Aubrey's Last Weekend...

So this weekend was Aubrey's last weekend in the city! It was really sad! She is now home, but I think we went out with a pretty good bang! :)

I went down Friday night because I had to take two tests REALLY early Saturday morning. When I got in on Friday, I still needed to stop and get some #2 pencils that weren't mechanical because I didn't have any. We stopped at two Duane Reade stores and NEITHER of them had pencils. They had erasers, sharpeners, etc...but no pencils. We went to Pinkberry while we were still looking for pencils and then went to the Walgreen's in Times Square. They happened to have pencils.......but no sharpeners or erasers........perfect. I already was in a bad mood because I had to take these tests in the first place and this wild goose chase was NOT helping! We went back to the Duane Reade where it all started and bought the pencil sharpener I needed. We finally got back to Aubrey and Angie's around 11 and I went to bed at 12:30am...not very smart.

I woke up at 4:30am....got out of bed at 5:15am.....to get ready for my test. I left Aubrey's at 6:20am and headed for NYU. I was walking around looking for the building...and looking lost because the numbers were ALL messed up! I got off the subway around 160...a few blocks later I saw 70 and was excited I was getting closer...60...and then all of a sudden, there was 20! I was looking for 40! I kept looking at the buildings, thinking I had missed something...looking completely lost. Some lady asked me if I was looking for some place to take a test and so I said yes! Finally someone to help me! This is what she said next,"Well you can just follow me...the SAT is right down this street..." Apparently I look like I'm 17 when I'm almost 24 years old. This is like the 3rd time I have gotten mistaken for a high school student in the past 4 months! I don't know why people think I look so young...I don't think I look like I could still be a junior in high school! Anyway, I told her I was looking for the Praxis and she pointed me in the right direction. I LOVED NYU. It is so cool...I don't even know how to explain it...the classrooms, the hallways, the hang out spots...the stair cases even! Anyway, I was supposed to be there for my first test at 7:30am (which I JUST made it...) but my test proctors were really slow and a lot of people were late, so we didn't start until 8:20am. It was a two hour, 120 multiple choice question test and I finished in an hour and 20 minutes, so had to sit there for 40 minutes doing nothing...I'm pretty sure I nodded off a few times. My next test was supposed to start at 11am, but started at 11:20am and again was a two hour test, but it was 60 multiple choice questions and 6 essay questions. This test took me the whole time and I even skipped an essay question because I knew I wouldn't have time for it : / I'm so glad my tests are over! Now I just have to wait a month for my scores.

I met Aubrey and Angie in Washington Square Park...by the arch that's in August Rush. While we were in the park, Aubrey wanted a jumping picture in front of the arch. I told her I'd take it because I have taken a lot of her jumping pictures during our expeditions through the city. I tell her to jump and then see it all in slow motion. There's a pigeon walking slowly toward her...she jumps up...the pigeon gets scared and flies away from her....away from her and toward my face. Mind you, I am completely disgusted and grossed out by pigeons. I hate them. They make me shiver just thinking about them. So, this pigeon is flying toward my face and here I am, still taking Aubrey's picture. I have a terrified expression on my face, and so does Aubrey as she lands and rushes to my rescue. She's just lucky I didn't freak out and throw her camera or something. That would have been tragic! And I still got a decent picture...so basically, I'm good even when I'm having a personal crisis.

We walk away from the park, toward our previously decided shopping locations. There is a HUGE Indian parade going on down the street toward the park. It was pretty cool, I must say! Anyway, we went shopping pretty much all day and then went to Max Brenner for some dessert before Broadway. It was pretty delicious. Chocolate isn't my favorite candy (weird, I know...) because I tend to lean toward the chewy/fruity types of candy, but Max Brenner was pretty much chocolate HEAVEN. It was insane! I ordered churros with milk chocolate, white chocolate, and raspberries for dipping and I LOVED it. So good! :)

After Max Brenner, it was time for In The Heights on Broadway with Corbin Bleu. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I was wondering if I'd like it, but I LOVED it! Not to mention, Aubrey lives IN the heights and so it reminded us a lot of where she lives/where I stay every weekend. However, we DID flirt with the theater manager trying to get him to let us meet Corbin, but he wasn't catching our subtle hints. Dang him!

