This weekend was largely uneventful. I spent all of my downtime cleaning, doing laundry, getting organized, and recovering from being sick. I went to the clinic inside of Duane Reade up the street from my office. Of course, they tried to stick needles in me LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO!! She thought that maybe I had mono. Obviously, I did not allow her to finger prick me (who does that?) and she gave me an antibiotic instead, which has helped tremendously. I was able to make it to the gym this weekend for the first time in over a week, and I made a little bit of money at the cafe. Rent is paid, and I'm ready for September. I heard somewhere that it's one of the most beautiful months in the city. The weather has warmed up again, and I'm excited to enjoy summer's last hours before fall.
I had a really interesting experience on Friday night. I had seen my friend N that afternoon (she just moved here after finishing grad school at BU) and K went out to a friend's birthday party. I went downstairs to pick up a package my mom had sent me. I was on my way back up the elevator when this woman started talking to me. She was talking about film and art school and movies...bla bla bla. She ended up getting out of the elevator with me and talking to me in the hallway in front of my apartment for THREE HOURS! Seriously. I was still talking to her when K got back from her party. While I found the woman (who was in her sixties) very interesting....I didn't exactly want to be standing there for that long. I needed to catch up on my sleep!! She told me about all the famous movie directors she has slept with...and talked a lot about astrology....it was weird. I feel like in a way I was meant to meet this woman. I really enjoy the company of older friends and perhaps I'll have a new one in her. But next time I'll make sure there are chairs around, and that I have a reason to leave early.
On a positive note, I've managed to be hired as a freelance editor for a few days at the company I'm interning for. Yay! It will be nice to put something new on my resume. I'm just working on a project for them today and tonight it's off to Cafe Lalo to work. Hopefully I'll make some money!
Inside I'm fainting and outside it's gloomy.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Its been a rainy few days. I like this because I've come down with a cold and would prefer to stay in bed reading than be outside and if it was sunny I would feel guilty for staying in. I really didn't do much this weekend.
On Friday I went to Cafe Lalo for my second day of training. 7pm-4am. Long shift! I met a few girls who I really like and I enjoyed spending time with them. The servers do very little compared to my old restaurant job in California, except that it is usually very busy as it is a famous restaurant. Staying up until 4am, however, is very brutal. I was meant to go in on Saturday as well for my last day of training but I wasn't feeling well and stayed home instead. I arrived at 7pm last night to make up for Saturday. I had stayed in bed all day yesterday until 6pm just sleeping and trying to feel better. Not fifteen minutes into the shift I was convinced I was dreaming and only realized I wasn't when I felt a bunch of hands on me. I had fainted and the other servers caught me as I was going down. They sat me down and I drank a glass of sugar water. I left for the day and will still need to make up that last training day, though I am already scheduled to work Thursday and Sunday of this week. It was truly an embarrassing experience.
Rain is the forecast for the rest of the week. I really don't mind it right now. I wish my apartment was a little cozier and a little less....bare. I'm excited to see how fall looks in NYC. I can't believe I'm already heading into my third month here. Perhaps a career is around the corner?
On Friday I went to Cafe Lalo for my second day of training. 7pm-4am. Long shift! I met a few girls who I really like and I enjoyed spending time with them. The servers do very little compared to my old restaurant job in California, except that it is usually very busy as it is a famous restaurant. Staying up until 4am, however, is very brutal. I was meant to go in on Saturday as well for my last day of training but I wasn't feeling well and stayed home instead. I arrived at 7pm last night to make up for Saturday. I had stayed in bed all day yesterday until 6pm just sleeping and trying to feel better. Not fifteen minutes into the shift I was convinced I was dreaming and only realized I wasn't when I felt a bunch of hands on me. I had fainted and the other servers caught me as I was going down. They sat me down and I drank a glass of sugar water. I left for the day and will still need to make up that last training day, though I am already scheduled to work Thursday and Sunday of this week. It was truly an embarrassing experience.
Rain is the forecast for the rest of the week. I really don't mind it right now. I wish my apartment was a little cozier and a little less....bare. I'm excited to see how fall looks in NYC. I can't believe I'm already heading into my third month here. Perhaps a career is around the corner?
