Heat.

It's really hot. Right now in lab there is no AC because there is a problem providing power to the Washington Heights area. The hospital is doing a fairly good job conserving power (fewer elevators running, raising the thermostat, no AC in my lab...) however, it is causing me great discomfort because in lab (labs in general) there is a great deal of equiptment generating heat. As result, I was sweating as I pipetted my samples into the gel.

Anyway, in this terrible heat we moved. We are now fully moved in (sans few boxes with crap in them and a bursting laundry bag) and mostly organized. The movers were great and because our lease didn't start until the 1st, we had them hold our stuff for one night. Mike and I were homeless for one night and even though Josh was generous enough to give us the keys to his place, we slept in lab (we worked late and it was air conditioned). The movers moved everything in to the backyard except furniture because Zibby, our super, was painting during the move. Crazy. Mike's parents were gracious enough to come up in this heat and help us unpack. We got so much done and it was great to see them.

The apt. is great. Small, but a very good layout. A few inventive strategies had to be used to make everything fit. Unfortunately it is too hot to use the backyard, but that didn't stop me from ripping out all the weeds and trimming some ivy.

However, there was a mishap that has traumatized me. Yesterday at about 8am, I stepped out to the cage to make sure everything looked okay in the backyard. I noticed that the key to the padlock was inside and as I turned around I, I stubbed my toes and fell forward, pulling the backyard door shut. This door locks automatically. Mike and I had joked around that someone would get stuck in the cage one day. Well, this was my day. I was locked in the cage. In a white dress. I started to freak out and decided that I would climb out. So now I am hanging upside down showing all of the UWS my underpants. No escape. Then I decide that I can squeeze through the bars. Mind you they are about 3-4 inches apart. I get my knee in and it get stuck. I can't get it out and now my knee is turning purple. I start whimpering. I get it out. I start yelling, "SOMEBODY. PLEASE. IT'S NOT AN EMERGENCY. I'M STUCK IN MY BACKYARD" over and over. I can hear two workers somewhere near by and they are tittering at my misfortune. Bastards. I see the fold out IBM chair and sit in it...in the cage. I am sad. I will have to wait until Mike gets home. I will die. It's so hot...so hungry.

I yell some more and finally my upstairs neighbor hears me and calls the super. Zibby comes over in like 30min and saves me. He is laughing at me because I have the saddest face ever. I apologize for being a bad new tenant. I call Mike to tell him the mishap and he says that around the time I got stuck outside, he had a mild panic attack because he thought that I was stuck in the cage. Strange. Then as I am leaving the apt., I trip as I am checking my bag for keys and fall forward. The door slams behind me. I have no keys. I called Mike who in an exasperated voice tells me it's ok. I then had to go to the Eastside to pick up his, make copies and then go to work. Man. It was a bad day. Then that night I hit my face on the Christmas tree stand getting a nice red welt complete with ridges from the screw. And it's hot. Really hot.

Welcome to the Upper West Side. Come visit sometime. I promise I won't let you get locked in the cage. It's scary there.