undetermined

thirty-five

2009-07-23T14:25:00.003-05:00

It's been a while.

A lot has happened.

Most of this won't be news to those I've spoken to. For those I haven't had the privilege of corresponding with lately, I'm truly sorry. I hope to tell you more about the wonderful things that have happened in the past two months in person. Or at least on the phone, and soon. I miss my friends and family and have been neglectful of keeping up with them.

First things first. I'm engaged. To the most wonderful person in the world, James Briggs. I'm very excited! After an absolutely wonderful picnic on June 6th, 2009 in Prospect Park, Mr. Briggs asked me to marry him and, of course, I said yes. We'll be getting married September 5th, 2009 on a NYC rooftop at sunset. It will be wonderful.

After much consideration, and prompting from the groom-to-be himself, we decided to apply for jobs in his home state of Michigan. We began our search at the end of June, and as I write this on July 23rd, I have almost completed my second day of work in my new job. Tomorrow will be round out James' second full week of work at annarbor.com, a digital replacement for the now out-of-print Ann Arbor News.

Our story is incredible, and if you want to know more, please just ask. God has blessed us both beyond reason.

I hope to post much more regularly from now on. Also, be on the lookout for my movie blog that I will be starting sometime in the indeterminate future.

thirty-four

2009-05-12T11:05:00.002-05:00

After a much too short trip home I am back in New York. The trip was wonderful, albeit crammed full of time with various people. My parents loved James, who came with me. I wish the trip could have been about 3 days longer, but we could only afford to take 4 days off from work.

I know I haven't blogged in a while; I haven't had a lot to say recently. Hopefully that will change.

thirty-three

2009-04-12T23:20:00.001-05:00

Today I am privileged to celebrate our Lord's resurrection. I think Easter is my favorite holiday because the commercial powers that be may have exploited it, but they can't manufacture a convincing reason as to why we celebrate with bunnies and candy a day that is about love and hope. A day where our brave Savior rose from death, allowing us the chance for redemption. It may seem silly to other people, but Easter always excites me because it is the day Christ defeated death, the most important day in my faith, the crux of what I believe.

It was a lovely day today that started out with a sunrise service in Central Park on the Upper West Side. I was a little exhausted, having only had two hours of sleep, but I manned up and even came armed with my camera (photos to follow). Afterwards James and I hit up Fairway for some brunch items and came back to my place to eat and rest. We trekked back to the Upper West Side to our mutual friend's apartment to partake of Easter lunch/dinner. It was absolutely fantastic. I ate way too much. After dinner we had a chance to relax and just hang out without Trader Joe's owning our time. And it was great.

I'm so exhausted I'm going to hit the sack. Hopefully pictures will follow soon.

thirty-two

2009-04-08T01:37:00.002-05:00

Today I was threatened by what I am assuming was an eleven year old. I was running to catch the subway and threw my hands between the doors. I know this wasn't the brightest idea, but my overwhelming fear of being late for my crummy retail job took control. While my hands were wedged between the doors and struggling to push them open I heard some yelling behind me. I didn't pay too much attention to it because people are always yelling for completely unnecessary reasons in NY. I managed to wedge the doors open (thank you Trader Joe's for beefing me up) and squeeze into the car. I grabbed a seat and looked up to see this eleven year old running up to the doors. He hit his hand against the window and shot me an angry look. I tried to apologize via body language for not understanding/hearing his calls to hold the door. He raised his hand, pointing his index finger and middle finger at his eyes and then turns his hand and points his fingers at me. As soon as this happened I burst out laughing. I better watch my back because there is an angry eleven year old who frequents the Franklin Avenue 4/5 stop, and he's watching me.

thirty-one

2009-03-30T00:42:00.002-05:00

As I wrote my post last night I forgot to mention one of the funniest things that happened to me yesterday. While babysitting I was asked quite a few times for a snack or meal by my tiny 4 year charge. She doesn't eat a lot or often, due to a pickiness associated with 4 year olds and my 27 year old boyfriend, so I was happy to oblige her anytime she asked for food. Each time I responded unconsciously with a variation of "I'm fixin' to" or "I'll fix that for you". And each time my gregarious ward would respond, "Fix? You are not going to fix anything." To which I would have to answer, "Forgive me, I meant make, I'm going to make you a sandwich." Sometimes I don't realize when I betray my Southern roots so blantantly, especially to a child who doesn't understand why I'm fixin' to do anything.