And I'm now employed
Friday, August 20, 2010
I took Tuesday off from my internship to search for jobs and interviewed for a hostess position and Cafe Lalo. I truely didn't expect to hear back, as no one has hired me thus far, so I was very surprised when they called me on Wednesday and asked me to come in as a server. Of course I said yes. I love Cafe Lalo. Their food is spectacular, organic, and fresh, and it is the cutest little place. Only problem is, their hours are very long. Nine hours a shift. I have three training days before I actually get to move onto the floor and yesterday was my first. I was on my feet from 8 to 5 and really didn't participate in anything too spectacular. Compared to my last serving job, these girls do nothing. All they do, truly, is take orders and run food. I can do that. The outfits are kind of ugly though (black miniskirts with pink leggings and white tops during the day), but the good news is it's only four blocks from my apartment. I can do that. The bad new is night shifts are generally from 7pm to 4am. That's what I'll be working today, after my internship. Its a 16 hour workday. Welcome to the real world right? Then tomorrow I work the same shift and then I'll officially be able to take my own tables. Good. Some money. FINALLY!
Now....about that career of mine....?
Now....about that career of mine....?
Allow myself to talk about.....myself...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Boy is there lot to catch up on. First of all...
Today I took the day off to, once again, apply for jobs! Yay!.....not. I went to two places this morning, neither of which were hiring. Then the next two I went to (the two I really wanted to work for) were closed. I was giving up and going home when I got a phone call from a casting agency through which I had applied to be an extra. Or so I thought. I know how the extra thing works. You show up, meet with the AD or whoever is in charge, sign a contract saying you will be where you need to be at the right time. Spend the day doing the same thing over and over, and walk away with a few hundred dollars. I can do that. And I have friends who have. So, I lugged myself onto the subway down to Penn Station where the building is. I went to the second floor and waited in the office while filling out the "application" (which included height, weight, and measurements....not something a girl wants to admit to. Unless they are Adriana Lima.) After reciting a clearly memorized five minute dialogue, most of which I couldn't hear due to his speed of speech, I told the man there was no way I was paying 100 dollars to have someone take pictures of me. He tried other ways to convince me. I declined and tried to leave, but he gestured that I was to meet with another guy, in the next office.....ok..... I sat an waited for him. He came out and brought me in to talk about the same thing, I guess. I told him I had no idea what the other guy had said and that I was totally confused; this isn't how extra casting works. He was quick to tell me he liked my look, thought I had modeling potential and wanted to get started on pictures today. "Look," he said, "these girls even made it into playboy." Gosh just what I've always wanted!! Not. I told him I wasn't interested and left through the back door....which was really difficult to find.
After feeling completely freaked out by that experience and ultimately discouraged from my job hunt earlier in the day, I went back home for a break. My friend KS sent me a bunch of online job postings, so I took an hour to apply to all of those, and then I headed back out to interview at Cafe Lalo for a hostess position. I am completely in love with this restaurant and I would love to work there! Not as much as I would like and actual career job, but still. The interview seemed to go well, but then again they all do. I can only cross my fingers and wait. For now, I'm having a glass of wine and waiting for 5pm to roll around so I can move on to my next restaurant. Blah.
I suppose in addition to this lovely information I should fill you in on what else has been going on with my life. Well, my birthday was alright. My friend J and I went to a picnic in the park and drank a bottle of wine. That was good. That night I went to Delancey with K and J. It's difficult to have a party when you don't know many people in the city. Doubly difficult to have one at a club where three others are also celebrating and have all of their friends. Regardless, I had people buy my drinks all night long and, as a result, didn't feel my best on Saturday morning.
That Saturday was even worse because (I was hungover), our AC had broken and the hot water in our bath was running nonstop. Bother. Our apartment was like a sauna. The super came and was able to get the water to stop running, but he had to take the handle off of the faucet. I went to brush my teeth and when I turned the handle on the sink water burst through the wall where the handle on the bath used to be and shot across the room with the power of a fire hose. K and I were practically dying laughing on the floor in the heat of our apartment. We decided to get the hell out of there and go somewhere cool where we could drink iced water.
