Psych!

The Census called me in for important info gathering at the last minute today. My enumerating colleague and I walked all over downtown Brooklyn.

There was so much to see - Brooklyn's tallest building; historic houses that were moved on flatbeds to make room for Metrotech; an Underground Railroad site on Duffield Street...

It's the best job ever, and suddenly, there's work for the rest of the week! Hopefully my script will be even better now that I don't have to worry about money. Lucky for me, I can count humans in my sleep.

Thank Goodness!

Thank goodness there was no Census work to be done today, and that my Poker Game got rained out, and that there is no other work on the horizon because really - who has time? Script Frenzy is starting on Thursday, and I only have a ghost of a story - a mist!

I spent the day outlining and character building, but I need all day tomorrow too. Fortunately, nobody is knocking down my door to work for the rest of the week, so...

My script better be good!
http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/whatisscriptfrenzy

Hot Hot Hot!

Walking in the rain in Dumbo was great even though I left my green slicker at home in favor of a more sophisticated trench coat (which turned out to be kind of absorbent).

My enumerating colleague and I ducked into Jacques Torres Chocolates for Hot Cocoa after handing out some important forms.

Probably the last hot cocoa of the season (heat wave's comin') which made it even better!

I'm Totally Qualified

to be a professional bedwarmer!

http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2010/02/would-you-like-us-to-send-in-human-bed.html

I have tons of experience sleeping and getting up - I'd be a shoe in! There are so many on the job perks - I especially like the All-In-One Sleeper Suit!

But for today I'm back to Census taking.

Post Sleepiness!

I graduated from my studies, and now I'm back in the real world again.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/emotions-cognitive?ecd=wnl_slw_031810

I hope I don't have any long lasting side effects from all the not sleeping. Today will be the first day back working on the Yachts! I need to be safe and seaworthy.

Glorious!

Sugar Plums!

Today we get to eat whatever we want as soon as we're done with the bubble tests!

My sleep colleague and I are fantasizing about how we'll spend our $30 worth of real world food. We are hungry, and we want it all - Red Lobsters, Kentucky Fried Chickens, Tacos: Happy, San Loco and Bell...

My very first stop though has to be the deli to get a delicious giant burnt coffee - Voom!

Scientific Method!

It's not so much the sleep deprivation - it's more the not being able to eat A Lot of Stuff when I'm awake that's Jamaican me crazy.

The good news is - I am learning to have much better eating habits, and I've lost another pound!

I think the scientists had an opposite hypothesis: the More I sleep, the more weight I'm supposed to lose. Maybe they didn't expect me to take a gym class called Hip Hop Hell!

Better take it to a peer review!

FUN!

No sleep? No problem - where FUN is concerned. I dominated the other subjects at Scrabble today. Next stop - Lunch - which is another really fun part of the day at the lab.

Study This!

No wonder!

I got lots and lots of sleep last night. Good thing because there are so many people at the Clinic this time around - and so much to do! I am in a five person Monopoly Game that is so fun.

We are already on hour 5 of it because we keep having to take breaks for eating, urine tests, spitting tests, yoga classes, and laps around the lab. I'm happy that I can check Learn To Play Monopoly off of my To Do List.

Now that I know how to play Monopoly, I bet I will be better at real life Money Making - Just like Scrabble helps me with real life wording, and Badminton works my real life racketeering skills.

I will probably lose at Monopoly today, but I packed my Birdie and my Scrabble Board. So tomorrow - Game Over, Guinea Pigs.

Greetings, Earthlings!

Since I've been sworn to secrecy about my work place duties, I'll stick to the unsensitive Census issue of work place attire.

I got really pumped up last year about giving up hobo couture in favor of blazers. I tried to recapture that same verve this go around, but really I feel like an ALIEN in these office get ups.

My Canarsie Wear is much cuter, and I can hardly WAIT to get back into those yellow scrubs!