thirty

2009-03-29T00:57:00.002-05:00

Finally, I feel like winter is beginning to recede. I was convinced for quite sometime that it was never going to stop being cold. But Mother Nature has finally taken note that winter should be over. The highs have reached the 60s, which if I were still living in Baton Rouge or Mobile I would consider that to be chilly. Now I can't wait to get outside and enjoy the lovely weather.

I wish I had more to talk about other than the weather, but I'm pretty exhausted from work (I just worked 5pm-1am last night, 8am-4pm babysitting, then 5pm-1am tonight). I managed to get about 3 hours of sleep with a short nap while the child I was babystting napped. I don't really mean to come off as complaining (maybe groping for a little sympathy), but I feel like I'm truly beginning to understand working for every dollar, or as my parent's would say "honest work". It is hard and sometimes doesn't feel rewarding at all, but I don't know if I have ever worked harder in any job that I cared absolutely nothing for.

In other equally thrilling news my cat Margot has learned how to turn on my bedside lamp (it is a touch lamp so this isn't some great evolutionary leap in the feline species). But it is a little disturbing to come home to a lamp that has been turned on by what you were previously assuming to be some mild poltergeist or electrical discrepancy.

Other than my great disappointment at the end of BSG I have very little else to update anyone on. Oh, I want to wish Tara a very Happy Birthday again. She turned 13 on the 26th and is no longer a little girl anymore. My youngest sister is now a teenager.

Time for bed, or should I say popping in Back to the Future III for my bedtime viewing. I'm a dork, I know.

twenty-nine

2009-03-23T23:12:00.002-05:00

Tonight I attended my first free screening that didn't involve Free Fridays at MoMA. I arrived at Union Square early so I decided to hit up Barnes & Noble for it's free public restrooms. While there I did scope out an interesting series, Conversations With Filmmakers. I picked up The Coen Brother's book and read a short interview about Fargo. While it was not the most enlightening article, I have hope for the rest of the series. Kurosawa and Fellini looked particularly interesting. I would love to read interviews with Fellini, although I hope he lives up to the eccentric I envision him to be. In the future I would love to kill some down time in Union Square by reading more from this series. Buying the books is out of the question with prices at $22.95 per book. Sorry University of Mississippi Press, I cannot afford to support you.

The screening I attended was Alien Trespass, a 1950s throwback about a space invasion. The director, RW Goodwin, was available for a short Q&A session after the movie. I enjoyed hearing his inspirations (War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and It Came from Outer Space) as well as the caveats of working in such a tight niche. I learned that there are people who have specialized in composing film scores specifically for 1950s inspired sci-fi films. Afterwards I had the opportunity to ask him about writing a strong female lead in a genre where women were often viewed as accesories. He felt strong and intersting female leads were lacking from the genre as a whole and sought to integrate that into his film. Also worth noting in the film are the little idiosyncracies placed within the movie, for instance an intentional poorly timed green screen sequence. For more information you can visit the website or even better, go see the movie when it comes out. It won't change your life, but it will be an hour and a half enjoyably spent. (I promise I was not asked to promote this movie. I just wanted to share a pleasantly spent Monday evening.)

twenty-eight

2009-03-02T01:25:00.004-06:00

What is the best part of walking home at 2AM through heavy snowfall?

Being the first to jump in the giant piles of snow.

twenty-seven

2009-02-22T00:22:00.003-06:00

I've been terrible about updating my blog. For being unemployed and lacking a sustainable social life I have been quite the busy beaver these days. Fortunately my unemployment will end quite soon. And while my new job is nothing glamorous, I'm probably looking forward to it more than I have any other job I've ever had. Partly because a purposeful day and a sustainable income are appealing, but also because I would rather work in an environment where my contribution of being a pleasant employee, keeping shelves organized, and treating people kindly is immensely more worthwhile than designing for giant corporations with the sole purpose of enticing people to spend more money on absolutely worthless products.