The next Sunday, K and I went to go to Fairway to get some groceries for the week when we saw a black dresser sitting on the corner of the street just a block from our apartment. "Can we take this?" she asked. We gave each other a knowing glance, and then proceeded to try and carry the very heavy dresser to our front door. It took a few trips, as the two of us couldn't stop laughing at each other carrying the dead weight, but we eventually made it to our building. W, the doorman, quickly came out and asked us what we were doing. We told him we found this dresser and wanted to take it upstairs. He looked at us in disbelief when we told him we had carried it by ourselves but then helped us get it to the elevator on a dolly, all the while looking over his shoulder in case his boss might see him ushering furniture through the front door rather than the back.
So now we have a new dresser in our apartment, which is awesome because we needed more space. The AC has been fixed because our super found a new one for us (though its so loud its difficult to sleep). Minus the job hunt, things are moving along I suppose. I am beginning to fear that I'll have to move back to California sooner than I wanted because of my lack of employment. The more difficult it is, the more frustrated I get and when I get frustrated I tend to fall into a "just give up" sort of attitude. I know I shouldn't, it's just my nature. Wish me luck these next few weeks. With the other interns gone and the fiscal year ending for the company I'm interning for, maybe there is a possibility I could get hired there, which is what I really want. Or else I can just go work for an escort company. Or a foot fetish one (really weird by the way). They, at least, all seem to make good money.
Today I took the day off to, once again, apply for jobs! Yay!.....not. I went to two places this morning, neither of which were hiring. Then the next two I went to (the two I really wanted to work for) were closed. I was giving up and going home when I got a phone call from a casting agency through which I had applied to be an extra. Or so I thought. I know how the extra thing works. You show up, meet with the AD or whoever is in charge, sign a contract saying you will be where you need to be at the right time. Spend the day doing the same thing over and over, and walk away with a few hundred dollars. I can do that. And I have friends who have. So, I lugged myself onto the subway down to Penn Station where the building is. I went to the second floor and waited in the office while filling out the "application" (which included height, weight, and measurements....not something a girl wants to admit to. Unless they are Adriana Lima.) After reciting a clearly memorized five minute dialogue, most of which I couldn't hear due to his speed of speech, I told the man there was no way I was paying 100 dollars to have someone take pictures of me. He tried other ways to convince me. I declined and tried to leave, but he gestured that I was to meet with another guy, in the next office.....ok..... I sat an waited for him. He came out and brought me in to talk about the same thing, I guess. I told him I had no idea what the other guy had said and that I was totally confused; this isn't how extra casting works. He was quick to tell me he liked my look, thought I had modeling potential and wanted to get started on pictures today. "Look," he said, "these girls even made it into playboy." Gosh just what I've always wanted!! Not. I told him I wasn't interested and left through the back door....which was really difficult to find.
After feeling completely freaked out by that experience and ultimately discouraged from my job hunt earlier in the day, I went back home for a break. My friend KS sent me a bunch of online job postings, so I took an hour to apply to all of those, and then I headed back out to interview at Cafe Lalo for a hostess position. I am completely in love with this restaurant and I would love to work there! Not as much as I would like and actual career job, but still. The interview seemed to go well, but then again they all do. I can only cross my fingers and wait. For now, I'm having a glass of wine and waiting for 5pm to roll around so I can move on to my next restaurant. Blah.
I suppose in addition to this lovely information I should fill you in on what else has been going on with my life. Well, my birthday was alright. My friend J and I went to a picnic in the park and drank a bottle of wine. That was good. That night I went to Delancey with K and J. It's difficult to have a party when you don't know many people in the city. Doubly difficult to have one at a club where three others are also celebrating and have all of their friends. Regardless, I had people buy my drinks all night long and, as a result, didn't feel my best on Saturday morning.
That Saturday was even worse because (I was hungover), our AC had broken and the hot water in our bath was running nonstop. Bother. Our apartment was like a sauna. The super came and was able to get the water to stop running, but he had to take the handle off of the faucet. I went to brush my teeth and when I turned the handle on the sink water burst through the wall where the handle on the bath used to be and shot across the room with the power of a fire hose. K and I were practically dying laughing on the floor in the heat of our apartment. We decided to get the hell out of there and go somewhere cool where we could drink iced water.
