like a fish needs a bicycle...

in numerical order

so.

1. i got married.

it was a beautiful wedding, if i do say so myself. i'm not quite sure how, but i made it through the night, and i even danced quite a bit. i suppose the combined prayers of me, my family, and my friends (which probably literally totalled in the thousands), the medical stylings of my fabulous sisters (big shout out to atoosa, especially), and my attitude that whole weekend ("fake it til you feel it" and "smile and pretend everything's ok") all contributed significantly to my ability to enjoy my own wedding. i still felt kind of unsteady and light-headed, and i had a nervous stomach, but from what i hear, most brides feel that way anyway, so i guess i didn't do too bad. of course, i couldn't eat, despite my best efforts, which is quite a tragedy, because i hear the food was spectacular. and overall, i think it was a spiritual and joyful gathering, and for that, i'm truly truly grateful.

2. we went to cancun for the honeymoon.

i got sick (shocking, right?). i won't get into too much detail, but suffice it to say i was afflicted by 3 different ailments, and i we had to call the hotel doctor in the middle of the night once because i was so sick. 3 discrete illnesses on top of my prolonged crappy feeling was really impressive, i thought. i'm amazed i survived. oh, and the beach was really nothing to write home about. of all the beaches i've been to around the world, south padre island is still my favorite beach -- i suppose i'll always be a texas girl.

really though, i dunno why cancun gets so much hype. if it's because people go there and drink and party, then it seems like you could do that for much cheaper in plenty of other places (cancun was more expensive than new york, no joke). and if it's because of the beach, i found the beach there quite disappointing. it's pretty, but lots of beaches are pretty -- and so are pictures of lots of beaches. if you're going to go in person, it should be a good sensory experience overall. i found that the beach was too shallow, then suddenly way too deep, the undertoe was really strong, which made swimming exhausting, the shore was full of broken shells and rocks, and the waves were way too rough. i tried to teach greg to ride waves, as it was his first time at the beach (apart from the lakefronts that they calles "beaches" in minnesota) -- not sure he really got the full experience. i rode some good waves, but then i got slammed by a wave, and i was dragged across the broken shells and rocks. i walked out of the water with bleeding cuts on my back. so yeah, the beach was not so great. and in general, not the ideal honeymoon.

... particularly since i was worrying about what was to come this past week, but i'll get there...

3. we moved to new york.

we returned to dallas friday night, and i was not in top form. i was already post-sick and super-stressed about moving to new york and doing a week of interviews. i stayed up all night packing and preparing for early interview week, and we left for new york early on saturday morning. after spending the day traveling, greg and i arrived at our new place later saturday evening (which is very nice -- he did quite well in finding it). we made an emergency trip to target for some essentials and then crashed. on sunday, we got my stuff out of storage (all of which was smelly and musty due to a water leak that happened in the storage place over the summer -- sooo classy). the apartment promptly turned into an explosion of clothing, boxes, and newly-purchased target items.

4. i did 20 interviews in one week.

as greg and i continued to unpack, order furniture, and attempt to bring order to our lives, i started doing a marathon of interviews. what's funny is that people's perceptions have become so skewed that everyone kept saying "20 interviews -- that's not bad." some people were doing 42 in one week. madness, i tell you. madness. i had 28 to start with, i dropped several, i cancelled my whole wait-list so i wouldn't acquire anymore, and i still thought i was doing too many. whatev. i smiled, i schmoozed, i enthused, i pitched. now it's over. thank the good lord. i start school on wednesday, so we have a few days to try to make some progress on the apartment and everything. and greg is looking for a job. if you know anyone who needs a fabulous IT guy in new york, lemme know.

5. thus begins married life.

i saw all my classmates this week. everyone freaked out and asked to see my left hand. they also asked me what it's like to be married. the answer is that i don't exactly know yet. i'm still processing this whole thing, as we've only been married for 2 weeks, and our lives have been so abnormal and chaotic that i really have no idea what "married life" is yet. once we're a little more settled in, and i'm feeling a little more normal physically, emotionally, and mentally, and i've stopped obsessing over which songs the DJ didn't play at the wedding and which people i didn't get to take a picture with (really unhealthy, i know), i think i'll start to experience the married life routine. and then i will reflect. and then i will blog. so keep an eye out for my reflections on married lfe. until then, thank GOD i'm back in new york. funny how quickly this place became home.

Posted by naseem at August 26, 2006 07:45 AM