welcome to the land of audi's and beamer's

literally, every other car here is an audi or bmw. i'm completely fine with that. they say it's because they have all-wheel drive or something. i think it's because everyone is flashy and self-absorbed. ;) i can't wait to trade in the ol' QX4 and join the masses. wait, i think my car already has all-wheel drive...

people don't truly realize how expensive this city is. sure it's a "known" fact - but do they really understand it? you count $6 tolls and parking a car at $10-15 an hour in a garage while you shop/party ($5 extra if it's an SUV) and gas at $3+ a gallon and $10 drinks (we're talking GG vodka/water - p.s. hangovers are significantly reduced here since everyone drinks premium vodka - goodbye $2 drinks from Sharky's!) alas, it is a very expensive and exciting place to live. there's good news. if you're going out in the city, you're surrounded by people who can afford this lifestyle. if you are out in the trendy clubs, ordering bottle service ($300-400 a bottle), you're surrounded by people who are accustomed to this. i hope my acclimation to this lifestyle parallels my bank account, the longer i live here. i'm really banking on that - pun intended.

transit in nyc has done great things for me. for one, i'm forced to walk almost everywhere. this has benefited my sense of direction, as well as my waistline. i've decided that any form of transit in the city (whether subway, train, or bus) is directly reminiscent of the flashing images/racing boat scene in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. (actually, i'm going to add "riding in the car with david" to this transportation list) it's actually quite fun. i am growing accustomed to driving in the city, myself. i am really very good at it. i took the girls (kristin, jenna & emily) on a tour this saturday and they said i proved to be an excellent tour guide and that my driving skills confirmed that i was "born to live in this city". okay, i'll stop tooting my own horn. i just said tooting. mmkay...

i'll leave you with this picture of Ivanka Trump and i...(at the Stuff Magazine Cocktail Party) in person, she's very tall and has huge boobs. (both available at Bergdorf-Goodman) ;) x's and o's

new york

So unless you've been living under a rock for the past three months, you're aware that I got a job in NYC and moved here this past Friday. That sounds rude. It's not because I think that everyone should automatically know/care about my life. It's just that I am completely aware of how obnoxiously blatent I make every aspect of it known. So - since my head has been spinning for the past week or so, I haven't necessarily gotten around to calling/telling all of my friends about starting my new life here. For that reason, I've started this blog and will (from time to time) post miscellaneous writings about how glamorous and not-so-glamorous things are for me.
First off, I really do love my job so far. Yes, I am well aware that it's only my third day. Like most advertising/media agencies, it is very laid back here. I can even wear jeans to work - if I want to. The people I work with are friendly and fun and different (which I love). I haven't set up my cube exactly how I want it yet, but I am slowly bringing things in each day. I can walk 10 feet away from my desk and look out and down five stories and see the crawling streets of the city with movers and shakers and bums. It's a beautiful sight. I am already pretty familiar with the media terms I'll be using everyday, thanks to Dr. Scott's class. (never thought I'd be saying that - HA!) So that's cool. My job also has a lot of perks. I have already been invited to a booze cruise put on by AOL and AD.com this coming Thursday, a summer outing event by Sprint/Nextel, and my company is having its own event called Casino Night (think: that episode of The Office - hahahahahahah). I don't know about you, but that all sounds pretty fun to me. Every morning they deliver hundreds of magazines (every kind you can think of) to the mailroom, and we are free to take them at our leisure. I read W, Bazaar and Women's Health yesterday on the ride home. I couldn't be happier.
I'm living with Sara and David and they are the greatest. Our place has a gym and a pool and I've gotten into a great routine where I wake up at 5:45AM every morning and go for a run. I'm almost as tired as I was when I took 21 hours my last semester. But it's so worth it. I just found out we got tickets to see the Beastie Boys perform (I think in Cenral Park) this Friday night - what a great way to start off the weekend. I have a summer Friday (get the day off) to use before the end of August and I think we're going up to Lake George for the wknd - so I'll probably use it then.
All in all, I absolutely love it here. It is everything I ever imagined and more. I get to be in the most spectacular city in the world every single day. It feels so good to accomplish my goals in life so far and I've just begun. I miss all of my friends in SC and please come visit me. The new townhouse we are moving into (September) has a guest room and lots of space! Oh, also - we communicate at work via AIM - so if you have my screen name, feel free to shoot me a msg there, as it's probably the easiest way to get in touch with me. X's and O's always - H