The next Sunday, K and I went to go to Fairway to get some groceries for the week when we saw a black dresser sitting on the corner of the street just a block from our apartment. "Can we take this?" she asked. We gave each other a knowing glance, and then proceeded to try and carry the very heavy dresser to our front door. It took a few trips, as the two of us couldn't stop laughing at each other carrying the dead weight, but we eventually made it to our building. W, the doorman, quickly came out and asked us what we were doing. We told him we found this dresser and wanted to take it upstairs. He looked at us in disbelief when we told him we had carried it by ourselves but then helped us get it to the elevator on a dolly, all the while looking over his shoulder in case his boss might see him ushering furniture through the front door rather than the back.
So now we have a new dresser in our apartment, which is awesome because we needed more space. The AC has been fixed because our super found a new one for us (though its so loud its difficult to sleep). Minus the job hunt, things are moving along I suppose. I am beginning to fear that I'll have to move back to California sooner than I wanted because of my lack of employment. The more difficult it is, the more frustrated I get and when I get frustrated I tend to fall into a "just give up" sort of attitude. I know I shouldn't, it's just my nature. Wish me luck these next few weeks. With the other interns gone and the fiscal year ending for the company I'm interning for, maybe there is a possibility I could get hired there, which is what I really want. Or else I can just go work for an escort company. Or a foot fetish one (really weird by the way). They, at least, all seem to make good money.
My last day as a 22 year old.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
So I'm at the office. Just finished editing our intern video. We have a little more work to do on Monday but otherwise we're pretty much done. Yay! And next week is the other interns' last week and then it will just be me. I've worked out a system so that in September I can still come in two days a week, even without my ID card. I'm sad it's already over, I love working here.
I have a few more job leads but nothing I'm crossing my fingers for. I'm not convinced I'll EVER be employed again. Or at least not in this city. I'm taking Tuesday off next week to go door to door at different restaurants in my neighborhood. Bore.
I'm also taking tomorrow off because its my birthday. The big 23. Ugh. That's mid-twenties. I can't believe how fast time goes. My friend J doesn't start work until Monday so he's gonna spend the day with me. I think we might do the cheesy stuff: a picnic in central park, a row boat....that kind of thing. Then tomorrow night people are going to The Delancey, as I mentioned before. That should be fun I suppose. I'm big into birthdays. I wish I was celebrating it at home with my family.
Summer is nearing its end and I have to start preparing for the fall. Fall in New York, doesn't that sound lovely? I've been waiting for the day I could see Central Park in the fall. Also, I'm going to D.C. for Thanksgiving which will be fun but I'll miss being in California. Its kind of a tradition for my mom and I to pick up fall leaves in the park behind our house. I guess I'll have to go to the park here and pick up leaves with K....though since we don't have a table or a pretty bowl to put them in, I'm not sure that's a good idea.
That's really all that's going on now. No plans for this evening...probably just go home and chill out. Its a hot day!
I have a few more job leads but nothing I'm crossing my fingers for. I'm not convinced I'll EVER be employed again. Or at least not in this city. I'm taking Tuesday off next week to go door to door at different restaurants in my neighborhood. Bore.
I'm also taking tomorrow off because its my birthday. The big 23. Ugh. That's mid-twenties. I can't believe how fast time goes. My friend J doesn't start work until Monday so he's gonna spend the day with me. I think we might do the cheesy stuff: a picnic in central park, a row boat....that kind of thing. Then tomorrow night people are going to The Delancey, as I mentioned before. That should be fun I suppose. I'm big into birthdays. I wish I was celebrating it at home with my family.
Summer is nearing its end and I have to start preparing for the fall. Fall in New York, doesn't that sound lovely? I've been waiting for the day I could see Central Park in the fall. Also, I'm going to D.C. for Thanksgiving which will be fun but I'll miss being in California. Its kind of a tradition for my mom and I to pick up fall leaves in the park behind our house. I guess I'll have to go to the park here and pick up leaves with K....though since we don't have a table or a pretty bowl to put them in, I'm not sure that's a good idea.
That's really all that's going on now. No plans for this evening...probably just go home and chill out. Its a hot day!
Catching Up
Monday, August 2, 2010
The past few weeks have been so busy I have had no time to write, but a lot has happened...
