June at long last

Once upon a time this was a blog that was updated on a fairly regular basis. I’m afraid it has now turned into a neglected blog. And what have I been doing instead of writing here?

I am still in the process of looking for a new job, what I call a Real Job. I realize there are people in this world who make their living as a coffee barista but I am not one of them. I can’t afford it. So, the job search is on and will probably end up lasting the entire summer. The remainder of my life has been occupied with work, spending time with friends and Skype conversations. A friend of mine has introduced Grey’s Anatomy into my life and so I’ve also become a recent addict to the show.

My longtime friend, Steve B, will be back on US soil this June and this fact is making me very happy. He has been in Iraq for the past year working in an army hospital. I am working on convincing him to take a trip to Michigan… Well, that is it in terms of news here. I hope those of you who still tune into this blog are doing well. Enjoy the summer!

6 Random Things About Me

Srah just completed this meme and so I thought I would give it a go...

1. I tend to freak out when someone enters my apartment but refuses to remove their shoes and ends up WALKING ON THE CARPET. WITH SHOES ON, NO LESS! This drives me quite mad and I try my best to hold it together. I take a deep breathe, imagine a happy place (Southern France usually works) and then I prance on the person and end up throwing their shoes out the window. I live a few floors up, so the fall is quite dramatic. This usually reinforces my stance on the No Shoes on Carpet Rule.

2. I can’t snap my fingers. I just can’t, I don’t know why.

3. Once I have a new favorite album I tend to play it over and over again on repeat. Often I narrow this down to the favorite song(s) on that favorite album, so I will end up only listening to track 5 a few thousand times before I move on.

4. I agreed to attend a friend’s graduation ceremony that takes place this Saturday, starting at 9 AM. I said, “Yes,” and then thought, “No. I can’t. Please don’t make me get up that early on a Saturday.” But I kept my mouth shut because this is part of being a friend and maybe I can still find a way to get out of it...

5. One of my favorite stores to go to is Whole Foods and while in NYC this past April I discovered the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle is even cooler than my Whole Foods at home. I am not a person who goes around bashing Michigan, or who likes to the use the line, “New York is better,” but in this one area there is superiority. I’m sorry if this offends some of you but have you compared the two Whole Foods lately? I thought not.

6. At my apartment we happen to have the worst magazine selection of all time on our coffee table. My roommate signed up for Cosmo Girl, Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Glamour (all for an art project) and we also receive Martha Stewart Living (which I used to read/love). With this many magazines arriving each month, things can get cluttered fast.

What is practical

I am finding the search for a Real Job to be a challenge. When I sit at my laptop and begin analyzing my resume or searching for potential jobs online I suddenly lose inertia in the process. The trouble might have something to do with the fact I don’t want a serious job at the moment. Actually, not working at all sounds ideal. And if I am forced into working can’t the task be exciting or glamorous at the very least? Is that too much to ask for?

A month ago I received an unexpected letter from National Geographic. I was terribly excited while opening it because I let my imagination rush ahead of me. “They probably want me to go on assignment and are writing to tell me to pack my bags… I must remember to bring a Passport, sunscreen, chewing gum for flying…” Once the letter was opened I discovered they were merely asking for a magazine subscription. I tossed the letter into the wastebasket, thinking, “Fine! Send someone else to cover the situation in Myanmar! See if I care!”

I have a friend who recently graduated and had the chance to go on an archaeological dig this summer but turned it down for a pointless, well-paying job instead (the job also allows her to stay in Michigan). Her so-called practical decision is haunting her and she has taken to calling herself a, “sell out.” I imagine not being able to play in the dirt all summer must be painful. It may even become more painful if they discover the next Kennewick Man or a fossilized insect and she won’t be there to witness it because a memo needs to be delivered ASAP.

There is also the added pressure of finding a Real Job because I happen to live a life that requires the transfer of US dollars, often on a daily basis. Working at a coffee shop is not enough to survive on, even if I feel great loyalty to my café and would probably work there for the rest of my life if it were in fact practical.

My beating heart

This past Sunday my family put together a party in order to celebrate my graduation. After the party ended a few of my siblings came over to my apartment in order to fix my wireless Internet problems. Theresa worked at it for hours, while I served tea and made small talk. She wasn’t able to fix the problem after hours of work and explained she would need to leave for now. My sister had just devoted her entire weekend to planning and putting together a party in my honor and she appeared exhausted, so I decided she had clearly earned the right to leave.

Me: “Okay, don’t worry about it… I’m sure we can get to it later. Thank you for trying so hard. I guess I can live without Internet for a second or two…”

My brother, Alex, jumped in just then.

Alex: “Are you sure it is okay? I thought you said earlier that it was causing you heart attacks. That sounds serious.”

Me: “Oh, well, it was causing me heart attacks… but I guess I can get by…”

Alex: “Are you sure? I mean, even one heart attack sounds serious. But you said you had several.”

Me: “Yes, I know… but maybe I exaggerated a little bit…”

Alex ended up staying after Theresa left and worked on the problem for another few hours. He wasn’t able to fix it but I appreciated the effort. I left my apartment to run up to the store and when I returned my new roommate, H, had a message for me. Apparently she had taken over while I was away and had devoted her night to tackling the problem. My new roommate was a stranger when she moved in but she is clearly on the right track to winning my heart.

As I sit in my apartment now I can’t help but feel quite lucky. I don’t have reliable Internet here, not yet, but I have so many people in my life that will go out of their way to help me. This is no small thing. I am fortunate. And even if reliable Internet never reaches me, I'll still have people around me who will step in and care.

