Monday, when I used to Love you...

Ever had a really bad day?

Today was horrible. From the moment I got out of bed, it was a downward spiral.

First, I could not figure out what to wear.

Only a woman can understand having a thousand things in her closet and trying every single one of them on without getting that 'feeling'.

My closet was the least of my worries.

I couldn't do anything right at work. 

My Director got more and more frustrated every hour, and I could tell she was holding back from giving me a piece of her mind.

I couldn't help it: I just did not have my mojo. 

I did not feel smart, and I did not feel beautiful.

Every time I tried to fix things, I ended up doing something worse.

Almost went into the bathroom to cry....almost.

The only fun part of the day was the Recruiting thing I had to attend for the Firm. It appears that male employees are more popular at these events, the guys want to be them and the girls want them. It only lasted about an hour, before I caught a cab back home. 

There is no moral to this story.

I just had a bad day.

In-Stall-ed

Have you ever been really stressed out at work?
I mean, really really REALLY stressed out...

Until a little light bulb goes off and you head to the rest room to pee... In 2 minutes, you go from "Status: intensely stressed out" to "Status: what a lovely Fall Friday".. That was me five minutes ago.

I also had some time to think to myself while I ws in the rest room...

Sex in bathroom stalls must be really uncomfortable. Jeez. From the floors that i wish I did not have to walk on to all the surfaces that you don't know exactly who just touched them. And the risk of dying by cracking your head on the toilet? Whew. I just imagined someone showing up partly clothed at Hell's Gates with a broken head, and the last entry in their Life Folder would read....

Happy October guys :)

Week One

I love my job (I plan to say this a lot in the next few weeks while I still mean it).

Anyways, down to the gist. 

Week one, which was only two days really, was great. First of all, the familiar faces helped. 90% of last year's intern class returned to the company as full time hires, which is great cuz we all kinda know what we are doing. 

The real difference now is that this is the Real Deal. As I sat in the Benefits training session listening to Health Insurance, Life Insurance, 401-k and Retirement benefits, I realized that things have really changed: This is the rest of my life. Of course there will be other big events: marriage, kids, job changes, maybe more school, transfers, work in other countries, etc But this is Adulthood. The place I will be for the rest of my life. Pretty scary feeling.

Anyways, everything else was fun. We had a huge welcome party on Thursday. And I found out on Friday that my hour-long lunch break is enough to go home and take a nap and get back to work. How cool is that? Also, there's a tunnel that leads from the train station right to my office. Last summer I never took the time to explore the subway to find the entrance, although I wished i had every day it rained. I found it yesterday, and I'm really proud of myself. 

I featured in the company-wide newsletter!! Its a really big deal since the company has over 60,000 employees and they got to see my face and read about my summer experience. I felt like a huge rockstar. Also, I was invited to meet the interns and give them tips for doing well and securing a job. I guess I did something right last summer :)

And finally, I think I'm keeping my studio apartment. I had planned to trade it for a one-bedroom apartment because I want space and all that. Now, I think I'll put those extra dollars in a retirement fund or a savings account. Plus I have fallen in love with the place as it is. (I know, pics still coming soon)

Toodles!

Happy Birthday to me

Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't like to make a big fuss about my birthday.

On the other hand, it is almost an unforgivable sin to forget my birthday. I mean, just one day in a year to tell me I'm special, and you care and wish me well. Needless to say, a number of my really good friends forgot. And it hurt, cuz I'm extra-sensitive. (so, if you are one of them, I accepted your apology because I'm nice and I love you, but you really hurt my feelings)

NOW, on to my birthday weekend! It was F-U-N! Four of my really good friends came into town and we had a nice ladies' weekend. 

Friday (D-day) kicked off with a trip to the nail shop to get pampered for the day. 

P.S. I NEED one of those massaging chairs the use in those shops. They work wonders!!

