Here’s what’s going on in your neck of the woods…

As Al Roker says, “Here’s what’s going on in your neck of the woods.”

 

New York, January

Tempe, Arizona in January.

 

 

Arizona

- Average High: 74˚

- Average Snowfall: Less than one inch.

 

New York

- Average High: 36˚

- Average Snowfall: 24.2 inches.

 

Isn’t there something wrong with this picture? A January in Arizona I have the ability to sit by the pool and tan. Whereas, in New York the only opportunity I have to tan is in a tanning booth. In New York I am use to wearing three jackets and four pairs of socks to keep warm. I don’t know if I will ever get use to the leisure of wearing shorts in January, to me, winter is winter.

 

I miss having snow days in high school, were we would let our inner child release as the day was passed by throwing snowballs, sledding and drinking hot chocolate that burned your tongue. Kids in Arizona sure are missing out, I never heard of school being let out because it was too hot. Although in August when its 120˚ I think that is acceptable, school seems like quite a drag in that weather, I’d rather spend my time by the pool.

 

Considering I was never much of a snow devil, I have learned to appreciate the simple things. The snow falling while your bundled and walking down a crowded city street is beautiful. And although it snows winter in and winter out, everyone looks up to the sky and admires the beauty of a first snowfall for the year. Although the next day consists of curses as your back is sore from shoveling. So when it comes to snow in NY its a love hate relationship.

 

I believe the same love hate relationship comes with the heat. There is that middle period where the weather is perfect for being outside by the pool. But then the temperature creeps to the point where it is unbearable and you are sweating through clothes, while only being outside for a brief moment.

 

I miss the east coast for the seasons, but it sure is a good time to laugh at my friends and family when they get snowed into the house and I am lounging by the pool.

 

Hello Super Bowl XLVI!

Let me tell you something: it is very difficult to be a NY Giants fan in Arizona. The majority of out-of-state students at Arizona State muster in from California, therefore, I am among a surplus of 49er fans. Watching the Giants defeat the 49ers, 20-17 last weekend to clinch a position in the Super Bowl felt sensational! I’ve been watching the 15 minute NFL loop of the game highlights for a week. I think the highlights speak for themselves when it came to the Giants momentum during the game. I cannot wait for a historical rematch of the 2007 Super Bowl the teams, the coaches, the quarterbacks are all the same.

The morning of the game I set off to work, a little Irish Pub in an out-door mall, Tempe Marketplace. Out-door mall. That is one thing I learn to appreciate in Arizona, shopping and beautiful weather go hand in hand. I walk into work at the tail end of the Pats versus the Baltimore Ravens, as the kicker missed the field goal with 11 seconds left in the game aiding the Patriots with a 23-20 victory. The fans of game one filed out of the restaurant, then entered the sea of red and white jerseys. I was soon suffocated by 49ers fans.

Few blue jerseys were visible in the red sea and I made it a point to approach all of them stating they were my token favorites in the bar. One of my customers, Jim from Queens, asked how I felt going to school where you were a token Giants fan.  Humorous side note, everyone I meet in Arizona from New York seems to be from Queens. I told him it was hard to be a diehard NY supporter by my lonesome and I was happy to have fans come into the bar so I could bond with them. Before long all the Giants fans in the bar pushed their tables together forming a community within the red sea.

Tensions for the game were high as supporters of both teams were separated only by bar stools. I got into a brief argument with Jeff, a San Francisco native, who said that the 49ers had the home field advantage. Grass is grass my friend, I have yet to understand the significance of home field advantage. Jake Emen a sports writer for Yahoo! stated the 49ers have a strong defense, sacking Manning six times throughout the game. Although their defense was not enough for the steadily increasing offense of the Giants which have scored 24 points in the last four outings. With these statistics and my egotistical mindset that NY is better than everything, I decided to place a bet with Jeff on the outcome of the game. Thanks to Lawrence Tynes 31-yard game-winning field goal I was 200 dollars richer.

Fellow blogger SarahvNYC ranks Super Bowl Sunday just behind Thanksgiving. The only difference between the days is the abundance of food, but the day has something for everyone. As it is a deemed an Americanized holiday, there is a constant flow of alcohol to wash down chicken wings, hilarious commercials, cheerleaders for the guys and slow motion closeups of the football players for girls. As for the competition which keeps everyone entertained and riled in spirit. The day of competition is celebrated equally across the country. The 49ers may but by in the Super Bowl, yet ironic enough for the West coast, the half time show entertainment this year, will be preformed by the hottest country stars. I don’t think my friends back home in New York could name three country stars.

They say I “tawlk” funny

I’ll say it: we’re egotistical, New Yorker’s. We believe we live in the greatest city in the world. We do, don’t we? The center of the universe where everything is better here than anywhere else. I lived in the suburbs in Long Island for my first 18 years of life. I started to get sick of the chapped lips in the  cold and extreme humidity and ventured off to Arizona for college. My neighborhood is one in which people live beyond their means and the car you drive or purse on you carry is more significant than your character. It was a town I could not wait to escape from and begin a new chapter in my life.

For a girl so eager to leave, I assume the distance caught up with me. It was then, I caught myself comparing Arizona to home in every instance possible. Searching the internet I found a YouTube as vulgar as it may be, boy does the couple hit the nail on the head with their representation of New York. I agreed with every lingering word, the quality of the pizza lacked desperately, I could not find a bagel that compared to the infamous H&H on 79th Street.

The moment I meet someone in Arizona, they sit with a puzzled look as if they were staring through me as I was speaking. Then, they would interrupt my conversation by saying, “Wait, you are defiantly from New York. Can you speak New York for me?” Excuse me, but speak “New York” for you, what the hell does that even mean? I began to realize up until this point I had never left the East coast and have never experienced the awe of a west coaster.

Arizona sentence: “I talk, I walk my dog and I drink coffee and water.”

New York annunciation: “I tawlk, I walk my dawg and I drink cawffee and waater.”

Many words that have “o” are pronounced “aw.”  This is represented in words such as coffee and dog. The American “o” sound is basically obsolete in the New York dialect. Maybe it is because of our ego that we felt the need to sound differently than most people. It is a common stereotype that New Yorkers fail to say the “g” in “-ing” or the “r” at the end of a word. This is false, depending on your location in New York, your dialect differs. Long Islanders such as myself are considered better educated and financially stable, therefore, our dialect is not as strong, whereas those from the city fulfill the utmost stereotype as seen in the video. As for Upstate New York, anything above Westchester everyone knows is really considered Connecticut.