Apartment listings

I've been reading through all kinds of apartment listings as of late. Many are dull or in some cases questionable. I know a listing for "Room for Rant" caught my eye and I considered emailing the individual with the proper English corrections. But then I stopped because I refuse to turn into that kind of person. The type who is offended by poor grammar and feels the need to preserve the language. No, I refuse to become a William Safire. So "Room for Rant" is fine. Besides, the "rant" part gives the listing a certain amount of flair, don't you think?

One of the more interesting listings I've found is shown below.

Who I'm looking for:

Sweet, down-to-earth, cultured people who are kind and considerate, would appreciate the artistic, family vibe of our building, and be able to return all the good Karma that's floating around the place. Seeing as two out of three of us are musicians, making noise is not a problem. The building is couple-friendly, foreigner-friendly, pet-friendly and queer-friendly. Basically just friendly period.

After I read this I wanted to scream, "That's me!" But then I stopped myself because the room is going for $1000 a week. Apparently living a Bohemian lifestyle does not come cheap these days. Not in Manhattan, at least.

My second favorite listing I came across was written in the form of a poem. The poem was organized into exact stanzas and made use of clever rhyme. Except, there wasn't a great deal of information concerning the actual apartment. I mean, it was clear the apartment was in Chelsea and the landlord had a knack for poetry but that was about it. I passed up the offer but made a mental note that poetry might be useful for apartment listings, if done right. Here is how I would list my current apartment:

You, in your own room, imagine it
We have cable TV and wireless Internet
At 955 total square feet you can't go wrong
And the rent is cheap, so there is no need to frown

I wonder if a haiku would be more effective?

Because Michigan is sometimes boring

It hasn’t been easy transitioning from a life of college classes followed by a week in New York City and then back to normalcy in Michigan. The fact I finished college is a good thing, don’t get me wrong. I imagine my parents will be able to rest easier at night knowing their daughter won’t be in college until the end of time. And, I must admit, life might be easier without exams, or papers to consider. I don’t have my life plans mapped out at the moment, so please don’t ask, but I imagine this will become clearer with time.

I have been keeping an eye on possible apartment openings in Manhattan. Please note: I am not looking to permanently move there. However, a summer in the city might be what I need. Already I had plans to visit my sister again over the summer but then I thought, “Why not just stay for a month? Or why not make it two or three?” At that point it would be easier to have a room of my own. And so, the search is on. I would love to live in Chelsea or Soho but will settle for other locals as long as I’m in Manhattan. And in the meantime I would sublet my room in my Michigan apartment. I would also work a summer job in the city, just to make sure I have enough money to pay my bills.

Of course, everything is still very much so up in the air and I may just be suffering from The Grass is Always Greener Syndrome. Is there a cure for those experiencing this? I think not.

New York City, I miss you.

Literary Hot Spots: NYC

The June 2008 edition of Writer's Digest features literary hot spots throughout the United States. I flipped to the section on NYC (after all, NYC is the publishing capital of the world) and found Sarah Walker has an impressive list for the city. When I return to NYC later in the summer I plan on bringing this list with me. Here is the online version of the article. I've included the list from the printed version below.

‘Snice, West Village: 45 8th Ave.

The Half King, Chelsea: 505 W. 23rd St.

McNally Robinson, NoLita: 52 Prince St.

KGB Bar, East Village: 87 E. 4th St.

Hungarian Pastry Shop, Upper West Side: 1030 Amsterdam Ave.

Mulberry Street Branch of the NY Public Library: 10 Jersey St.

Retreat and Rebar, Brooklyn/Dumbo: 147 Front St.

Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn/Williamsburg: 709 Lorimer St.


Member’s Only Writing Spots:

Brooklyn Writer’s Space: 58 Garfield Place (brooklynwriters.com)

The Writer’s Room: 740 Broadway, 12th Floor (writersroom.org)

Paragraph: 35 W. 14th St. (paragraphny.com)

Trip recap

I had a fantastic time in NYC. I stayed for a total of seven days and was hosted by my lovely sister, Sara, who lives in the city. She abandoned me for four of the seven days but this ended up adding to the excitement for I had to explore the city as a solo traveler. And, for the record, solo travel can be quite fun. I recommend it. As a solo traveler you rely more on your wits and have to actually pay closer attention. You set your own schedule and can take more time to stop and smell the roses, if that kind of thing suits your fancy, that is.

This does not mean traveling with Sara was a burden. Oh no, I love my sister very much and it is refreshing having a “guide” on hand who knows all the secrets of the city. When I traveled with Sara I didn’t have to worry about Subway routes, or where we were actually going. I could just follow along blindly. Also, Sara is the kind of guide who is flexible and asks for suggestions so at any time I could interrupt our travels and suggest a new location. We had a terrific time in the city together and already I miss her.

While in NYC I also had the pleasure of meeting an old classmate named Virginia. We go back to the days of Catholic school at St. Philip and it was refreshing seeing an old face from my childhood. Virginia is a science writer living in NYC and has wonderful taste in shoes. She also maintains a hip science blog, which you can read by clicking here.

“What were your favorite spots in the city?” is the most asked question since my return. My favorites include: Brooklyn, Soho, Chelsea and Central Park (even though everyone picks Central Park as a favorite). I documented my travels extensively in photos but by the end of the trip I had to put away the camera. At that point I focused more on living in the moment, rather than simply photographing each moment. Balance is healthy.