Per my last post, I really feel that I am being challenged more now to grow in my faith than I ever have before. My journey with God has been very dry for the past three years. I would say that during this time I never felt my belief in God wavering, but I can not say that I was in any way challenged. My beliefs were intellectually challenged, but never was I exercising the amount of dependence that I have in the past 6 months. In the past three years I lost that feeling of immediacy in my relationship with God and with seeing His kingdom made known here on earth. Moving to NY has brought a lot necessary things back into focus. I have been exercising faith in a way I never have before. I have always been in control. No matter what I was able to figure a way out to pay for things. It hasn't always been that way here. But each time I step out in faith, no matter how small the matter, God has taken care of it. By no means do I have the faith of a mustard seed, but I am growing and learning that the only thing limiting God is me.

twenty-six

2009-02-14T21:53:00.003-06:00

I'm so happy. I have a retail job at Trader Joe's. In my last post I postulated that I would be rejected once again. Earlier in the week I decided that I needed to have a little faith in God and rely on Him to provide for me. By no means has this one exercise in faith made me completely reliant, but it is the surrender of one thing at a time. I've been thinking a lot lately about how to increase one's faith. I have come to the conclusion that it is much like lifting weights. You don't go into the gym expecting to be a body builder in a week. You go in and push yourself to your limit and each week you begin to increase the weight or repetitions, constantly stretching and growing your muscles. At least in my case this is how growing my faith seems to be happening.

Today was a lovely Valentine's Day. My date and I ended up moving on the senior citizen's track (matinee movie, dinner before 6, after dinner dessert, and home by 10) and I totally did not mind. It is so nice to be home at a decent time. Not to mention it was a fantastic date and we had loads of fun.

I'm hoping to visit Alabama/Louisiana some time in May. I would love to see everyone! Melanie, when is graduation? I would like to see you in my visit. I'm pretty sure everyone else will be in Louisiana, but if not let me know. I want to see folks.

I'm off to bed, maybe. The Princess Bride is on TV. Although, it is ridiculous that I would stay up and watch it (seeing as how I own it), I think I might. Only an hour left...

twenty-five

2009-02-05T10:03:00.003-06:00

Today I'm applying for a job at Trader Joe's. I am not saying this so that you will think I am above this job, because I most certainly am not. But I write this to tell you that once again, I will be applying and interviewing for a job that will most likely reject me. I wish I could say that I was used to it, but each time I apply/interview I have a small glimmer of hope that I just can't seem to squash. This whole process would be so much easier if I weren't an optimistic person.

Other than that I am sick again. And holy cow it is 18 degrees outside. This is ridiculous. It was in the 40s on Monday. As long as it doesn't get back to the single digits I think I'll be fine. Wow, that was fastest I've ever distracted myself.

I still miss everyone like crazy.

twenty-four

2009-01-23T14:34:00.004-06:00

The 81st Academy Award nominations have come out. And this year is probably my most pitiful viewing year in terms of Oscar nominations. I'd like to chalk it up to my move to NY and now being ridiculously broke. But a lot of the Oscar fair this year didn't interest me like last year's did. Besides Rachel Getting Married, Wall-E, Vicky Christina Barcelona, and The Dark Knight (along with a few one nomination films) I didn't see very much, nor have I really been that interested. I don't know if last year was a dry year for great movies, but I don't feel any excitement over The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The art direction looks incredible, and Cate Blanchett can usually get $8 - 10 out of me, but I just can't bring myself to care this time. Oh well. I'll be hoping this year will bring more movies like Wendy & Lucy and more actresses like Rosemarie DeWitt.

twenty-three

2009-01-17T01:26:00.004-06:00

After an uneventful night of babysitting in the East Village, I trekked back to Brooklyn through what felt like the arctic tundra. Even waiting on the train out of the frigid night air it was still obnoxiously cold. I have never inhabited a place where having any skin exposed hurts upon immediately exiting whatever building I am in. I suppose the temperatures, although not as cold as some parts of the country, feel much worse here due to the amount of time we spend outside walking to and from the subway and waiting on the bus. Or it could be the tall buildings acting as wind tunnels. Or, it might be that this is my first real winter. Whatever the reason, it is cold. And I don't think I'm a fan.

twenty-two

2009-01-14T17:50:00.004-06:00

Last night I launched my etsy site. I made my first sale today to Lauren (THANKS!!!) who bought a journal I made from an old VHS tape of The Princess Bride. If you, or anyone, you know would like to buy something I would greatly appreciate any sales/word of mouth.

