that was the weekend that was: work-life balance

[lagilman]

Friday I postponed lunch plans and spent all day working on G&T #4, getting it ready for deadline on the 1st, then hied myself off to a friend's surprise birthday celebration (and we actually kept it a surprise! I knew the 11-year-old could do it but was less certain about the 45-year-old...)

Saturday I spent the early morning hours working, then hied off into Manhattan to meet up with neadods and Mo (who has an LJ I'm sure but I'm blanking on it), who were in to see a show.  There was lunch at Molyvos, where the conversation ranged from Adult Financial Stuff to discussions of technology and from there to AO3 pr0n (as one does), and then I went off to upgrade my tech while they saw their show (an off-Broadway performance that was reportedly quite wonderful), and then there was drinks in an outdoor atrium where conversation was wide-ranging again and may have involved some very long-term planning for 2016....  (and also the realization of how long we've all known each other, which is both wonderful and...kinda depressing.  I'm HOW old again?).
And then I aimed them at their bus, and went home to...well, I was supposed to get more work done.  I may have indulged in a few more episodes of the SPN summer rewatch.

Sunday I spent the morning working on G&T #4 again, then headed off to JFK to reclaim my brother-in-law and sister from where I'd left them three weeks ago.  Have I mentioned recently how much I hate JFK Airport?  Because OMFG the hate is legendary (and my sister's first words, on meeting up with the car, was "oh my god this airport is horrible!").  But they have been collected, and reclaimed their car, and I am once again a properly car-less New Yorker as god and the mayor intended.

[having a car is nice.  but when you use it once a week, at most, 'nice' doesn't offset the cost or the annoyances, IME]

And now I am going to feed the cats, make some dinner, and go back to work. Because the book's due on the 1st, and my brain's screaming "no we need to do one more pass!  Maybe two!"

Comments

[girasole.livejournal.com]

I do love Molyvos. It's in my personal top ten of NYC restaurants, and it may be in my top five. I also love Periyali, a bit further downtown.

[irishkate.livejournal.com]

Curiously I have never had a real problem with JFK. It easy easy to get out of when coming from Ireland and apparently I don't remember leaving from it almost at all..Though I think the last time may have been business class..

We have had interesting trouble with the car on the way to and from the airport but it wasn't actually the airport's fault..

[lagilman]

The problems are twofold:

1. the roads leading in/out of the airport are badly designed, with the terminals not connected by a single clear loop the way they are at Newark (post-renovations), and you're not allowed to pause at the pick-up area but have to keep moving...which makes sense from a "we have too many people and too many cars need to keep things moving" basis, but is CRAP when the person you're picking up can't find you right away, and you have to do another loop to get back to them.

(taxis have their own lane and queue, so they don't have this problem)

2. the terminals themselves were not designed to hold the sheer number of people coming in and out every single hour. Newark updated and expanded, LGA funnels people in and out quickly...JFK is still a badly-lit and poorly-signed muddle.

I will pay extra to NOT have to deal with JFK.

[irishkate.livejournal.com]

Ah...I see what you mean then. As the not driver and having come out of Newark only rarely (transferred through usually) I don't know how awful the roads are in and out. (Unless the car dies on the way which HAS happened!)

And in a fit of insane miracles the last couple of times my brother has actually collected us, his car reached the pedestrian crossing right as we walked out of the building and the lights changed to stop him there, so we walked across and got in and pulled off in one easy movement. And he had not yet circled..Other times we had to get a taxi anyway which was fairly simple.

But as a result of above - I can understand your dislike more.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

JFK is one of the circles of hell. Give me Newark every time.