First day of work?....A great reason to celebrate!

Day one on the job! I had an interview with a head hunter/recruiting agency this morning, then started work at 11:30.

The recruiting agency interview went well. I was referred by yet another girl from SCAD, so I figured what the heck. It's worth a shot. I showed her my work and signed my life away, then hopped on the train uptown. I arrived at the building of my work a bit early, so I grabbed a yogurt and banana and headed up.

I'm working under a guy named Roy, and he is very nice. I started on my first two assignments right away...one, fixing a former freelancer's mistakes, and two, designing a piece from scratch. I got them both pretty much done in less than a work day. Not too bad, especially considering that I haven't used Quark for a year.

To celebrate, both of my roommates (Turner and Guevara) separately said that they wanted to take me out to dinner, so I thought we could all go together. We went to a fancy fusion place called Indochine (Lafayette, by 4th/Astor Place), where Guevara's sister Mena is the manager. I had the house martini, which had ginger, mint, and who knows what else in it (delicious, though). Then, Mena ordered a bunch of her recommendations for us and the three of us enjoyed two courses of food, plus some tiny desserts (after we had passed on the dessert menu). Turner snuck off and picked up the tab, which was very, very nice of him.

Afterwards, the three of us headed to another bar that Mena's boyfriend runs called 60 Thompson (Thompston St, btwn Spring and Broome Sts). They have a restaurant downstairs, a lounge upstairs, a hotel, and a very very exclusive rooftop bar that is frequented by celebrities. We only hung out downstairs, waiting for Robert, but Guevara said that we can go back pretty much whenever we like to check out the lounge and rooftop. Nice! Once with Robert and his fried, Frank, the five of us took Frank's car to the Parkside. I played Ms. Pacman while the boys played pool, then I caught a cab home (thanks again to Turner). Fun night...now, work tomorrow!

What you've all been waiting for - News from the JOB FRONT!

As you probably know, I've been interviewing with an advertising agency here in the city for a couple months now. I've interviewed with a total of 8 people there, after having interviewed with 4 people at their sister agency. They've been waiting to hear what the scope of work is with their new business and current clients, and haven't been able to give me a definitive answer on hiring time-lines. It's been a tiny bit nerve-wracking, but I've been patient.

I called last week like they told me to, and my contact there (usually very warm) was a bit short. I asked if I should call back this week and he said yes. I was a bit unsure what was going on, but figured I'd call back this week, and also start looking elsewhere again just in case.

Well, today I got a call from Grant, and he told me that he was very sorry, but he had confused me with another applicant named Leslie last week. He had asked her not to call, which explains why he was so short (not to mention that he was in a meeting), and didn't realize it was me until I mentioned having finished painting my apartment. He said at that point, he was so horrified and embarrassed that he didn't know what to say just then. This was on a Wednesday, and he ended up forgetting to call back before the week's end. That made me feel better.

He also said that they were still working hard to get me in there, and that there may be a freelance opportunity, and that I should be hearing from another creative director, Roy, today. (I had interviewed with Roy during my first round there.) Indeed, Roy called shortly after to check my interest and availability around 3pm. I went off with Natalie (see previous post), and thought I'd most likely hear back tomorrow.

I checked my voicemail around 7:30pm, surprised that I had one, considering I had no missed calls. That means I must have been in the subway at the time. The message was from Roy, asking if I can come in tomorrow to start freelancing! I'm so excited! He wants me there around 11:30am. I also have an interview earlier in the day with a head-hunting agency, so I'll just get up early and do both! More news to come, I'm sure...

SI, Baba Wawa, TV

Natalie and I decided last night to meet up at the Society of Illustrators today - partly because we both want to get back in the illustration scene, and also because I know a girl from SCAD (Kate) who just got hired there full-time. Unfortunately, I learned upon arrival that they were just taking the show down, and that they'd be closed for a month. Nevertheless, we chatted with Kate a bit, and she let us look at the pieces that were still up, and showed us the SCAD professor's work that was in the show. We talked about "student outreach," which is part of Kate's new job title, and it's appropriate, since Natalie was the founder/president of the Illustration Society at SCAD, I was the second president, and Kate was the fourth (having just graduated). We also talked to former Society of Illustrators president, Terry Brown there. Natalie and I both plan to volunteer and get involved there.