Now that I have finished hawking my wares to my friends and family (sorry), it is so frakkin' cold here. Seriously. Freezing. Friday the high is supposed to be 13. I have never inhabited a region where the high on a given day was 13. I'm used to complaining about humidity, not below freezing temperatures. And I would say that the cold is fantastic for my hair, but that is only true when it isn't snowing. Brrr...

Other than the cold, I'm pretty excited about Battlestar Galactica starting back on Friday. I've been having debates with friends and with myself as to who the last cylon could be. And if you aren't a Battlestar Galactica fan, first, don't judge me, I probably know the dorky things you love and will not turn the other cheek, but judge you Old Testament style. Secondly, this is my favorite show. I like it better than LOST, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Arrested Development, Flight of the Conchords, or whatever show I have ever professed love for. Which, in my very humble opinion, speaks highly of it. Third, give it a shot, but start from the beginning. Don't be like Josh Carroll and come over one night and watch it in the middle of season 4. That will do you no good. And fourth, since I've come back to promoting unnecessary things, check out my etsy shop and possibly buy something or get someone to buy something for you.

twenty-one

2009-01-02T13:16:00.002-06:00

New Year's Resolution:

Get a job.

twenty

2008-12-30T23:45:00.002-06:00

nineteen

2008-12-23T23:18:00.007-06:00

After being in a car for over 10 hours the past day with no iPod or cds for entertainment I have a few observations about radio...

1. As much as I love NPR, I no longer have any warm feelings for All Things Considered. The show-runners are boring and no matter how interesting the segment is, I can't seem to pay attention.

2. Eight times of listening to the David Bowie/Bing Crosby version of Little Drummer Boy is eight times too many. (Although, the video I linked to is creepier to watch than actually listening to it.)

3. I don't think it is possible to find a station playing Christmas music at night that doesn't have Delilah as well.

4. Drops of Jupiter is the most nonsensical song I've heard 4 times in 5 hours. Or ever.

5. This is the first Christmas that I have not heard a single Mannheim Steamroller re-make. It is pretty great.

Aside from my radio observations (er, complaints) my short trip to Louisiana was really nice. I wish that I had been able to spend more time there, but my lost luggage abbreviated my stay. Driving was pretty great even though I think I might have had my fill for a couple of days. Now, if only the stars will come out I will have done everything that I wanted to do/see.

eighteen

2008-12-21T14:44:00.002-06:00

After over an hour of delays at LaGuardia, a missed connection in Atlanta, an added trip to Tampa, and a lost suticase, I made it home.

seventeen

2008-12-19T10:06:00.003-06:00

This time tomorrow I will be getting off a plane in Gulfport, Mississippi, a 45 minute drive from my house, and beginning the 9 days of loving harassment I will experience at the hands of my family. I'm pretty excited.

Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Good food. I guess 24 years of living in the South, more explicitly 18 years on the seafood laden coast of Alabama and 6 years immersed in Cajun cuisine, has made me a little partial to the food I abandoned over 4 months ago.
2. Playing games. I finally corrupted my youngest sister about 2 years ago with the joy of board games. She became a zealous convert. Now, she requests that we play games all the time. I couldn't be prouder.
3. Making coconut balls. I miss my grandma. She is so cute and sweet. And the best grandma ever. She sends me cards just to tell me she is thinking about me. Also, she makes the best breakfast in the world.
4. Walking outside without a coat. And scarf. And gloves. And hat.
5. A fire in the fireplace. And maybe convincing my parents that making smores is a great idea.
6. My bed. I miss it.
7. Keeping my gifts a secret this year from my step-mom. She always manages to find out what everyone is giving everyone else. But not this year. Yeah, you read that right, woman. I'm not telling.
8. Listening to Christmas music in the car. I'm so excited to be riding in a car for 9 days and not sitting next to two people making out and taking up so much room you are crammed against the bar in the middle of the bench. That happened last night.

