Tao of Pauly

Transition

By Pauly
New York City

I was so far high up in the cosmos that it took a few days to re-enter normal's atmosphere. Seriously. Even several days after I officially stopped partying at Langerado, I felt some of the side affects many many many hours after the fact. Residuals. Most of the time, it was cool and hilarious because they came in cycles and waves and you never knew when you'd get one. Sort of like a flashback. But I admit, it was nuisance, since I had really hoped to switch gears and get a lot of work done last week.

There were moments, maybe three seconds long, where I sensed something is not quite right. That's when I discovered that I was still a bit loopy. Everything made sense. Those waves of insobriety ended around Wednesday, a good 48 hours after I stopped partying.

Since the bender was extended a few days into last week, I had a shorter amount of time to upload pictures, splice videos, and write recaps. It seemed that every day I completed about half of what I intended to do. I worked at a slow (but definitely focused) pace. And I also slept more than anticipated, which accounted for the lack of time. There were two instances were I got at least seven hours of sleep. That never happens, especially without sleeping aids such as Xanax, Ambien, and heavy quantities of Stolichnya.

I finally caught up on all that sleep I lost over the previous weekend. Then I got sick on Thursday with something I called the "wookie flu." A couple of us from the Langerado crew was smitten with flu-like symptoms. I figured it was a small price to pay for such a fun weekend. My body was run down and luckily, the ailment passed in a day, after I did what I could to boost my immune system. By the time the weekend began, I was feeling better.

After an unhealthy stint in Florida, I have been striving to live in a healthy environment when I'm in New York. I've have been running every other day and eating sensibly. I only binged on bacon once, when I went to the diner yesterday and grabbed a breakfast sandwich.

The old Greek guy behind the counter said that he had won a few grand in the lottery over the weekend. I guess his Pick 3 number hit or something like that. He said he was going to use the money for a trip back home to Greece in the summer.

The better diet and exercise allowed me to drop at least ten pounds since the beginning of March. I can easily shed another five by the end of April. The hard part is keeping it off.

I found a good space to write during my four weeks in NYC in April. I spent most of Monday cleaning up the area. The big test will be on Wednesday. I'll see if I can dig the vibe.

I picked up a feature assignment yesterday, which I couldn't turn down. I figured it's no more than a eight to ten hours of research and writing, which I could do on Wednesday to test out the new space.

And once I complete that assignment, I'm going to be focusing on basketball for ten straight days once March Madness begins. It's the moment I have been waiting for. I came in second place in my pool last year. I lost to Nicky by 10 points. I'm seeking revenge. I'm in NYC for six more days, before I migrate out West with trips to Hollywierd and Las Vegas for ten days.

I avoided the drunken masses on Monday, although I got the sense that it was a tamer St. Patrick's Day than it had been in the past. Being on a Monday did that. Lots of people were partied out since people and bars started throwing parties as early as Friday.

Instead of knocking back cold ones in packed bars with amateur drunks, I stayed inside and watched High Fidelity while I played online poker. That was a bad decision which cost me $600. I should have went out and binge drank instead. I could have had a lot of fun for half the price. Oh well.

I woke up at 6am and went for a forty minute light jog as I listened to a Dead bootleg from 1977. I tweaked my hip a bit, which is why I slowed down a bit. I didn't want to push myself, so I came home earlier than I wanted. It was also cold as fuck, still in the mid-30s.

When I got home, I fired up some Miles Davis. There's a mix on my iPod which is essentially 85 cuts from Miles Davis spanning Sketches in Spain, Milestones, Bitches Brew, and Miles Smiles. I had not listened to that Miles Davis mix in a several weeks, and it felt good to write for an hour or so to inspiring music before most people woke up to start their day.