My weekend in D.C. was fun yet also sad. I was officially there to attend my cousins' going away party. One is moving to Chicago and the other to Indonesia. My aunt is pretty sad about it but its the best thing for each of them. The party was so much fun and it was really good to see the extended family that I see only very rarely. On top of that I got to see my mom which was nice because I didn't know when I would see her next. I got to spend time with my aunt's cat Nala who is a tiny gray cat similar to Sara. She spent some time laying in my lap every morning.
On the downside, my grandpa is in the hospital and nothing looks good. He's had a stroke and can't move the right side of his body. He's pretty much bed ridden and I'm pretty sure his spirit is broken. Its sad. My mom has extended her stay so that she can help take care of him and clean out his house and everything. We don't know what the next step will be for him but we're all pretty nervous about it.
Work has picked up. The other interns and myself are finishing up our intern video project, so that's good. They both leave next week and then I will be the lone intern for a while. I'll enjoy that, I think, because I'll have more to do and I'd love more responsibility.
My friend, A, came to town on Thursday night to stay for the weekend. K and I had a lot of fun hanging out with her. On Friday she and I went for a long champagne brunch at Sarabeth's on the Upper West and then spent the day poking around in the West Village. J arrived into the city on Friday evening so I met him at the subway station and showed him around the Upper West a bit. That night, K, J, A, and I met with some of K's friends at Tortilla Flats, my old stomping ground. It was crazy because the minute I walked in I saw R and P, two guys I had met during my internship last time. I was so excited to run into them! As a group, we left Tortilla Flats and walked over to the Gansevoort where R and P got the whole group in in front of the line. Then we were straight up to the rooftop deck where we could see awesome panoramic views of the city. It was an awesome night!
On Saturday I spent time with J trying to get him settled into his new apartment on 163rd st. It was such a hassle figuring out all the paperwork and lugging his stuff up the stairs. On Sunday A and I had brunch at Cafe Lalo and then spent time poking around a little street market. We bought curtains for our room and an Audrey Hepburn poster which really makes it feel more homey. Today it was back to the office grind.
All in all, it has been a very eventful week. I look forward to getting back into my schedule of working everyday, working out, and job hunting some more. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things start to pick up a bit, both in work and at home.
My weekend in D.C. was fun yet also sad. I was officially there to attend my cousins' going away party. One is moving to Chicago and the other to Indonesia. My aunt is pretty sad about it but its the best thing for each of them. The party was so much fun and it was really good to see the extended family that I see only very rarely. On top of that I got to see my mom which was nice because I didn't know when I would see her next. I got to spend time with my aunt's cat Nala who is a tiny gray cat similar to Sara. She spent some time laying in my lap every morning.
On the downside, my grandpa is in the hospital and nothing looks good. He's had a stroke and can't move the right side of his body. He's pretty much bed ridden and I'm pretty sure his spirit is broken. Its sad. My mom has extended her stay so that she can help take care of him and clean out his house and everything. We don't know what the next step will be for him but we're all pretty nervous about it.
Work has picked up. The other interns and myself are finishing up our intern video project, so that's good. They both leave next week and then I will be the lone intern for a while. I'll enjoy that, I think, because I'll have more to do and I'd love more responsibility.
My friend, A, came to town on Thursday night to stay for the weekend. K and I had a lot of fun hanging out with her. On Friday she and I went for a long champagne brunch at Sarabeth's on the Upper West and then spent the day poking around in the West Village. J arrived into the city on Friday evening so I met him at the subway station and showed him around the Upper West a bit. That night, K, J, A, and I met with some of K's friends at Tortilla Flats, my old stomping ground. It was crazy because the minute I walked in I saw R and P, two guys I had met during my internship last time. I was so excited to run into them! As a group, we left Tortilla Flats and walked over to the Gansevoort where R and P got the whole group in in front of the line. Then we were straight up to the rooftop deck where we could see awesome panoramic views of the city. It was an awesome night!
On Saturday I spent time with J trying to get him settled into his new apartment on 163rd st. It was such a hassle figuring out all the paperwork and lugging his stuff up the stairs. On Sunday A and I had brunch at Cafe Lalo and then spent time poking around a little street market. We bought curtains for our room and an Audrey Hepburn poster which really makes it feel more homey. Today it was back to the office grind.
All in all, it has been a very eventful week. I look forward to getting back into my schedule of working everyday, working out, and job hunting some more. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things start to pick up a bit, both in work and at home.
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