I know I'm going to miss NY. I'm beginning to fall in love with the city. But I also miss my family. I miss how slow things are in Mobile. And I think 9 days is a welcome respite from the craziness of the last month.

sixteen

2008-12-15T23:52:00.003-06:00

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
- Teddy Roosevelt

fifteen

2008-12-14T19:32:00.002-06:00

Today I found out that I will be celebrating the new year alone in NYC. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. It is a weird feeling trying to figure out what to do with yourself on holidays when you've never really spent them alone.

A quick FYI - I lost my phone Thursday. I'm going to AT&T tomorrow to see if I am due for an upgrade. If not, I suppose I will be sans cell phone for a while. Which, in my opinion, could be quite nice. I feel so attached to this inanimate object that sometimes I think it controls my actions. That feeling really bugs me. I don't ever want to feel that a cell phone is necessary to my existence.

I am also out of a job. After telling me how fantastic I am and how they couldn't have made it through the past month without me, I was let go. I'm not that upset about it. Actually, everyone I've told about it is more upset than I am. I do lament the lack of income I am once again faced with, but this job would have sucked my soul. 50 - 60 hour weeks are never good for anyone. They did say that they would be in contact with me in the new year for some freelance work, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm not quite sure what I am going to do with myself this week. I'll be applying for jobs again, but I think I need to start researching how to sell things I can make. At least that will supplement my lack of income for a while. Maybe.

I miss everyone and can't wait to see all of you in 6 days!

fourteen

2008-12-09T20:58:00.002-06:00

Being sick sucks.

I stayed home from work today. It was supposed to be my "last" day of the three-week trial period. Tomorrow will be that day instead. There has been no talk of me either staying or going. Which I have taken to be a bad sign and started looking for jobs again today.

I had another "Why am I here?" moment today. I was chatting online with a friend and we were talking about how I was sick and and what kind of sick and blah blah blah. It was suggested that I go to the doctor because this is a little worse than the common cold and my response was, "With what money and insurance?" And then I became kind of sad. I left a good job that was paying me well with job security. I had friends which I seem to be unable to make here. I wasn't getting sick once a month. Everyone I loved was, at the most, a day away. My life could be a lot harder, so I feel a little ridiculous letting myself get mopey. Being sick does not bring out the best in me. My parents can most definitely attest to 18 years of that. But sick or not, nervous or secure, I am growing and changing and becoming more like the person I want to be. And I think that makes all of this worth it.

thirteen

2008-12-04T19:28:00.005-06:00

At this very moment I am sitting at work waiting on some files to finish rendering. Three of my co-workers are still here and they are watching Dave Chappelle clips online. Apparently his dream is to marry Oprah because she is so rich.

So, I'm a little nervous about my employer's decision to move me into a full-time position. Actually, I'm quite nervous. But I was thinking about it last night and I began to see the benefits of not becoming a permanent employee here. I wouldn't still be at work at 8:30. Or 9:30. Or 10:30. Also, I wouldn't be doing work for giant corporations basically convincing people to buy things they don't need or have the money for. That is pretty much what I hate about graphic design. So often it seems to be used for evil. Aren't we in a recession? Shouldn't the American consumer be evaluating what living within their means looks like? Should companies like the one I work for really be convincing people that one more gadget will make them hipper, their life a little better? How much of a hypocrite am I for working here even though I don't believe in what I am doing? And why are my fingers always cold?

Other than my ethical dilemma, things are going fairly well. I work a lot. Basically 12 and 13 hour days. This week, I had two days where I left at 8. That was really exciting. I was kind of hoping today would be one of those days, but that was wishful thinking. Instead I am here, waiting on these files to finish rendering. But I suppose it is a good thing because now I am blogging. And it has been a while.

Since I missed getting to write about what I was thankful for on Thanksgiving I'll do that now...

