Archive of ‘Tuesday BLAGS’ category

Guest Post: 10 Random Things You Don’t Know About Dori

Hello Fitness Blog People. My name is Andy and I am the boyfriend of Dori. Perhaps you recognize me from the NYC and Richmond Marathons or Celebrating My Birthday, or from me being one of the 10 things Dori is liking in 2012.

I’ve been telling Dori that I’d like to write a guest post and seeing that we’re four days from moving in together, this seemed like the ideal time. Since everyone loves lists, I thought I’d give you 10 Random Things You Don’t Know About Dori. But first here’s a bunch of random things about me so you know who I am and all that.

I have known Dori for a year and 11 days, which is probably less time than most of you have been reading her blog. I am going to be 35 next Wednesday and Dori is taking me to my favorite restaurant – Chili’s! I am from Framingham, Mass. On a related note, I’m not one of those people from a suburb of Boston who just say they’re from Boston (instead of the specific town) nor do I know why everyone does that. [Ed. note: Yes, he is]

Dori and Andy

I sometimes slip into my sexy Dylan McKay whisper voice when I want to seduce Dori (Hey Bren, Hey Kel). I sometimes put on a fake British accent [Ed. note: Does not sound remotely British aside from the use of such words as crumpets] when I want to make Dori laugh. I don’t like chocolate or coffee. I like oatmeal cookies with no raisins and find myself addicted to Diet Snapple Peach Iced Tea. I think Saved by the Bell is overrated and Charles In Charge is underrated. I prefer pools to beaches and Chipotle to Qdoba. I could go on and on about myself … but this isn’t about me. So without further ado…

 

TEN RANDOM THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT DORI

 

