yelled. The kid immediately turned around and recognized me in the cab. To put it mildly, he basically pooped himself and bolted – running down beside the roadway. I opened the door to jump out and chase him but then I saw Bill and the driver walking back. I was screaming “BILL!! THERE HE IS!” Bill motioned to me to be quiet. He then goes “I told him not to worry about it…” Now I interpreted that to mean that he spoke to the kid and let him go… when in fact he spoke to whoever was back there. I didn’t realize this so in my great over dramatic fashion I then cracked it at Bill in the middle of the road. “No Bill… really… I do NOT want to talk to you right at this moment!” I could not BELIEVE he had let the kid go. I then went on to stress how the kid could have killed him and how he will probably go on to do more damage through the night. I was one angry Nellie Cleary.

Poor Bill had no choice but just to stand out in the middle of the road while I sulked and gave him silent treatment in the cab. He then managed to explain what he meant and I was trying to explain what I meant. He didn’t realize I had seen everything and knew what had happened and I didn’t realize that he was talking about something different. We had a complete communication breakdown at a time when you really shouldn’t have to be explaining what each other was saying!!

About 30 minutes had passed and we were still waiting in the middle of the road and all these cars speeding past us. The policewoman came over and said we shouldn’t be there and we should run across the two lanes, jump the barrier and wait on the footpath. So we did just that… omg here I was with my handbag trying to jump this barrier and not scratch the leather. This was is the barrier we jumped –

And this was what the traffic was like -

We waited another 30 or so minutes and in the end I was getting somewhat impatient (Jenelle… impatient?! Noooo!) and the cab driver was getting nowhere with them, so I signaled to the police to wind their windows down and yelled out across the traffic lanes “SHOULD WE STILL JUST WAIT HERE OR SHOULD WE GO TO THE POLICE STATION?!?”

They told us to get the taxi to go around the corner and they will come around there in about 10 minutes and speak to us. Ugh… so we told the taxi driver what to do – which meant he had to jump the barrier, then run across two lanes, to get back to the taxi. I told Bill I refused to watch as I just knew he would get hit by a car as he didn’t seem to have much of a clue about anything. Bill tried to tell him “Go… NOW!” but I don’t think he even understood that… he ran right across in front of another cab… but made it.

We waited for the police and they eventually came around to see us. Check out how spooky the area ‘around the corner’ was -

Anyway, Bill came and said they wanted to talk to me. They asked me what I saw and I told them in my most excitable nature. As such, they probably only understood one of every five words I was saying. It was done and the taxi driver got his insurance form.

We made it back to Chelsea (the driver didn’t charge us!), got my stuff into the apartment and still couldn’t believe what had happened. A twenty minute taxi ride ended up taking over two hours. Just thinking over it – Bill was sprayed with glass in a near death experience, yelling like a feral, running across two lanes of traffic, jumping road barriers, hanging out with crazy cab drivers and my first chat with the NYPD.

Life is never uneventful here. Never!

So we went to celebrate at the Outback Steakhouse!

While mum and dad visiting was HUGE (and there are some great blog posts coming up about that…!) another thing that has been great is there has been some other visits from people back in Oz to New York!

Leigh, one of my pals from my days of Parliament and fellow USA devotee, visited New York as part of a big trip with her parents. I was sitting at my desk when I got an SMS from her, I told her where my work was and it ends up she was just at the next block. I walked outside to meet her and it was so fantastic to see a familiar face and catch up with her and her parents. We sat in Pret A Manger and chatted until they were closing and then all met up for dinner at the Grand Sichuan on 7th. It was great to hear about their adventures so far, catch up on State Government goss and everything that has been going on since the time we would hang out at Parl!

Here is Leigh and I out on Broadway –

Moyra McAllister, who many of my Libraryland folks would know of, was also visiting New York with her husband Trevor as part of an extended trip. We all met up for lunch and again, it was fabulous to see familiar faces and catch up on what each of us had been doing.