Afterwards, we hurried to catch the Zephyr, our cruise boat for the night. We planned to have happy hour aboard while we cruised on the New York City coast and took in a tour of the city. But as with every beautiful plan, things did not quite play out like we planned. First it was raining (before  this second, I did not realize it actually rained on my birthday) and the cruise had been cancelled. Second, no one thought we should be informed. Luckily, the captain of another boat offered us complimentary tickets, with free champagne and seats in his cabin on top of the boat. #Winning! It turned out to be a really good ride. And then my nice Banker friends got us a table at Club Marquee and treated us to a great night.

Saturday was good too, especially since we slept through most of it. And then we toured the city a bit, got a nice dinner at Spice (where I got my cake and my birthday song ☺) and joined friends on a party bus that toured most of Manhattan, plus a few clubs. I'll just leave the rest of the tale with: there were two stripper poles on the bus.

Sunday: Goodbyes and Vintage shopping. I missed everyone the second I got back to my beautiful, empty apartment.

Before Day One...

First, I promise not to be away for so long ever again.

New York City has been fun. The 2 weeks before work started were truly awesome.

I spent the first week getting used to my new place, and setting up. Thanks to angels like my friend, Nifemi, who gave her time, and her ideas and her lovely blue car to help me with getting furniture and putting things together. Love you girl.

4th of July was interesting. I think I experienced my first case of New York City snobbery. Not a big deal really, but I should probably share... 

I thought I'd spend the day at a new friend's apartment watching the fireworks. We had spent time together earlier in the weekend and I mentioned it and got an invitation. We talked on Independence day and I was told that plans had changed and he would not be home all day so I made other arrangements. Imagine my surprise when a girlfriend called me up and asked me to join them for a fireworks viewing-party at his place that same night.... I wondered what the whole shadiness was about, but I haven't bothered to find out yet...

The rest of the week was uneventful. My apartment is set up (pics soon) and I think my home has found its 'chi' and it looks wonderful. 

Move Day!!!

Today started off great - The movers are very late, and none of my volunteer helpers were anywhere to be found. Two hours after the move was scheduled, they finally arrived (the movers. My friends never showed up) *sad face*. Nice looking East African guys (i think, they spoke French) the movers were.... anyway, the move was on. 

A funny thing happened though: as I watched all my stuff disappear from my home of three years, I panicked and tweeted

"I DONT WANT TO GOOOOOOOO!!! I DOOOONT WANT TO GOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!! :'(((((" 

...and two minutes later, I got a call that my movers were stuck in the elevator with all my stuff. Talk about the power of the tongue/tweet 0_o ....anyway, they finally got everything downstairs and loaded up in the truck. Let me tell you, next time you consider moving your own stuff, don't. Get movers, you will not need to lift a finger except to wave goodbye when they leave. It really helps if one of your nice friends is paying too....umm, yeah moving on...

After they left (they forgot my broom in the elevator) I hopped in the shower, grabbed my stuff, gave a mushy speech on twitter and hopped on a bus to meet them in New York City.

PS. They offered me a ride to new york with them in the moving fan, No thanks! ☺☺

BIG MISTAKE.
I took the China Bus to NYC because I wanted a fuss-less trip. Again, big mistake. Thanks to the 4th of July holiday traffic to New York was bumper to bumper the entire way. Add to the fact that my bus made a stop in Philadelphia and always managed to be on the slowest lane, my 4-hr trip turned out to be an 8-hr nightmare. I got to my apartment... MY Apartment... checked out that the movers delivered 28 items and linked up with friends to grab dinner and crash.Tomorrow I will see my family, and my little sister who turns 7 today. Happy Birthday Demi!

I'm taking bets on how long it will take to unpack my stuff and arrange the apartment. I say 3 days. What do you think?

Just random really

This is my last week in the District. And it is bittersweet.

I cannot wait to be in New York (finally) and I am dreading it as well. I find myself worrying about the details, wondering how to decorate the place, what to do in September, etc. One thing is sure though, good or bad, it will not be boring...

Summer Musings

I'm writing this at 3am instead of getting some sleep because Femi asked me for an update....

Between Graduation (May 14) and today, I have been to New York City three times. And as much as I love the city and love to travel, my body has reacted pretty violently to the torture. Now I'm back in the District for one last uninterrupted stretch (hopefully), 3 weeks of stability before I move on to new york and shake things up again. I'm staying with a friend, because my old lease ended and because there was no point finding a new place for 30 days only... But that's half of the reason.