We wandered around around the Upper East Side a bit, and were planning to also check out the Whitney museum, until we found out it's closed on Mondays. Should've known. One fun part of that trek though was that we saw Barbara Walters on Madison Avenue, after she came out of the Carlisle. She looked glamorous in all white jacket and pants, with her hair done and big sunglasses, but she's definitely aging. Go figure...she's been around quite a while.

We went back to Natalie's and hung out, then got dinner at a place called Buddha BBeeQ (teriyaki salmon with rice and salad for $11??! - Deeelish!), then went back to her place again to watch a bit of TV with her roomie, Julie.

Tomorrow, I'm getting up early because I have WORK to go to!!! yay! (I'll make that a separate posting...)

Rainy Random Sunday

On Sunday, Julie had invited me to go to a concert at McCarren Park Pool to see TV on the Radio. I mentioned it to my friend Jessica (also from SCAD), and she was already planning on going. She asked me if I'd like to go to brunch beforehand, and I agreed. Natalie debated whether or not she'd like to go to the show, but said she'd join us for brunch. It ended up being Jessica, Natalie and I, and we met at a place Jessica recommended called Friend of a Farmer (Irving Pl, btwn 18 & 19th St). We took our time, and I enjoyed my granola, Natalie her egg whites, and Jessica her pumpkin pancakes. It was nice to chat and catch up, especially since Jessica and I have been trying to do so for a few months now.

Unfortunately, it was pouring out all morning, and didn't let up much while we ate, so we all decided to ditch the show. Jess headed back to her Brooklyn apartment, and Natalie and I decided to catch the Hairspray movie. It was cute (and $11), and we laughed a lot. I think now I'd like to see the original John Waters movie and the Broadway musical (sad that I haven't seen the movie, I know). We also saw some previews for great movies coming out this fall, so more rainy day weather entertainment will be coming our way.

After the movie, we got sucked into the indulgent, delectable world of Max Brenner's chocolate. It's a chocolate restaurant, and what we had for dinner consisted of a warm, gooey chocolate cake and chocolate pizza. We couldn't even finish these two small things, they were so rich.

We then wandered around Union Square until my friend Aaron (also from SCAD) gave me a call and met up with us there. We just hung out at a picnic table there, beside some chess players, and chatted for an hour or so, until we all parted ways.

The fun never stops (Fri and Sat)

Well, I just got home from a long, fun day with Alicia. More about that in a second...

Last night, Natalie and I met up around 7:45 for dinner at a vegetarian restaurant that Julie recommended, called Angelica's Kitchen (12th St., btwn 1st and 2nd Aves). We both ordered the 'Wee Dragon Bargain', which was a smaller portion of the dragon bowl, cup of soup, and bread with spread. We both got the corn chowder with jalapeno and corn bread, which was a nice hearty variety, without sugar. Both were very good, then came our dinners. It was a plate of tofu and vegetables, cooked al dente, then a miso dressing for it all. I think that it was a bit bland, and not my ideal meal, but perhaps my taste for tofu and sea vegetables isn't fully developed. If I go back though, I think I'll have something different.

Natalie and I then made our way to St. Marks Place, and strolled down, looking for a good spot. I'm fairly familiar with the East Village at this point, and we ended up coming to a spot that I've tried to check out twice before, but it's always WAY too crowded. This time it was lively, but not packed, so we went into Bua (St. Marks btwn 1st and Ave A). We had Caipirinhas to drink, after seeing the bartender making one by mashing limes in a glass with a wooden pestle. It's made with a special rum, and is actually the national cocktail of Brazil. Go figure. We hung out and talked to the bartender every now and again (he thanked us for straightening out the coasters on the bar into OCD-neat piles), and eventually ordered another drink. We waited a bit for our friend, Rick, who is also a former SCAD student, and has been living in the city for a couple years now. We hung out there for a bit longer, then moved on to another bar (which I can't remember the name of) for one drink. While there, Alicia called me and asked me if I wanted to go to a concert the next day to see a bunch of bands. Her boyfriend bought the tickets, but then he couldn't go, then his replacement backed out last minute, so of course I was happy to fill-in. We decided to meet the next day at my place around 2.