1. I'm thankful that I am here in NY. It took a while to be thankful for that, but I am now. I'm beginning a life here. And that is good. Because there were many days where I sat in my apartment believing that I had made the biggest mistake of my life moving here and that I was an incredibly foolish person for having done it. I no longer feel that way. I think a large part of that rests on the fact that if I suddenly quit existing in the city someone (other than my roommates) would notice. Also, I'm beginning to feel a sense of community here. I don't like feeling lonely and have never been good at living solitarily. But now I seem to be making some friends and attempting to get involved at church, although I don't know how much I will be able to commit to that if I stay at this job.

2. I'm thankful for free movies at MoMA on Fridays. Without that I don't think I would have the opportunity to see obscure movies that I otherwise couldn't. I usually try to get there a little early and see different parts of the museum, but the crowds are so overwhelming on free Fridays that I usually look at the photography section and then go sit in the theater and read until my movie starts.

3. I'm thankful for my friends still keeping up with me. I've been incommunicado the past two and a half weeks, but they are still calling me and trying to keep up with me. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Especially because I miss all of them tremendously and wish they could all move up here with me. But they have their lives to lead, so I suppose I'll be understanding.

4. I'm thankful for Lauren sending me the soundtrack to Spring Awakening in the mail. I was so surprised and excited. I haven't stopped listening to it since I got it. FYI - We saw Spring Awakening this past weekend. It was my first Broadway performance as a New Yorker.

5. I'm thankful for my family paying for me to come home for Christmas. I'm so excited. Although my plan of making Christmas presents because I am flat broke hasn't been going so well. Really, it was getting this crazy job. But whatever, I'm ready to see my family. And my miscellaneous friends who will be in the area.

Okay, that is enough. I'm still waiting on these files to render, but I need to stop myself before I write a novel. I miss everyone so much and I can't wait to see most of you around Christmas!!!!

twelve

2008-11-24T21:33:00.003-06:00

So, my job has been intense. I haven't left any earlier than 7:30, once around 8:30, and quite a few times around 9/9:30. But I'm always busy. It is also gratifying because I am able to use skills that I knew I had developed, but hadn't had a chance to use.

If you want to check out my new place of employment you can find them here. They are actually a small firm working mainly in product design. Everyone there is an industrial designer except me. Recently I've worked on projects for Motorola and Microsoft as well as some other smaller projects. I can't tell you what I am working on because I signed a non-disclosure agreement, but I figured it would be okay to tell you who the clients were since they are listed on the website. (Also, I wanted to sound impressive.) Oh, my first day at work I redesigned a flash presentation for a Motorola pitch and the Motorola people loved it. That made me feel all warm and snuggly inside. So yeah, if you want to know more just give me a call. Otherwise, I'm exhausted and ready to go to bed. Goodnight!

eleven

2008-11-14T21:27:00.000-06:00

I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!!!

ten

2008-11-05T21:30:00.004-06:00

Today I went on another interview. I think it went well, but one can never tell. Especially because my barometer of how well these interviews are going seems to be faulty seeing as how I am still unemployed. I have another interview tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes.

This morning I had the best muffin ever from au bon pain. I wasn't planning on spending any money, but I got to the interview early, and was really hungry so I stopped in and grabbed a muffin. A triple berry muffin (which are always fantastic), but this one was especially glorious because it was more berries than actual muffin. Berries all over the place. I kept thinking I might be pulling that one piece that would have the most berries and then be left with no berries and only muffin, but each bite was filled with an astronomical amount of berries. And in my book, that makes for a fantabulously awesome muffin.

I think I found a church this weekend. If you are interested you can check it out here. I'm looking forward to going back this Sunday. Which is positive, because that is one less thing to stress about. For those who don't know (which I'm sure is no one) I've been a little worried about finding a job, making friends, finding a church, and going back to school. Now I think I've found a church. Which gives me a venue to start making friends. And gives me some hope for making a life here in New York.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving when Lauren is coming to visit! YAY!!!! And December when Laura comes for auditions! YAY!!!! And then when I go home for Christmas! YAY!!!! Yay for seeing my friends and family!

nine

2008-10-28T11:55:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, while walking through Park Slope to find a decent coffee shop with free wi-fi, I was told by a tall, dread-locked man walking next to me that I walked really fast for being so short.