  1. She Watches/Tolerates Sports – I’ll just start with the most important thing since I work in sports and need to watch them for my job (or so I say). It started one innocent summer night when I said to her, “By the way, I spend every Sunday after Labor Day watching football from 1pm to 11pm. And it’ll probably go through the Super Bowl because I feel good about the Patriots this year.” Her response: “OK sounds fun.” Sure, this has something to do with her utter hatred of cold weather (spoiler alert) but it’s better than being cooped on the couch watching Lifetime movies all day. Who am I kidding? I love Lifetime movies. And since you asked, I’m still devastated by the Patriots losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. It sucked enough when it happened in 2007, especially living in NYC, but for it to happen again four years later is just not fair. At least it wasn’t the Jets.
  2. She Reads Like A Mofo. But Not Magazines – This may have something to do with her being forced to watch football 10 hours every Sunday, but she buries herself in that Kindle for hours reading book after book. However, put a magazine in front of her and there’s no interest. Zero. And I am talking good girlie magazines I get for free from work like People, In Style, Entertainment Weekly. What girl doesn’t like reading People? Dori, that’s who.
  3. Her Apartment Sucks – She’s referenced her 320 square foot paradise in numerous posts and it is quite the spectacle. You walk in, small bedroom with no closet to the left, small bathroom to the right, tiny kitchen in front of you, slightly less small closetless bedroom (technically a living room) off kitchen. That’s it. She’s lived there for six years. I’d say my apartment is roughly 65 percent of the reason she started dating me. Maybe 70. [Ed. note: 95]
  4. She Puts Me In Prison – Ladies, I don’t know if you do this to your boyfriend but it is not fun. I’m lying on the couch. Dori is lying on the couch next to me. Dori then subtly positions her body so it’s at a 45-degree angle and her legs are crossing over mine. Then I try to get up to get water or go to the bathroom and I can’t move because Dori’s legs are preventing me from getting up. I call it putting me in prison. I don’t even think she knows she’s doing it. Then she laughs and apologizes so I can’t really get mad. But maybe if I put it in a post on her blog, she’ll stop doing it so much. [Ed. note: No]
  5. She Won’t Sing Billy Joel – If I were on a desert island and could only have one CD, Billy Joel wouldn’t be my first choice (it’s probably be Pearl Jam or Neil Young). He wouldn’t be my second choice either (that’d be the underrated ‘Til the Medicine Takes by Widespread Panic). He’d probably be around my 25th choice. But that doesn’t stop me from singing Uptown Girl every time we go to one of our favorite UES hotspots, The Uptown Lounge. Of course, I alter the lyrics to reflect the moment. In other words, Dori will say something like, “We should get that pizza we like from Uptown Lounge.” And I’ll respond with, (in tune of Uptown Girl), “Uptown Lounge. We’re having dinner at the Uptown Lounge. Maybe we’ll have a burger and fries, or something else that rhymes with fries.” I’ve sung this song roughly 50 times in the past six months and she won’t bite. It’s addictive though – I bet you’re singing it to yourself right now. [Ed. note: She will sing Billy Joel, she will not sing Uptown Lounge]
  6. She Loves Pajamas – I understand that everyone loves pajamas – they are a sign of being home and comfortable and all that. But nobody gets in their pajamas quicker than Dori. We’ll go out to dinner, return to my apartment and before I’ve even locked the door, she’s got her pajama pants on and regular clothes off. Like 3.6 seconds. It’s impressive. And she always has to make a comment like, “Ugh. I hate clothes.” Apparently, pajamas don’t count as clothes.
  7. She Hates the Cold – Well, everyone hates the cold but Dori really hates the cold and uses the months between September and March to remind me of such every day. She also claims to “melt in the rain,” which is somewhat funny because if anything, you’d melt in the sun because it’s so hot. If anything, one would fall apart in the rain. I kind of like the rain, but only when I’m stuck at work because I don’t want anyone to enjoy the nice weather if I can’t.
  8. She Loves Beverly Hills 90210 – I already mentioned my sultry Dylan McKay whisper/voice that makes her melt, but it’s more than just Luke Perry. She loves Steve’s blonde mullet and Donna’s bad boob job. She loves Brenda’s bitchiness and Brandon’s impenetrable hair. And frankly, I do too, which is why I current have 36 episodes backlogged on my DVR. But there’s more – since we started dating, we met Ian Ziering in person, talked to Tori Spelling on a Facebook chat and have befriended the great Lacey Chabert. Sure, she was on Party of Five but it’s still impressive.Dori and Andy and Ian Ziering
  9. She Loves Hoodies and Yoga Pants –This is her outfit of choice and frankly, I couldn’t be happier. I see way too many girls squeeze into some ridiculously uncomfortable pair of jeans to go out to brunch so the 20 people at the restaurant that she’ll never see again are impressed with how she looks. Not Dori. She could not care less – just throw on some yoga pants and a hoodie and she’s good to go. Though she does look good in yoga pants.
  10. She Likes The Refine Method – As she’s written here a million times, she is a big fan of this workout. No matter how crappy she feels before, she always comes back with a big smile on her face. So a few months ago, I decided to give it a shot since it’s such a big part of her life. I’ll never make that mistake again. No offense to Brynn, who is the best fitness instructor in Manhattan but I couldn’t move my legs for three days after the workout and have no desire to do it again. But there’s Dori, going several times a week and kicking ass. Not that I’m completely lazy – Dori has now taken me to four spin classes which is much easier for me. I’ve also walked roughly 10,000 laps around the Reservoir since moving to NYC several years ago. [Ed. note:  Someone who does not run also signed up for a 3 mile race in May]

Dori and Andy - Jersey City

And there you have it – 10 Random Facts About Dori. And here’s one more – she’s a great girlfriend and an even better roommate (I hope). So if you happen to be in Jersey City and see an amazingly awesome couple walking around like they own the place, that’s probably not us. We’ll be home in pajamas watching a 90210 rerun.

Leaving NYC

On April 14, I’m moving out of New York City. When Andy and I decided to live together when his current lease expired, we quickly realized that we could not afford a doorman building in Manhattan. Having lived in a shitty walk up building in a tiny apartment with no closets for the last six years, I really wanted to live a little bit better (Read: Someone to sign for my packages). I also wanted other luxuries that typically come from this type of building, including laundry, a dishwasher and a gym. I was tired of bringing my laundry on the subway to my mom’s in Queens every two months or so, and I was tired of “hoarding” my clothes because I never know what I might want to wear two weeks from now. Then I end up not wearing it either time — both now and two weeks from now — and all the stress was for nothing.

Now that you all know I am neurotic, let’s move on.

I work in Jersey City and when I first learned about this opportunity I said, “Ew!” I actually knew nothing about Jersey City. I worked in the World Financial Center for three years and often looked across the river at JC and wondered what went on there. My former company, Merrill Lynch, even had two offices there which I communicated with but never thought to visit. I didn’t understand who worked there or why.

When my roommate got a job in Jersey City a few years ago I was really surprised. When she quit a few days later, I was not as surprised.

I considered not even coming to my job interview. Jersey City? Stigma.