Then Natalie, Rick, and I moved on to Sidewalk, and decided it was time for a shot, then finally ended up at The Skinny (Orchard Ave). We met Rick's neighbor, Cori there. We were there for the remainder of the night, and by the end of it, I was just drinking water. We had fun, though, and enjoyed meeting more of Rick's friends and neighbors (they live at the far end of Prospect Park in Brooklyn), dancing, and playing pool. The night ended pretty late, and Natalie and I ended up walking to my house (after grabbing a slice, of course).

Today, Natalie and I took our time waking up, but then went in search of food. We found a Chinese place not too far from my apartment (imagine that..), and just as we ordered, I got a call from Alicia that she was out of the subway (she came in from upstate). I walked to meet her, then we went back over to the restaurant, where the food had already arrived. We ate a bunch of little dumplings and things from the dim sum menu, then all walked to the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall 6 train station (last stop on the 6). We all took it up, and Natalie got off at her stop, then Alicia and I took it the whole way up to the 125th St. stop. We bought $5 bus tickets, and boarded for a short ride to Randalls Island.

The concert was an all-day festival that started at noon, but we didn't get there till 4pm. Unfortunately, after Public Enemy (and Flava Flav!) played. The concert was called Rock the Bells, and NY was the kick-off of the tour. We did, however, see: The Roots, Cypress Hill, Wu-tang Clan, and Rage Against the Machine. It was a lot of fun, and we danced around a bit. By the end, our feet were killing us from standing on the pavement the whole time, and the sweaty shirtless guys caused us to reach our annoyance threshold. The end of the concert was cool, though, because we walked back onto the (softer than concrete) grass, and saw Rage on the big screen, which was actually a bit better than staring at the 85% white male crowd's backs. By the way, the lack of females was evidenced even more by the (very much unwanted) attention we got. "Oh my god, you're so beautiful" and an anonymous butt slap later, I was sort of over the good odds (and the odd goods).

A long line to get back on a bus, then a traffic-y bus ride and subway ride to Grand Central took us a little over an hour. We reached Grand Central at 11:40, washed our hands, and sought out food and drink. We ended up with a pretzel and water, and I sat with Alicia on her train until it was ready to leave at 12:10.
It was a lot of fun to see the Mini, and I'm looking forward to visiting her upstate, probably sometime in September, when Tracy and Hannah are around. We said our goodbyes, and I caught the subway. After briefly scanning the local bar by my train station for my roommate, I headed home.

Three's Company - The Drama

I had lunch on Tuesday with a friend from high school who has been living here for about a year, and is attending NYU. We met up on Houston St, and walked to a Peruvian restaurant in the East Village. It was fun, and I ate a lot, including fish ceviche, empanadas, and a red snapper dish. I also tried a Peruvian drink called pisco, which is added to a cola.

After lunch, he showed me around the East Village more, and it was actually the first time I had seen it in the daylight. There's a lot of nightlife and restaurants there now, and what used to be gritty and dangerous is now trendy and crowded. While there, we stopped by a famous video store called Kim's. It was at one time made into more of a chain throughout NY, but they eventually closed all but the original location. They have pretty much every classic and foreign film, but most of them are still on VHS as opposed to DVD.

Lastly, before we parted, he showed me his work place at NYU and we grabbed a beer right down the road at a place called Peculier. They had one of the best beer menus I've seen (ever, not just in the city) - it was an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with very small type printed full on both sides. The only other impressive beer bars I've seen are Hop Devil in the EV and The Divine bar on like 54th, close to Times Square.

After the beer, we parted ways and I headed home to let my other roommate, Turner, in around 7pm. Turner and I dated briefly in Savannah, and while he was helping me to make the transition to NY (with 2 week-long trips to NYC), I found my current apartment. At first, my roommate Guevara only wanted one other roommate (me). He showed the apartment to me (a 3 bedroom place with one large and two small rooms)and I'm the one who asked about putting a third person in the third (small) bedroom. At first, Turner and I both thought of Hannah, but then Turner later decided that he wanted to take it. His rationale was that a) he brought me to NY, b) he brought me to the bar where we met Guevara, c) he is always helping other people out and wanted to do something for himself, d) had lived in NY at one time in the 90s, and had since fallen back in love with it on our trips up, e) was considering a major relocation here, but wanted to try it out in an inexpensive way at first to really decide, f) would be able to spend some time up here pursuing the brewery project he was working on without the cost of expensive hotels. He would only be up here for a couple days-2 weeks max per month. It made sense, and how could I say no to him, especially after all his help? Besides, it was just temporary (so he said), until he could decide if it would be worth it to get a $3k/mo apartment by himself.