Yesterday was a little better because I wore Holiday Tolerated green socks and an ascot, but today it'll be business as casual - I mean - business as Snoozual.

Mum!

I signed another oath to defend the Constitution and to keep my mouth shut re: the US Census today. So, I can't say nothing.

But - I will say that Part 1 of Day 1 of paid training was great! Me in a room full of like minded new friends ready to count the humans in Brooklyn - F.U.N!

But then I was singled out and separated from the group. It turns out They all got Office jobs, but I'll be out on the Streets of Brooklyn again.

I was bummed until I realized I am one of a three person enumerating dream team - we'll be unstoppable!

Khakis!

I just finished ironing every pair of SLACKS that I own. My first day of paid training! I want to look great (in ALL of my pants). I am so excited to meet my new Census Colleagues!!

After relearning how to be a Census Taker, I will run to canarsie and do the old switcharoo from business attire to kitchen chic. It turns out that I have even more cute Aprons than I have Slacks. It has been a great day of costume inventory - so many possibilities!

I made a ton of green good luck cookies for the high rollers. And if they don't like them, I'll share them with all of my new Census Taking Friends. Everyone wins!

not like hot cakes!

I made the most delicious brownies of my career today. 2 sticks of butter in there and hardly any flour - they defied gravity and reason. Too good to be true.

The high rollers barely touched em - "Honey, you didn't cook em long enough."

But I did.

Lady Luckily, I still raked it in. I'll get em next time - No One can resist personalized sugar cookies!

Kitchen Girl!

My boss called to tell me that the game is starting later tonight. He also apologized for one of the players who always gets her own Diet Coke. He said, "I keep telling her, don't get sodas yourself, tell the Kitchen Girl to get em."

Kitchen Girl!! I've achieved super hero status!

I am totally in charge - it turns out, I don't have to make hot dogs, I can make whatever. Plus - the sky's the limit re: budget!!!

I'm going to lure them in slow, get them to trust me: tonight - peanut butter brownies and baked ziti.

Once I've got them eating out of the palm of my hand, I'll introduce spinach smoothies and carrot shakes. They'll eat healthier, live longer and play more poker which means more money for me!!!

Fruit Gems!

The 24/hr fruit and vegetable market in Sunset Park is too good to be true. What deals! My health will never be better.

I got so much delicious produce - I wanted to share the wealth with the Poker Players in Canarsie. One lady asked, "What do I look like - a rabbit?"

The only vegetable I could sell was sauerkraut - and the only fruits anyone would eat were fruit gems.

I'm not done with this experiment though. Stay tuned for health!

Freedom Count Down!

It's so nice out - I have got to make the most of these last days of freedom before my day job starts to get better acquainted with more excellent features of my neighborhood.

Today - 24/hr fruit stand! http://www.yelp.com/map/rossman-fruit-and-vegetable-district-brooklyn

Tomorrow - Taco cart! http://www.yelp.com/map/taco-cart-brooklyn

I bet the people whose houses I visit will feel more comfortable coughing up personal info if I can talk knowledgeably about local fruits and tacos!

So much to survey!

Today I am going to go shopping for some smart census taking shoes. There is a lot of ground to cover, and I want to be able to run fast from dogs.

I am pretty sure I will only get to work in my own neighborhood like last year, But there are many debates as to how far my neighborhood, the beautiful Sunset Park, reaches. Park Slope, Bay Ridge and Greenwood Heights all fight over it.

I'll take them all on- (especially the fine folks of Greenwood http://www.green-wood.com/index.php/gwc ) Because it's the best place in Brooklyn, and I want to get max use out of my new shoes!

Somewhere between Census and Sleeping...

...is Canarsie. That's where I work nights to bide my time between experiments.

There's a poker game going on there, and I drive the high rollers Wild! One lady says I bring her luck. Another one says I look just like her grand daughter.

I only had one moment of panic last night when I ran out of sanka (luckily, there was no shortage of hot dogs and buns). The rest of the evening was aces and easy money!