Sunday we went to church and then Aubrey and I came home early to get her to the airport. I went with her in case her suitcase was too heavy and I had to take some stuff and ship it to her. Good news! It was only 50.5 pounds! :) I took a taxi to a subway system (because Aubrey telling me about taking a bus just confused me...) and then headed to the NBA store to get my little brother a Playoffs shirt like I promised him. While I am on my way (I was wheeling my mini suitcase around the entire time...ANNOYING!) it starts to rain. I get into my suitcase and get my umbrella out, so I am now rolling my suitcase with one hand, and holding an umbrella with the arm that is holding my purse. I get to where I can see the NBA store from a distance and also see a HUGE parade. It was the Puerto Rican Pride parade and I had TOTALLY forgotten about it. I had to go really far out of my way to get to the NBA store. It was ridiculous. If I hadn't been so annoyed, the parade would have been really cool. If I had three arms, I would have gotten my camera out to take some pictures because it was pretty sweet, I must admit. They had rappers, cars with hydraulics and huge rims, and Puerto Rican men with their shirts off everywhere in the pouring rain. Because of the stupid parade, when I got out of the NBA store, I was so turned around that I walked 3 AVENUE blocks in the wrong direction. By that time I was at Grand Central Station...on the OPPOSITE end of 42nd that I wanted to be...so I just hopped on a subway to get to my bus station. I was SOAKING wet and had dried pieces of paper all up and down my legs and capris. The Puerto Ricans left A LOT of paper on the ground that dissolved into smaller pieces because of the rain, and ended up on the backs of my legs and on my feet. It wasn't pleasant.

I took the 6:15pm bus back to Tuxedo...which just so happens to be the bus my "best friend" drives. (I've taken this bus like...3 times...and this bus drive ALWAYS talks to me. He probably knows my whole life story by now, and me his...whether I wanted to or not. He is QUITE the talker!) Boy was that a mistake. He was on one...seriously. He is the chattiest person EVER! Not to mention he asked me out and I didn't know what to say. Here is how our conversation went (I had one head phone in my ear and one out, so I couldn't understand him sometimes...):
Bus Driver: "So Nichole...how about a date?"
Nichole: "Umm...what?"
Bust Driver: "I didn't stutter!"
Nichole: "Sorry...my music is loud..."
[Bus Driver wastes 5 minutes talking nonsense...]
Bus Driver: "Nichole, I'm serious. Date? You know...dinner, movie, etc..." (Not so sure what the "etc." was supposed to mean, but it kind of scared me, not going to lie...)
Nichole: [While trying to quickly remember if I had previously told him I was currently unattached...] "Well...here's the thing...my friend that lives in the city actually left today...so I won't be coming around every weekend like I have been because I don't have anywhere to stay..." [I was really nervous about adding that last part because I half expected him to offer me a place to stay...ew.]
Bus Driver: "Sure, Nichole....." [To the two other passengers that were near the front] "Man, did you hear her? I just got REJECTED! Can't believe it!"
Needless to say, if I DO go in to the city this next month to hang out with Angie, I will NOT be taking the 6:15pm bus anymore. Oh, and he also told me that one of his bus driver friends told him I was "caliente." Oh perfect. Now there are two bus drivers after me! Of COURSE I attract THOSE guys...of course! What a PERFECT ending to Aubrey's last weekend in the city....if she would have been able to witness it, she would have LOVED it hahahaha! :)

PS-I went downstairs this morning to get a Nutrigrain bar for one of the babies and definitely saw a mouse dead in a trap. Eww. What an excellent start to the morning. My boss said that there were actually two...I didn't see the other because I didn't look close enough. I thought I heard a trap go off downstairs last night, but thought it was just my boss doing something downstairs. Then I went down to get the little boys something for dinner and saw ANOTHER dead mouse just laying there with its paws up in the air not in a trap. That is when I saw a HOLE...that's right, a straight up HOLE next to the dishwasher. My boss thinks that is where their "lair" is...well yeah!!! Seems obvious enough to me!!! So three down, who knows how many to go! Good thing I still have that Kleenex stuffed in that hole in my room! Eww!