Next up, Damian who I studied at RMIT with and we both did the USA Study Tour last year as well as all the crazy summer subjects (he overloaded he classes like I did) is visiting before he starts another study tour. This got me looking back over my photos from my time at Maryland… here is Lisa, Damian and I at our Study Tour wrap party -

With our other team member Joe, we churned our so many words about globalization and education and globalization again… I can’t believe we got through it all!!

I’ve decided to have somewhat of a blogathon and catch up on the past say… 6 months. If you follow my Twitter, you may not feel as left in the dark than if you just rely on my blog. So I shall start at Christmas (!!!! – DO NOT LAUGH!! ) and then chuck in posts here and there. Deal? Sweet!

To get to Albany we had planned to hire a car and drive up Christmas Eve. Now to say we had some luggage is an understatement – as well as clothes we had so much food to take as Bill was preparing the Christmas lunch and of course, had to bring all the food from Manhattan! We also had a Trifle I had made and a whole batch of sausage rolls. Then we also had presents as well. So between clothing, food and presents – it was going to be a full load in the car. Here is how my trifle looked -

(Making trifle from mums recipe that we make a zillion times a year was SO DIFFICULT here! Luckily my little Irish shop in Sunnyside, the Butcher Block, actually stocked swiss roll! Mum sent over Cottees Port Wine jelly and I had a stash of custard powder.)

My job was to get to his apartment, bring all the stuff downstairs and then wait as he was picking up the car in Midtown. When I got downstairs there was not a sensible sedan with lots-of-luggage space to be seen. Instead we had – a Mustang Convertible! Eeeek! Now the roof down would be an awesome prospect in summer but it was freezing. So the the roof was staying on and we only just squeezed all of our belongings in the back. This car was a beast! Before we knew it we were on the road. This car has internal floor lights that you can change the colour of. It was that cool!

This is how Bill drives with ‘tude when he is in a Mustang –

I was picturing the usual holiday traffic that you see on news broadcasts – traffic jams for miles, not getting to Albany until after 10pm and crawling along a major highway. The traffic was nothing like that. In no time we were up 9th Avenue, onto the Holland Tunnel and we even did the real American thing of stopping at a rest stop called the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike.

We travelled on Interstate 87 and the best thing was how we paid the tolls for the roads. We got this card -

And then that lets you know how much you have to pay when you get to the place where you’ll be exiting! The view for most of the way as we went through the Catskills looked like this –

Seeing this as a view you can’t help but get a Christmassy feeling!

We got to Albany at about 6.30ish – we made GREAT time as there was hardly any traffic. The hotel that we picked was in a perfect location and was just absolutely lovely inside.

Bill’s sister Pauline and his brother-in-law Rob host the Christmas Eve dinner. My one regret was that I didn’t take a photo of their Christmas tree. Honestly – it was so beautiful! The decorations and the lights were just spectacular! When we pulled up in the Mustang, I opened my door and saw that right beside me was some ground that was going to be slippery. I have developed somewhat of a phobia of falling over on snowy ground so I told Bill “Eeek I cannot get out here!” He was very noble and quickly said he would walk around to the side of the car and help me out. Then I heard a bang and he had fallen into the muddly slushy icy mess and landed against the car. By this time I was screaming from inside the car “Bill nooooo I cannot walk in that!!! I’m too scared!!!” By this time I could also see Bill’s dad standing on the front porch. I could only think to myself that his first impression of me was screaming in a Mustang that I was too scared to walk in the slush!

I eventually made it up to the house and we sat down to a great feast of roast pork and a stack of vegetables. Also – the Johnson Family Desserts were fabulous. Home made goodies and a banana cream pie that was just delicious. We also had another mishap with Bill being accidentally sprayed with Cranberry soda (could you get any more New England than that?!) and poor Bill had to sit there while everyone laughed. Awwww!

We got back to the hotel and decided to check the goods in the boot of the car. Oh dear. My perfect trifle had fallen over in transit and was one big ol’ mess. The beauty of trifle is it taste the same regardless but still part of trifle is how gorgeous it looks!