Sunday, after leaving church in the uber-expensive Upper East Side and hunting a place where I could purchase a hot tea and wait on Lauren, I wandered up Madison Avenue for a while. As I neared the steps of a church where a homeless man was situated, I caught snippets of his "begging". As people would pass he would call out, "Hey, I know you're rich, why can't you give me some money?" My favorite line was directed to the lady in front of me, "I see the shoes your wearing. I know how much they cost. I know you can spare a dollar. Or two." But the best part of my day occurred when I passed him and he was completely silent. I don't think there will ever be a time when I will be mistaken for an Upper East Sider. Or as one possessing copious amounts of money.

eight

2008-10-26T01:00:00.002-05:00

seven

2008-10-25T17:43:00.002-05:00

That's it. I'm buying my rave/dance/electronica listening neighbors a pack of glow sticks for Christmas. Maybe they'll get the hint.

six

2008-10-20T20:17:00.004-05:00

This weekend saw the death of my beloved iPod. And, yes, Melanie, I got the dead iPod face. I think it has been the most unfortunate thing that has happened since I've been here. Not only did I lose my iPod, but most of the music on it was only on my old backup hard drive that died earlier this year. Actually, it died right after I took most of my music off of my computer. I also lost all of my work I did as an undergraduate designer. But this isn't a eulogy for my long dead hard drive, but for my much beloved iPod. It was a first generation color iPod. And I loved it. (On a happier note, I plan on taking it to an Apple store here and seeing if they can do anything about it. Although, I seriously doubt it, because it is about 4 years old.)

Other than my iPod dying, I went to see a free movie at MoMA Friday night. It was pretty fun. Even though I was the only person under the age of 65 in the theater. But I walked around the museum a little beforehand and looked at some hand painted movie posters from the 20s. Some of them were absolutely amazing.

I read through a good portion of my NYC Free & Dirt Cheap guide. (Thanks Emily!) I plan on heading over to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens tomorrow, because Tuesdays are free. Yay free things in New York!

I haven't heard anything back from any of the interviews, but I did apply to about 8 more jobs over the course of the weekend and today.

Oh, I officially can't stand David Lynch. For those of you unaware of who he is, he was the creator of Twin Peaks, the mastermind behind the 1984 movie version of Dune, and the writer and director of Blue Velvet. Did I mention that I was mildly intrigued by Twin Peaks, which turned into annoyance after the show became the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and Dune was laughable at how ridiculous it was. (I know I sound redundant, but no other word adequately describes both of the aforementioned works of film and television.) Blue Velvet, though, was just awful. Awful. Awful. And now, after three tries, David Lynch and I are done. I will not give him another try, nor will I ever, ever, ever give him the benefit of the doubt for not having seen enough of his "master works". We're done David Lynch, and I hope you know it.

On a happier note, I'm glad to be signing off and watching my movie of the day, Rebel Without A Cause. I very much enjoyed East of Eden and highly recommend it to anyone interested. (Kim, have you seen it? I would think so with your James Dean love, but one can never be too sure.) Anyways, that is all. I miss everyone and wish you all could come visit me. But not all at the same time.

five

2008-10-16T19:36:00.002-05:00

Today was marked by my fourth interview this week. I'm hoping to hear something soon. Until then I'll be heading out to a coffee shop and applying for more jobs.

I was tagged by Melanie a couple of days ago to write 6 random things about myself so I figured this evening was a good night to do it.

1. I hate being told what to do. Actually, telling me not to do something is the quickest way to get me to do it.

2. I can fall asleep anywhere and pretty much during any circumstance.

3. I own precisely 10 cameras, 4 rolls of undeveloped film, and 20 rolls of film waiting to be used.

4. I don't have a favorite flower.

5. My favorite thing in the world is laughing with my friends and family.

6. I hate touching cotton balls. Or cotton in any pad, tip, ball, or wad form.

Alright, I'm no good at tagging people. But if anyone is up for doing this, I tag Lauren + David, Aunt Sheri, and Emily.