WELL...Yesterday I asked him how long he intended on staying. A shock. To my dismay, he planned on staying a year! And not only that, but he intended on being up here the entire time (not for a few days a month, as originally stated, and spending the rest in Savannah). I really wasn't happy with being roommates with an ex-boyfriend in the first place, but for a year?! I don't want my first year in NY to be in the shadow of someone watching every move I make and quite probably scrutinizing me all along the way. Not only this, but my roommate, Guevara, had no idea that Turner had this in mind either. (Because Turner decided this on his own while in Savannah, with no discussion to me or anyone else.) Guevara was under the impression that Turner would be here for a month, then Hannah would be here for the month of September (Turner is letting her stay up here while she looks for a job and places that allow dogs). When Guevara asked me what Turner's plan was, and I relayed the info, we both decided that we should talk to him about it.

After painting Turner's room, the three of us decided to go out for a drink while the paint dried. I didn't know Guevara was going to talk to Turner just then, but he brought it up, and Turner was devastated to say the least. He didn't remember the "one roommate" conversation from the night we met Guevara - or much else from that evening - and thought that the whole thing was some sort of big plan/scheme to get him out of the apartment. Guevara asked him to leave by January, which is obviously months away. After much explaining and defense on our part, and passive-aggressive behavior from Turner, we came to some sort of understanding. Turner feels betrayed though, and said that if anyone else moves in after him, then he'll think I'm a sack of *something*.

The thing is: I don't know what the heck will be happening in January. If I could, I'd have a third roommate forever (I mean, it cuts my rent in half, so why not?), but Guevara only wanted one. The other thing is, that potential third roommate would be anyone but an ex-boyfriend.

Tell me if I'm wrong or evil here? I just want to be comfortable in my own house, and not under the supervision or shadow of anyone during my time here. Sigh.

Paint, Comet, Unpacking...

Ahh! Can you taste Goal #2? It's been met as far as my room is concerned!

My new room is painted and wonderful! Guevara and I went to the paint store on Monday, and then came home and painted our tails off. We re-did the bathroom (a pretty teal color, new shower curtain, etc), and my bedroom (a deep, warm yellow) in just a couple hours. It poured out all day, so it was perfect for such indoor activities.

I also ended up scrubbing both bathrooms top to bottom, oil-soaping my room, and painting my closet and the bathroom closet. On Tuesday night, after Turner arrived, I moved my things in and unpacked. I had pretty much all of it done that night, and it looks so good (as does the bathroom). (Pics to come!)

Then today, Guevara and I cleaned the kitchen. Big time. We removed everything from the cabinets, washed all the shelves, cleaned the fridge, and then...the stove. First of all, I have to say that Comet cleaner is the best stuff around. It is what got the bathtub sparkling clean, it's what got the kitchen the same way, and it's easy, and CHEAP! - Just .59 cents at the Chinese grocery store! I used it on the hood of the stove and got the stainless steel grease-free and mirror-like, then on the stove top, the backsplash tiles, and -the dreaded- under the stove top. It was so gross, but is now so clean. After also cleaning the floors, the place is looking great. We are going to buy a stainless steel shelf to display pots and pans and stuff, and after that, it's on to the living room! (Again, pics to come!)

Busy (fun) Weekend!

Natalie and I ended up parking the U-haul overnight on the street Thursday night. We woke up early to move it out of the street sweeping zone, and luckily didn't get a ticket (we were told by my roommate that it's illegal to park a commercial vehicle on the street). Oops! We moved the truck to another part of the Upper East Side, and waited around for the street sweeper to come. When it did, we circled the block and re-parked it until Saturday morning. Two nights of parking for free? Yes ma'am, I'll take it!

Late Friday, Natalie's apartment finally gave her approval on her lease, and permission to move in. We met at the truck, and drove over to her place. We had everything moved in very quickly (she didn't have much to move).

