the rundown

Season Fabulous of Project Runway premiered last night. After a small tift with the roommate for programming control, I settled into my 9 o'clock appointment with an egg-white omelet and an open mind.

I think we all knew that Kelly was going to win, what with her bleach/dye job on vaccum cleaner bags. Amazing.

Overall, the cast leaves something to be desired, but it was nice to see Austin Scarlett's porcelain face and as always, Heidi is a stunning pair of legs.

three new yorks

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter - the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in search of something . . . Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion."
E. B. White (1899-1985) Here is New York

right now for New York (10018)

Sunny
94 degrees
Feels like:
99 degrees

Weather.com should just say:

"Feels like being trapped in the exhaust pipe of a semi after driving cross-country to deliver buckets of back and boob sweat."

You know the "rest-assured" seat sheets you put on the public toilet? When I got up, it stuck.

U-S-C Goooooo Cocks!

Every year, USC sends a small group of advertising students (during their Maymester class) to NYC to visit/tour various ad agencies. I came with this very group two years ago. *See the aviator-donning blonde below*



Well, my old professor brought a group of students up this year (surprisingly larger group, at that) to visit little ol me. (and the agency of course) It was interesting being on the other side. I remember being that eager, job-hungry student. I asked tons of questions, smiled big, and collected business cards.

As I sat there, telling them about my job and answering questions about how to get to NYC, I began to remember how fun it all was. Gosh, I truly hope that every single one of them makes it here.

hello sweet summer

And I saw two NYU students - graduates maybe - from outside my cab window. They were holding a small TV. The one boy, with his filthy, once-white undershirt, uncomfortably toting the awkward television. The other boy, sucking on a Marlboro Light or maybe a Newport, to ease last night's binge. He solomnley held the TV's matching remote. This one shouted a verbal version of a Craigslist advertisement: "Twenty dollars! This TV is perfect for dorm rooms! Kitchens! Bedrooms!"

I imagined they had just finished their semester. They had shared memories with this TV. They were roommates. They were going back to Cali or Colorado for their summers. They were making more memories by selling this TV on a lazy New York City Sunday - this very moment. One day they would tell their kids about "the time after sophomore year" when they sold their TV for $20. They would leave out the part about needing the twenty bucks for a bag of weed from Washington Square Park. They would tell their friends at the bar tonight about how "crazy" they both were, and laugh out loud while downing Guiness and flashing fake IDs. They would tell their bar friends about how they spent their TV money on a bag of weed from WSP. And how it was totally worth it.

i'm a glutton for punishment

I went back to the rooftop bar at 230 Fifth last night to wage war against the suits. Poison? Gin & Tonic. How old school of me...



NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!

only in new york

At about 7 o'clock last night, (after the throngs of dedicated Ranger fans had piled into the Garden) I made my way to the rooftop bar, Local for a singular Blue Moon. I ordered a Hummus Plate (top 5 favorite food).

My coworkers weren't the only ones doing the entertaining. Enter, the midtown bums. Best part is, our waitress said they perform almost every night.



Yeah, that's a shoulder shrug.



Check out that brown bag.

xoxo

One of my girlfriends here is quite a trip. The sort that gets manis and pedis on Sundays and Wednesdays (thank you Mickey Avalon) and keeps her roots as blonde as can be. She has a contagious laugh that can be heard all across the office and is very va-va-voom. Her quintessential boyfriend sends her a dozen perfect roses every few weeks and keeps her fingers dipped in Yurman. She goes tanning in Jamaica (and at her Shore house) and has a serious shoe fetish. Lucky for her, she wears a size 10 shoe - and the benefit in this, is they almost always have your size. We like to "Britney Blast" at work when it gets close to 4 o'clock - to help us get to the end of the day. And sometimes, we even bring out Miley Cyrus before breakfast. Perez has become our mutually close friend and when I glance over the 4 foot cube wall that separates the two of us, I almost get the feeling that we're having an LC/Whitney moment from an episode of The Hills. It would be quite a challenge to get through the workday without several people I can think of off the top of my head - Megs, Brit-Brit and Perez: ex oh ex oh. Teehee!

see how they run like pigs from a gun

Someone PLEASE mail me a chick-fil-a sandwich.


I've been on the dreaded NYC apartment hunt for the last week or so. It's very difficult and time consuming. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace can be sketchy and are riddled with broker listings. You really have to differenciate. I've looked at several options thus far. I've seen a no fee place that reminded me of College of Charleston dorm life - meh. Also looked into brokers and found a phenomenal place with a small brokers fee around $4000. (riiiiight) The search continues...........



The upside to this (there's always an upside) is that I'm learning the city areas. It was easy in Columbia: the Vista and 5 pts. I now know that I'd like to live on the Upper East Side, the East Village is hip and young, Harlem is just scary (Spanish Harlem included), Andy wants me to live in Inwood, Hoboken and Jersey City are also younger and I know the most people there, Meatpacking is trendy, and the Upper West Side is ideal. That's just a few. Sighs.



