Suddenly I See

Hi there,

Did anyone hear that flush? That was the wonderful apartment deal going down the toilet. Yeah. Back to square one. Kind of. Luckily I have kept up the search and moving into a nice place March 1st is still an option.

I'm writing this update from a Cosi on 6th Ave and 22nd Street. Google that. Or not. Anyway I have come here to hang out and blog with my friend Jessica. Jessica's been my friend for a month and a half (today, actually) so I decided I could share her with you guys. See, I am making friends :) Jessica is 23, moved here a few days after I did from North Carolina, worked at Distinctive Personnel with me and we get along really well. (Most days) No really. She's great. She has a very quick, witty, sarcastic sense of humor and we're usually two steps ahead of anyone else around us. It's refreshing to be around someone who's on your level. Story!!! Yesterday Jess and I went to brunch in Union Square at 3 p.m. Our hostess (being very sensitive to the fact that we were two girls out together on Valentine's Day) sat us next to a very affectionate couple. We ordered very filling meals and when we noticed that the girlfriend sitting next to us was served an infant sized bowl of granola (w/o milk), Jess and I were already exchanging jokes through sarcastic glances. And then it happened again when the girlfriend needed to pack up her leftovers. This is us at her friend's show.

So the job is going well. I'm making friends and getting praise for knowing how to work the auto-highlighting feature in Excel. Life is good. Plus the boss put me in charge of ordering office supplies so I have post-its in every color!!! Just kidding. Also, I'm the new minute-taker at all the meetings and so I'm putting my past experience to use - I was my high school's ASB Secretary.

I had a very nice week, overall. I heard it was really cold in California. Thats crazy because it was very warm here. One day I had to take my jacket off on my way into the office because I was too hot. I also received packages - both Valentine's Day gifts - from Mom and Monica.

Thanks for reading. Let's catch up again soon,
Anna

This week's inspirational song.

Make It Mine

Hi all, thanks for tuning in.

I wanted to share somethings about my NY life thus far so that some of you can stop worrying, others can get your update without filling my phone with messages and a few of you can be jealous! Haha, just kidding. Nothing glamorous about uncertainty and worry but there is something very fulfilling about being where you really want to be.

So first of all, I moved to NYC in December - flight got into JFK on December 9th and I moved in with my friend Todd and his roommate Chris. I interned for Todd when I was here in the summer of '06 and we remained close. He is now working at The Brooklyn Historical Society and is finishing his thesis for his NYU Master's of Museum Studies. This may sound familiar to you because I have expressed a strong interest in following in his footsteps...someday :) Todd, 33, is very cool and is such a great friend and roommate to me and Chris. He looks out for me and has been the most helpful in all of my transitioning. Chris is almost as cool as Todd. He is 28, has lived in the city all his life (well, he grew up in Long Island.) He works at two museums, The Museum of the City of New York and The New York Horticultural Society. Together, the two have been very obliging and welcoming and great and super and the best Two Gay Dads any 22 going on 14 year old girl could hope for! (Clarification: they are sooo not gay.)

We live in Brooklyn! In a neighborhood called Fort Greene. It is very "Huxtable-like" and very diverse. I really would like to stay here for a few years or maybe move back here later. I lived in Fort Greene during the summer of '06, also. Our apartment is small and knick-knacky and I love it.

When I got here I immediately started looking for jobs in retail, hospitality and anything that Craigslist, Idealist.org, NYFA.org, Monster, CareerBuilder, or New York Times offered. I didn't have much success in the first two weeks. A string of interviews that made me realize I'd like nothing better than to work in an office and not have to sell things or put up with too many customers. So about half-way through any retail interview both parties realized it wasn't a fit. Then it was Christmas time and I decided I wanted to go home. So I went home for a week and it was really good to spend time with family. It was a good test, too, because I thought about it and even though I wasn't having much success in the job search I knew I wanted more than anything to live in NYC and I was more determined to make it work! So I came back to NY, loaded with more winter clothes and ... the first of the "Twilight" books. (A stocking stuffer from mom :) )

I was here a few days before I got a phone call from Yvette of Distinctive Personnel - a staffing agency. She asked me to come in for a "working interview" to be considered for the Front Office Coordinator position. We had a 45 minute phone conversation on New Years Eve and I liked her so I went in the next Friday and got the job! It was such a relief to have a full-time job working behind a desk like I wanted! I was hired alongside another girl, Jessica, who was applying for both the Front Office Coordinator and Jr Staffing Specialist position. But...there was a miscommunication and the CEO had hired too many Staffing Specialists so the need for two office coordinators was moot. So, of the two office coordinators, I have no recruiting experience so I get the boot. Yvette (probably feeling bad for her mistake) sent my resume to a technology firm called Caseta for a Receptionist position. After they interviewed 6 other candidates, I got the job! I start Tuesday 1/20/09. I really liked the guys and the office so I hope it all goes well and I will do my best to keep this job for a while :)

So today, I mostly stayed inside because it's a bit cold out but...I saw an apartment that is close to that new job. I will probably look to get out of Todd and Chris' hair in February and that's my next big obstacle: apartment hunting.

It is cold here but I think the natives complain more than I do. You're in freaking New York City - it snows!, get over it! (P.S. the gloves are awesome and VERY useful! thanks, Kathy) I am a lot more comfortable with taking trains and getting around and venturing out - especially now that I have GoogleMaps on my Blackjack. I read on the trains no matter how crowded they are and no matter who's reading over my shoulder or judging me. Oh yeah, back to Twilight - I've read all four in the last month. Some of them I read twice before moving on the the next one. Don't worry, Todd is giving me other books to read so that I can move on from Edward and Bella. I also have my iPod on at all times (except when I'm walking home at night) and you know what? Those people who judge iPod wearing people saying that they can't be alone with their thoughts - having music blaring in your ears does not mean I'm not alone with my thoughts! My thoughts wouldn't leave me alone if I begged them. The music just gives my life a soundtrack.

Anyway, I'm happy here! I look around and I breathe real deep and I love the buildings and the people and the SNOW and the energy and the city and the bella luna and the bums and the trash and everything. I'm gonna make it all mine :)

Love and hugs and lots of happiness to you!


http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858705847/