I think that, in a way, deep down, I'm here because I want the company. It is easy for me to get lost in my head and enjoy my own company so much that I shut the rest of the world out. And now that I will be living on my own in a few weeks I feel a little weird, like I am going somewhere far away that no one will be able to find me. I don't know if this makes much sense...

I voiced these fears to a friend (my personal unpaid shrink) the other day, and he thinks I need a boyfriend. Haaaaa, long story. Good night. :)

Eureka!

I FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE!!!

Well, this happened on Saturday, but knowing me, I had to work out all the little nitty-gritty details first before the big announcement. But now it is settled. Come July 1st I will be moving into my apartment and creating my new home, at least for the next 3 months (long story, but a happy one). This means, of course, that I will not technically have a place of my own for the whole of June; which is where all my loving friends come in. I had wanted to 'live' in NYC a bit before July, see the sights, do the Broadway thing, and all that, but I guess there is plenty of time later...

Last night was another night of firsts. I went out to a club on a Monday night. Two places actually. The first, Le Souk, was one of those 'hip' new york places that you read about: People from everywhere imaginable, sleeve tattoos, beach-blond guys and girls, afrocentric hotties, etc etc. The only downer at the spot was Hookah, it still gives me headaches. Then there was Greenhouse...which was a waste of time really. In all, the girls were together, there were some fun moments and I'm off to DC this morning to rest. :)

Dateline: New York

Lunch date today. Dinner last Thursday. Drinks last Wednesday. 

There is something about being a single girl in New York City. Something about being the new single girl in New York City. On my previous visits, dating in New York was an escape. I could do whatever I wanted, almost, because there would be few consequences, no commitments, just fun. Now, it's different. I will BE here. And there will be consequences for whatever actions I take, and maybe commitments down the line... But for now, time for lunch! Toodles.

Wanted: A Home

Chelsea. Murray Hill. Upper East Side. Upper West Side. Midtown East. Midtown West. Long Island City. East Village. SoHo. NoHo. Harlem. Downtown. Uptown. West Village.

I have been everywhere. The pre-war walkups, the charming cultured neighborhood apartments, the Glass-and-Chromes. The search for a home. The perfect place. A sanctuary. I'll be first to admit I am a bit obsessive about this little project, and but for the stern advice of my close friends I would have signed some Pound-of-Flesh type leases this week simply because I loved the way some places 'felt'. But to me that's what it is all about. I'm looking for a place that 'feels' like home. I want to walk in after a hard day at work, flick a switch to fill the room with the divine voice of Corinne Bailey Rae, light 12 candles around my bath-tub, pour a glass of wine, undress myself from the kitchen to the bathroom, and just lay there for 15 minutes. Home. And the good thing is, when I walk into that place, I will know. It's that simple and that complicated.

I Love NY, I think...

I ♡ NY!!

East Side-Midtown, NYC from the top of the Empire State Building. Picture by ME

I think my Love-Hate relationship with this city is beginning to confuse everyone. But the truth is, I love this city in small doses. It does take a lot getting used to the vastness and SPEED of everything, but I am learning. After spending two summers as an intern and numerous weekends as a party-goer I finally picked up my tourist-hat this weekend and went up the Empire State Building with my sister and a friend. Coolest part of the trip? Showing them my Office building from the Observation Deck and pretending that Chuck Bass was somewhere there, waiting for his Blair.

Also, I know my NYC areas now! I found a detailed map in the hotel lobby that shows exactly where places like the 'Upper East Side' and 'Tribeca' are located. The maps will definitely be on the wall of my city apartment, when I eventually find one....xoxo

Step 1: Find a Home

My Real Estate broker sent me an email today about continuing with my home search.
I still have not told her I will not be continuing with their service, I was excited about working with them, until I discovered I would be paying two months' rent in agency fees.
But I cannot, I'm not crazy.
Paying 2 months' rent at this point just seems like extortion.
And that's only the beginning.
Moving to New York City is definitely going to be very interesting