I don't want to give the misconception that my life here is filled with $1000 meals, trips to the theater and sleepovers at the Waldorf. I am seeing every side of New York. I've been lost. I've ridden a bus filled with Mexican construction workers. I've opened the subway door for a leg-less bum. I've walked through the Bronx in patent leather Tory Burch ballet flats for God's sake. I'm also learning Spanish slang from my Puerto Rican coworker. YES!

There is always an advenure - that's for sure. I feel like everyday I wake up, I am in store for something unexpected and crazy. I went into the city last Saturday to apartment search and meet Melissa at HillCountry for BBQ and the Texas game. I left from the Port Authority and was waiting in line for the bus forEVER. There was a nice looking man in a suit waiting with me and we eventually struck up a conversation. He had just flown in from the West Coast and was running an hour late for a 4 o'clock wedding in Nyack, NY. (a place he'd never actually been before) We sat near eachother on the bus and when I wasn't catnapping, I saw him take out a leatherbound journal and write entries. He had no idea where the church was in Nyack and he asked if he could bother me for a ride (right as I was about to offer the poor man one) and I naturally obliged. He was so upset about being late that I told him we could run to my car. And we did. We literally RAN to my car once we stepped off the bus. As we were running, I made a comment about how "it's times like these I wish I worked out more" - and he said I was going "way above and beyond the call of duty". When we departed - he thanked me profusely, and I assured him that I had been helped NUMEROUS times by New Yorkers in the past 3 months and it was my pleasure to finally return the favor to someone. =)

Oh, and GO SEE "ACROSS THE UNIVERSE" - BEST MOVIE EVER.

the resilient ones

Here you go, Mom - my number one fan.

As I was coming into work today through the usual throngs of people, I realized that this particular Tuesday was just another day in the city. New Yorkers are a fascinating and resilient group. However I still haven't adopted the semi-ridiculous words they use at times: nosh (snacking), shlep (dragging), woof (who knows...) and the pronunciation of the word huge (said youge). Still - I admire their patriotism and have never seen anything like it. I was in O'Malley's Pub and two men dressed in Army fatigue took a seat at the bar. I watched them. They didn't pay for a drink the entire time. As if on cue, fellow customers came up to them one by one - sincerely thanked them for what they do and proceeded to buy their drinks. The men hadn't just gotten back from overseas or anything - I think they were actually in the reserves. It was quite a stark contrast from the south.

Although some people became anxious over the Bin Laden video released a few days ago, it didn't stop the buses from running or decrease the inevitable waiting line to get to work.


I watch as a bum walks past a bus and gives the driver a wide grin and tall thumbs up (whilst holding a brown bagged can in the opposite hand). I can't help but laugh out loud at this. I walk under the scaffolding that shields me from the misting rain and into a huge crowd - side swiping and dodging - determining the best clear path to get through. Little red ipod in hand, pumping 50 cent and Justin's "Ayo Technology". (really great by the way) I say hello to the Jamaican security guard in my building and ride the five floors up to the place I call home for 40 hours out of the week.


Last night we had a company "event" at a place called Stitch. It was to watch/celebrate the air of Ameriprise's new commercial on Monday Night Football. So it was everyone who works on the account from MindShare (us- the media agency), Saatchi (the creative agency), and of course Ameriprise (the client). It was a nice time and the commercial was good and it aired when it was supposed to and I met the group and had some nice appetizers and cocktails. I love my job. I took a car service home and still got to bed before my self-enforced 12 o'clock curfew.

I just took my boss the car service receipt - was walking past the lounge area while passing a random coworker at the same time. I turned after we passed to look back at the flat screen TV against the wall, airing today's Memorial at Ground Zero and completely caught him turning around to look at me. Teehee.

My friend Andy and I snuck into Fashion Week last Thursday. It ends tomorrow. We walked the few blocks to Bryant Park where the tents were set up. We decided we would be assistants or hair stylists running late. Our original attempt was quickly shut down by the security guards who instructed us to go to another entrance - check for our names on a list and get a pass. So - our names were certainly not on that list. As we stood - dejected - on the sidewalk, deliberating - we noticed a man yank hard one time on a side door that blended in with the white tent building. Naturally, we followed suit. By this time, we had a model-wannabe who had joined us in our attempt to crash the show. We all three found ourselves in a tiny side room with a curtain and a cart laid out with cokes, sprites and bottled water. We finally gathered the courage to walk out into the room (we had no idea who or what was in it) and immediately were confronted by two ladies who asked us where we had come from/what we were doing/that sort of thing. Andy took charge and explained that we were late assistants. She told us to go out in the main room because it wasn't time to be backstage - or something. Whatever - we made it. It was pretty funny. We drank for free and mingled with models and even saw Nigel Barker (hottie British judge from ANTM). Fun times. I left early, but Andy went into the Gottex show. Deece.

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