Newcastle to New York

Hurricane 101

2011-08-27T20:59:00.001-04:00

Hello all. I know I’ve been gone from the blog scene for some time, but seeing as how I’m holed up in my apartment for the next 36ish hours, I figured I would get back to blogging. And why not talk about that lovely lady, Irene. I’m here to give some preparation advice. “But Leighton, this is your first Hurricane?!” Correct, but three things in my defense. 1) I lived in Oklahoma for 23

Fashion Week

2011-02-18T21:53:00.001-05:00

So it’s Fashion Week here in NYC. I’ve always told Emily that if the Computer thing didn’t pan out that I was changing my name to Davini Minori and going into fashion. How hard could it be? For now, however, I’m leaving things up to the “experts”. Here are some of my favorite “fashions” from this week in NYC…. It’s an egg, dude?! Who would wear that?! Is this guy going to bed, or a

The Mechanic

2011-02-07T14:38:00.003-05:00

The subways in NYC are an interesting place. Rats, trash, homeless guys…there’s something for everybody. The longer I’m in NYC the more I find myself thinking, public transportation really sucks. I mean, really sucks. A little story from my travels this morning to illustrate this point. I like to walk Emily to work in the morning, which is up in the Bronx. Not the sketchiest place in the

Housekeeping

2011-01-29T14:54:00.001-05:00

A lot has happened since my last blog! So… Shout out to Emoly West for coming in 4th in the Miss USA competition. Word has it that she won the swimsuit competition?! I want everyone to know that I saw Emoly in a one piece in 2006. I know, I’m awesome. I am now an employee at BlackRock effective Feb. 22!! Tonight I’m going to Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ (live Bluegrass included) with one

Thoughts on an Airplane

2011-01-29T14:43:00.001-05:00

I’m back!!! *Crickets*. Yeah, I know nobody cares, but since I have a world of free time I figured I would throw out a couple of posts. Why not? One of my favorite things to do is fly. I love it. My opinion will probably change once I get molested by the TSA, but for right now I love it. So to celebrate this fact, I bring you some of the highs and lows of my flying adventures. Best

Miss Oklahoma

2010-07-23T15:19:00.001-04:00

It’s been quite a while since I posted, but I figured this was worth the effort! Besides, this is probably my one and only chance to say that “I personally know Miss Oklahoma.” For those of you who don’t know, Emoly West is the new Miss Oklahoma. Now, I might be just one of her 1,534 Facebook friends, but more importantly I’m one of only 25(ish) other people who spent an entire semester with

Oklahoma. Isn’t that where…

2010-05-30T13:16:00.002-04:00

So it’s not quite Newcastle OR New York, but it’s certainly new. I’m now in sunny/humid/hot/”Am I the only person even thinking about moving fast?” Melbourne Florida. I’m here to work for Northrop Grumman as soon as I get my security clearance, but who really knows when that will happen?! In the mean time, I might as well blog so I can keep up with Emily. In the last few months I’ve been kind

The Homeless

2010-03-27T00:54:00.001-04:00

I used to think I saw homeless people all the time in OKC. I would say on average I saw somebody on the streets maybe once a week. Maybe. Of course, that was OKC and this is NYC. Now, if there is a day when I don’t see a homeless person, it’s because I didn’t leave my apartment that day. If a day goes by where I only see ONE homeless person, it’s because I got 100 feet outside of my

Survival Tips

2010-03-06T11:21:00.002-05:00

I’ve got two survival tips for people moving to NYC. Honestly, these might be the most useful things to know if you are planning on living here. First, carry cash. Yes, you can get by with carrying a card, but trust me, you won’t be happy. One day you’ll be standing in a line about 5000 people long waiting to buy some overpriced Panini so you can get to the class you’re already late for and

Weather

2010-02-25T09:53:00.004-05:00

Coming to NYC, I was expecting a few weather differences. Probably not as hot during the summer, a little more mild and wet during the spring/fall, and colder during the winter. So far, that’s been fairly accurate, but lately I’ve noticed one huge key difference between OKC weather and NYC weather. Let’s say you wake up in OKC and the Gary tells you, “Folks, it’s gonna be gorgeous outside today

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2010-02-11T12:23:00.001-05:00

In a way, my travel experiences of late are a lot like this movie. In my 23 Christmases in Oklahoma, not one time did I enjoy a white Christmas. But of course, when I’m trying to get home from NYC there hits the Oklahoma Blizzard 2009. 1 taxi, 5 airports, 3 airliners, 1 really nice hotel with revolving restaurant, 1 SuperShuttle, and about 100 United/Continental flight delays later I made it

They said it best…

2010-01-27T15:51:00.001-05:00

So if you don’t know, I love folk/bluegrass. Love it. I know that that is like the most hick, country thing in the world to love, but I just can’t help it. If you want some good music, listen to The Avett Brothers. Anyway, when I was back in Oklahoma I would tune my dad’s satellite radio to bluegrass and listen to it non-stop (unless of course it was between the hours of 11 to 2 or 4 to 6

Pick-a-City

2010-01-19T00:14:00.000-05:00

Vacation…over. So the first thing everyone asked me when I was home was, “So, how do you like it up there?” I mean, it was practically a given. My answer? “I like it, it’s different.” This, of course, is a crappy answer, which just leads to more questions. And really, all people want to know is “Which city do you like better?” Be honest, you’re dying to know. So without actually answering

The Elusive 6-pack

2009-09-24T22:15:00.001-04:00

I have to say, I've done some pretty awesome stuff in my lifetime. I've seen the Australian Philharmonic perform in the Sydney Opera House, bought silk table runners on the Great Wall, seen Les Miserables in London, and received a full body massage from an ogre next to a gay guy in Budapest. However, one thing has eluded me my whole life…. A 6-pack. Now, granted, this is primarily due

Recycling

2009-09-16T22:33:00.002-04:00

No one likes recycling. If you do, there is something terribly wrong with you. I would compare recycling to snow. You think it is going to be cool all year. "Wow, snow!" And when it starts snowing for the first time every year, it's great. Then you're snowed in, the electricity goes out, you're feet are frozen solid from the slush you're walking through, and your girlfriend hates you for no

Making Friends with Foreigners

2009-09-14T21:38:00.001-04:00

Now here is something that I'm actually getting pretty good at! Not only have I been around the world and lived a month with a Japanese family, I now live 2 blocks south of Harlem and attend Columbia University which sometimes resembles Capital Normal University.First of all, you have to introduce yourself. If you shake hands, for goodness sake just shake the guy/gals hand. There is no harm in

First Rule of Moving

2009-09-04T18:56:00.000-04:00

I've just moved from OKC to NYC this week. There is almost too much to write about all of the things I've learned in just the first week, but here is probably the most important. If you are moving anywhere (not just small town to big city), find yourself a COMFORT FOOD. Mine's chocolate. And its a good one to have because anywhere you move they have chocolate. If they don't have chocolate