We decided to open our presents on Christmas Eve and I got a toaster! Yay! Poor Bill got some flack for the toaster choice but this isn’t just any toaster. It has LED lights, lots of selections and I needed a toaster badly. Bill said he has never met anyone who eats as much toast as I do…!

For Bill’s gift, I got him a hint.

Before Christmas, we decided to be ultra Christmassy daggy. I wanted some matching Daryl Somers style Christmas knitwear… like this…

Or this…

Instead, we settled with matching Old Navy Christmas pyjamas. We got up in the morning and got into our matching jammies, walked through the hotel lobby to the mustang and headed on a Christmas morning adventure around Albany. We had to pick up Bill’s sister Eileen so on the way I got Bill-history tour of Albany. One stop included Bill’s old high school (which looks like a university!). Upon driving up to the car park, we were greeted with this sign-

Before long, we were at his parents place preparing for Christmas dinner. We missed breakfast but Bill’s parents have a stash of the most AMAZING English muffins EVER. They are by Wolfermans and seriously – they are just heavenly.

We did a Secret Santa for Christmas presents and Eileen had to buy for me – she got me the most gorgeous collection of kitchenwares for my little apartment kitchen… all in a fabulous bag. I had to buy for Rob – he wanted a Home Depot gift card… so we got him that and hid it in a Boston Bruins bobble head statue!

I made home made sausage rolls to have as a starter and Bill was making two of the most humongous Beef Wellingtons ever. He prepared the duxelles in advance so their flavour was amazing. I got dressed into normal clothes at about 4pm… oops. And due to the chef being busy, Bill didn’t get changed at all.

When the Beef Wellington came out of the oven, Bill had made a kangaroo in the shape of pastry on the top of one of them… awww! A little bit of home!! The Trifle Mess was served with other goodies for dessert – I had my first American Christmas!

Here is a photo of myself with Mrs B before dinner –

We then relaxed around the table and played Pictionary for the rest of the night where Eileen supplied prizes. It was just awesome… we were exhausted and headed back to the hotel where we watched A Christmas Story. This movie is shown on TV on repeat right throughout Christmas.

Unfortunately, Bill had to work Friday in the Albany office so we partook in another American ‘good thing’. My first Cracker Barrel for breakfast! Woohoo! I remember Cracker Barrel restaurants being everywhere when I was in Texas but I never went to one. I now loveeeeeeeeeeee Cracker Barrel!! I still could not believe that here, people have Christmas day and then it is right back to work the next day. It just seems absolutely bizarre!! Imagine having just one day off for Christmas! It isn’t right!!

Anyway, this is what the walls are like at the Cracker Barrel -

After breakfast I went back to the hotel intending on doing this blog entry (!) and catching up on Library reading and chilling out. But then I fell asleep and ended up having the best long sleep ever. I was awoken with a startle when the hotel phone started ringing at 4pm – it was Bill! With my iPhone on silent, I slept right through all his calls. Eeek!!

For dinner we were headed back to the family home for pizza as it was Boxing Day and pizza comes in… boxes!! We decided to utilize the Mustang and have a drive around Albany. In Washington Park they have the Capital Holiday Lights display. This is where you drive through the park, with your radio tuned to a special Christmas station and you look at all the lights on display throughout the park. Unfortunately, we got stuck behind a car where they were taking photos through the windows of EVERY. SINGLE. LIGHT. DISPLAY. IN. THE. PARK. This killed the holiday spirit as I wanted to scream “YOUR PHOTOS ARE GOING TO LOOK TERRIBLE… STEP ON IT!!!!!”

Even though it was about minus 200 degrees (well it felt like it) we put the top down of the Mustang and put the heater on full and drove around at 1 km/h with bad bad bad Christmas music blaring through the speakers.

Here are some photos of how the lights looked –

Awww Sydney!

Snow makes everything look beautiful!

We also made a stop at Target… it was here I stocked up on Pepperidge Farm Tim Tam Cookies and I also spied… Gloria Jeans coffee. That was a bit strange…!