The next big task was to find a gas station, fill up the truck, and return it. It was quite a task to find one, but after driving through Times Square (and not hitting any tourists, thank you very much), we finally found one, returned the truck, and had completed our first of three major goals.

Saturday night we went out for Natalie's birthday at a cute tapas bar called Pipa (19th btwn Park and Bway). It was a bit pricey for the amount of food, but we had fun. A lot of sangria, cheese plate, asparagus, mushroom croquettes, mini paella, chocolate something rather with a candle, apple cobbler, and a couple hours later, we headed off to the next locale. Union Bar is pretty much 18-21 year olds, or so it seemed, so we tried again. We took a cab to a club in midtown, but it had a ridiculous cover, so we walked into Times Square, and after the W hotel bar was closed, we decided to call it a night.

Yesterday, Natalie, Julie, and I went to a free concert in Central Park at the SummerStage. There were three bands, the third of which was the one we set out to see. The Brazilian Girls put on a great show. Sort of avant-garde world music, we really enjoyed it, despite the hot temperature.

I headed home, and my roommate told me our upstairs neighbors were throwing a dinner party on the rooftop. It was so fabulous. They had a long table low to the ground, candles, blankets laid out, pillows to sit on, white Christmas lights, and a lot of great food. It was nice to meet more people in the building and make some other friends as well. Since our building is only four stories high, it's even height with the Manhattan bridge. It was really funny when the tour buses went across and were waving at us and taking pictures.

After dinner, I headed out to meet Julie for a little more going out. We went to a place called NuBlu (Ave C btwn 4th and 5th), which is an intimate bar/club that is owned by a record label of the same name - a little gem of a place, that hasn't quite been discovered yet. There was a band with a Brazilian front-woman, a tuba, keyboards, and drums. It was really great music, and we enjoyed dancing and talking to people (including the guitar player from the Brazilan Girls, whose hat I wore for a while). It was also the first time Julie and I hung out just the two of us, and we had a really nice time catching up. I'm very excited for more fun times with all the great people I know in the city. Not to mention the ones I'm sure to meet...

I Made It - The Big Apple!

Well, I made it to NYC! Natalie flew to Pittsburgh on Tuesday so we could take care of some things, then Natalie and I loaded up the truck today, jumped in around 1pm, and drove to the city! Brave (crazy) girls! My mom later informed me that she could hear our excited screams as we drove down the driveway.

I drove the U-haul, and Natalie was the co-pilot, in charge of maps/directions. We made a great team. We made it to the far end of NJ around 8, but had some problems with the tunnels and stuff (did you know that a U-haul is considered a commercial vehicle? Yep. And no commercial vehicles in the Holland Tunnel.), but we ultimately we got to Manhattan - and to my apartment - by 9:40pm. My roommate (Guevara) and his friend Jesse helped me move in like work horses (and the apartment is like a sauna), and we had everything moved in a very brief 24 minutes! It was great. Now I just need to set up and clean and paint, and I'll be ready to go!

My roommate is wonderful, by the way. He's very nice and easy going, and is actually a graphic designer himself. He also does some film editing and other things. He's already introduced me to quite a few people, and they're all in creative fields. Including our apartment...it's 3 floors, and everyone here is an artist in one way or another. I think it will be fun. We also have a rooftop that we can hang out on, so that's exciting!

We're hoping to take care of Natalie's moving tomorrow. She's waiting to get lease approval from her hoity-toity apartment complex. Her birthday is on Saturday, so we'll be going out that night. Four of us (all from SCAD, including Natalie's roommate and another girl I went to Rising Star with) are going to get all dolled up and drink cosmopolitans (Sex and the City style!). I'm looking forward to it.

Moxie is also here, and doing well, albeit a bit traumatized. I set her up in my room tonight, so hopefully she'll adjust quickly and get used to the sound of the train rumbling past the apartment on the bridge several times a day and night.

Well, I'm spending the night at Natalie's tonight so we can continue with the moving stuff tomorrow. I'm expecting to have lots of visitors, so buy your ticket and get here already. ;)

Sinatra Said It Best...

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York

New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that never sleeps
And find Im a number one top of the list, king of the hill
A number one

These little town blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York
And if I can make it there, Im gonna make it anywhere

It up to you - New York, New York