I don’t know where this stigma came from or why, but when I stepped off the PATH train for my first interview last summer, I was shocked by how pretty, quiet and peaceful it is here. The view of Manhattan over the Hudson River, the prettiness of the neighborhood, the walking path along the water. It was a very short train ride from the city but I felt like I went under a river and into a whole other world.

So when we realized we can’t afford the city, we set out search on Jersey City. Just to look. We spent one weekend in February looking at apartments, thinking we were way too early to look for the May 1 move in we needed. It turns out we weren’t too early, and when we fell in love with an apartment and building right off the PATH stop, that was it.

The building comes with a free membership to Club H gym, which is a really nice gym with fancy treadmills that you plug your iPod into and can watch things on and do other cool things I don’t know about yet since I haven’t actually tried them. The gym has an abundant class schedule which includes spinning and yoga, as well as a steam room and sauna. All for free. I was hoping for a standard apartment building gym, and never could have imaged THIS would be my freebie. Obviously this was a big draw for me. Although I still plan to go into the city after work for Refine a couple times a week. I need my fix.

The other great things about the apartment and the building include a gorgeous outdoor pool and sundeck with grills, a tennis court, on-site dry cleaning, a washer dryer IN MY APARTMENT (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), a dishwasher, four closets – one which is a HUGE WALK-IN, floor to ceiling windows, stainless steel fridge (my current apartment came equipped with a dorm room fridge), a nice entry way into the apartment, a kinda-big bathroom with nice black tiled floors and a normal sized sink (my current sink is mini: lots of splashing occurs), a carpeted bedroom and an overall gorgeous space. The area is fantastic: right off the Grove Street PATH stop by tons of cute restaurants and a couple of blocks from the Hudson River Waterfront and running path, and very close to Liberty State Park where more running can happen.

An apartment like this would be insanely expensive in Manhattan. An apartment with half the amenities and space would still be insanely expensive. Our apartment is actually affordable. You get so much more for so much less money.


[My new running grounds]

And I get to live with my sweet Andy.

There is a lot we are really excited about but of course I have some concerns, and I will list below the things I will and will not miss about living in Manhattan.

Keep in mind that Manhattan is a 5-10 minute PATH train ride away depending on which train I take. Also keep in mind that the people on the PATH are overall less annoying, and I have only seen one beggar in my nine months of riding it. And lastly, keep in mind that I will be living so much closer to the West Side Hudson River running path that’s in Manhattan and by leaving the city, I will actually get to take advantage of this much more than when I lived there. If I want to.

I will also be closer to the far less crowded Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in Manhattan and be able to do actual shopping at these stores. Right now, where I live, it’s impossible. I find it funny how certain things in Manhattan will be easier for me to get to after I move away than they are when I live there.


[The view of NYC from JC]

Things I will miss about Manhattan

  • Taxis
  • Late night taxis
  • Ease of getting anywhere quickly (in part, thanks to taxis)
  • The ability to walk to any store I could possibly need without even crossing a street
  • The proximity to Queens, where my mommy lives
  • Central Park
  • Ease of getting to early morning NYRR races
  • Refine Method being a 10-block walk away
  • Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot and Bloomingdale’s all being in a three-block radius of my apartment
  • Taxis

 

Things I will not miss about Manhattan

  • City taxes (not to be confused with taxis)
  • The subway
    • MetroCards (they never work)
    • People on the subways (I hate them all)
    • Non-moving lines for stairs (WHY is this a thing?)
    • Weekend schedules/construction
    • People stepping on my foot (ow)
  • Apartments with no space
  • Laundromats
  • Second Avenue subway construction
  • Slow walkers
  • The cost of orange juice
  • Long waits for brunch
  • The air
  • The noise
  • The price of everything
  • Commuting

The stigma of JC is obviously gone, and time seems to be moving so slowly until moving day. My biggest concern (don’t laugh) was not being able to get to Refine as often or easily, but I know I can make it work. Plus I hope to run more often with the river so readily available, which goes well with my plans to PR in a few distances this year. And having an awesome gym right downstairs takes a lot of the edge off.

Time has felt very slow since the day we signed the lease, and these last two weeks are barely crawling. But the fact that I only have one more blog post to write before I move makes it better. Two blogs from now, I’ll be in my new place.

I’m really excited to live like a grownup for the first time. I plan to get matching nightstands that also match the dresser, just like real grownups have in their bedrooms. I also realize that real grownups don’t need to always say how grownup they are, because the whole point of being a grownup is just being one without talking about it. I guess I’m not quite there yet.

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