Other than that, I miss everyone tremendously. And I wish I could hang out with everyone this weekend. And I'm looking forward to watching The Office in 7 minutes.

four

2008-10-13T21:17:00.002-05:00

Today things began looking up. I went on my first interview. Albeit with a headhunter, but she already has a job prospect for me. I finally walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It wasn't nearly as long as I expected. I actually took some photos this afternoon. It has been too long since I picked up a camera for fun. Also, I have two more interviews this week.

Friday I went to see my first movie by myself. It was actually incredible. I've always been a little scared of seeing a movie by myself. Somewhere, somehow the notion that movie-going is not a solitary experience was ingrained in me. So, after I dropped off my disc at the print shop I wandered around for a while. And I wandered into a movie theater. It was amazing. I stretched out over the seats however I wanted and read a book while I waited for the previews to start. I never knew it could be so awesome.

I'm pretty tired and I still have my movie of the day to watch. I actually skipped yesterday's. Oops. After an unexpectedly busy day yesterday, I stayed up late retouching my portfolio for the interview today. Again. And then again on the subway ride to the interview.

I still miss everyone. Tremendously. But tomorrow also promises to be bright, because Rebekah is flying in tomorrow night for a business trip and I'll get to see her for the first time since she moved. Yay!

\\\\\\\ - Apparently this is Margot's contribution to my blog for the evening. I'm sure she misses everyone, too.

three

2008-10-06T14:46:00.002-05:00

I have a very romantic idea of what winter is. I'm beginning to realize, though, that my idea of winter compared to actual winter is not quite the same thing. My highly romanticized idea of winter probably comes from living through 24 Southern winters, which is to say no winter at all. I've always longed for snowy winters full of hot chocolate, snow men, and snow ball fights. Now that I am gearing up for my 25th winter here in NYC, I'm beginning to feel the reality of what winter really is. It is cold and windy. The snow gets dirty. Days are dreary. People aren't laughing and acting like they are a part of the movie White Christmas. And that makes me a little sad because it means that I've grown up just a tiny bit more.

two

2008-10-03T11:05:00.003-05:00

Today, I feel like a big poser. I'm writing in my blog at a coffee shop. But isn't that what all the cool kids in New York do?

Stray NYC Observations:
- Everyone is really skinny.
- The "cool kids" don't smile on the subway... I smile a lot.
- People here aren't amazed by where they live. You can find anything and I'm continually astounded by this. For instance, I was walking to the movies the other night and I saw a blow-dry bar. A place designed specifically for having your hair blown dry.
- Too many people smoke here.
- The Brooklyn Museum looks like it has a spaceship coming out of it's center. But when you walk down the spaceship stairs it feels like you're at the beach.
- I like the option of walking everywhere.
- On a typical day in Baton Rouge/Mobile/most cities the streets are a little emptier during business hours. Not true here. There are people everywhere. Where do they work? How do they survive? How can I get a job like that?

I'm actually excited about this weekend. It looks as though I'll be going to the park to friz around (I still feel like a loser using that phrase, Melanie) and walking the Brooklyn Bridge at some point. I still feel like a tourist.

one

2008-10-02T21:55:00.003-05:00

I moved to New York City a month ago. Since I have no job, I do a lot things for free... like walking to the park, the library, the coffee shop with free wi-fi and baristas that tell me my headbands are cute. Other than that I hang out with my roommates and keep making plans with my friend Jesse to go throw the frisbee around (or as Melanie calls it, friz around), but we keep having weather delays. I miss my friends and family a lot, but to keep from focusing on that, I've started a couple of new projects.

Project 1 Get A Job
This is self-explanatory.

Project 2 Get Into School
Since I want to go back to school I'm working on my various applications and creative submissions. Here are the schools I'm currently considering, but am open to suggestions:
NYU
USC
UCLA
Chapman
UT Austin

Project 3 Get Educated... sorta
This project consists mainly of me furthering my film literacy. I feel like I am lacking quite tremendously when it comes to the breadth of my film knowledge. There are some gaping holes that need to be filled in and that is where the public library comes in handy. My goal is to watch a movie a day until I get a job. If you are at all interested you can keep up with my progress here.

Project 4 Get Entertained
That would be this blog. It will give me something to occupy my time when I am feeling particularly lonely and sad. And a place where I can tell everyone back home how cold it is here. Expect to hear a lot about that.