Greetings fellow PUGsters!

Although I have been intermittently creeping on this site for some time, I have yet to post any pictures or info about myself, so I thought now is as good of a time to start as any other.

My PUG creation myth begins like that of many others, so I will skip over the details.  When I was 8 years old, my family immigrated to Brooklyn (from the former Soviet Union) and here began my truly formative years.  Needless to say, being 8 years old and trying to fit in with a language and cultural barrier wasn't an easy feat.  Try explaining to your non-Russian friends why you're eating weird mayonnaise-saturated food.  In any case, I always felt awkward, ugly, etc. and pretty much wished I had a chameleon's ability to transform into my surroundings and render myself invisible. High school in the late 90s was a time where bootcut Seven jeans and chunky steve madden boots were all the rage amongst the "popular" constituents of the school.  I insisted on wearing black clothing, converse, and proclaiming my love for all things goth.  Fast forward, blah blah blah, I couldn't believe that I found clothes that actually fit and didn't make me look like a frumpy box (I can't believe it took me that long to realize that I needed to wear fitted clothes to flatter my small waist and giant bottom).

I still live in Brooklyn and commute to the city every day for work (my work location in the city and my living quarters are so situated that my commute is 1.5 hours each way, damn you MTA).  This, however, brings me to the main point of this blog, which is to enumerate all the reasons why being PUG in brooklyn ain't always easy.

1. As I am writing this, it is cold, raining and really windy.  Perfect weather for a glamorous do, right? Especially someone for someone like me whose hair loses all volume and curl if there is 0.5% humidity outside.  I really have to be better about updo's. Summary: the weather sucks.

2. Commuting - as I mentioned, my commute involves walking up and down hills and 2 trains at 7:30 am during rush hour.  It's really more of a human obstacle course than a reasonable way to get around. It's a daily challenge in trying to maintain poise and dignity while being crushed up against hundreds of strangers, avoiding windtunnels and tripping over children, toddlers, and all types of adult humans who seem to defy all laws of social etiquette.

3. The NYC/tristate area "who the fu*k do you think you are?" attitude.  I'll admit it, it's hard not to get wrapped up in the ways of the gray concrete jungle, but despite the common notion that the denizens of NYC are open-minded and accustomed to seeing everything (and are therefore immune to any kind of different style), this rule does not always apply to us. Glares, eyerolls, and stares are pretty much the norm.  There have been many times when I was greeted with looks of disapproval upon entering some hipster beer bar where the standard attire is dirty pants and flannels.  I currently encounter the "why are you so dressed up?" question?

But this isn't intended to be a negative blog post, because for all that, I love my hometown and all its glory.  I just wanted to share my experience with PUG in my hometown, as I saw a discussion about where everyone was from.

Since I have not uploaded any pics yet, I include one here as proof-positive of my real-lifeness,  I apologize that it's with a million people, but I don't often take photos of just myself (although I will to show my PUG), and normally my photos all involve some sort of drinking activity.  I am wearing 3 items purchased from PUG - the sean top, the cherry pencil skirt (tailored at the waist) and kreepsville 666 skeleton hands necklace.  More pics to come soon (when I stop being lazy).