On Saturday morning it was time to head back to the City. We resumed my tour of all of the Bill-places-of-importance… including a trip to drive-through Starbucks for hot drinks.

Before we left, we were going to catch up with some of Bill’s friends for Brunch at a new-ish restaurant in East Greenbush called Chez Mike. It was fabulous finally meeting the people who I have heard so much about and it was a great way to end my first visit to Albany.

Bill and I (and you can see why he got ‘the hint’ for Christmas!)

Brunch at Chez Mike – Jenelle, Bill, Paula, Dawn, Fred, Dan, Steve and Collette.

Top down in the Mustang – Dan, Steve, Bill and Fred.

We did a couple of extra visits on the way to say goodbye to people and then headed on our way back to the city with a few detours.

We went past Martin Van Buren’s house in the most gorgeous little town called Kinderhook and then went to the most adorable apple shop (apples that you eat… not type on!) called Golden Harvest Farms which was in the village of Valatie. We got Apple Cider Donuts, some jams and some Apple Cider and headed on our way. Here are some pics from the Apple shop -

The traffic back to the city was slow moving yet after a few hours before we knew it we were in Harlem! Also before we knew it… we were driving the wrong way down a wrong way street. I was dozy and just said “Um.. Bill… I think this is one way… and it was!” We quickly got out of that situation and had the most beautiful drive down through the Upper West Side and then… through Times Square. Driving through it and being able to enjoy the lights is one of the best things to do… it was so much fun being able to watch everyone from the seclusion of your own car. Just awesome.

By the way – this is my super budget Christmas tree that I put up. I bought the tree and all the decorations and lights and the little 99 cent store around the corner for a total cost of $25!

So with that… Christmas was over! I was made to feel so welcome and was so looked after I couldn’t have got homesick if I tried. Only six months to go and I’ll be typing something like this again…!

I still talk about and think about Tyler every single day.

But that didn’t change the excitement when I got an email with the subject “Meet Holly!”

Yep – Matthew is now the proud owner of Holly – and as you can see, she is gorgeous.

The latest update on News.com.au this morning is this –

Which links to this story.

This has me wondering… huh? All the stories over the past twelve months have referred to the exodus which is apparently occurring with expats returning to Australia in droves.

On the 15th May 2008 we had this…

On November 25 2008 we had this…

Then on December 2 2008 we had this!

But then one day later, things apparently turned around because I read this.

It feels very strange that this time ten years ago, I was doing the ‘London thing’ and yet haven’t been back since I left.

I have been savouring every moment with mum and dad – thus the lack of blogging. We have been doing and seeing SO much! Tomorrow we leave for Boston – so in the meantime, I thought I’d post some photos of where we have been!

Mum and dad on their first day in New York!

Mum and dad outside the Flamingo in Las Vegas. Where we saw… Donny and Marie. Donny shook our hands and danced on our table! *faints*

All of us at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

On top of the world… looking down on creation!

Mum and dad at the Hoover Dam

Mum and dad at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

With the NYPD in Times Square. They were going to arrest dad for over-shopping at Century 21.

Again, in Times Square.

Mum and I at the Washington Mall looking towards the Washington Monument

Allen John Gibson Cleary (Great-Great Grandfather)
22nd Battalion
14th Reinforcement
Left Melbourne in July 1916.
Lost his leg in battle and returned to Australia November 1917.

Allen’s brother James Joseph, also left on the same boat as him and died back in Melbourne of injuries sustained in battle.

Francis John Cleary (Great Grandfather)
Son of Allen (above)
VX28141
4th Anti-Tank Regiment
POW Thai-Burma Railway

(In this photo is his mate ‘Fitzy’ (L) – I did some research and found out this is Thomas Fitzpatrick and he died as a prisoner of war in Siam)

Horace William Telford (Great Grandfather)
34th Battalion
7th Reinforcement
Left Sydney January 1917.
Suffered severe gunshot wounds to his head and thigh.
Returned to Australia September 1918.