I think the tide has turned on my funk. Today was a good day. I joined two social networks in an official capacityLinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/kendrickel) and Twentysomething Bloggers (www.20sb.net/profile/EbonyLaurenKendrick) and learned from my friend Pam that I was highly considered for a job back in the Fall even though I didn't get it. So encouraging day. I already made some connections through each site and I think that there is a possible lead to an agency that I really want to work for in, wait for it, NEW YORK. I am not getting my hopes up as they have previously deflated in the past when things that I thought were for sure going to work out did not but I think that I am one step closer. I also had some good fortune in dealing with some issues financially today. I didn't want to try to sort all of it out because I was nervous that I was going to get someone who was not sympathetic to my current state of joblessness but a wonderful thing happened when the representative that I talked to was sympathetic and concerned with my situation and helped me get things sorted out. Major sigh of relief!
In a side note I was reading the book Consider Lily which I am almost done with and which is still on my What I'm Reading list. In the book the main character begins a blog and to her dismay has her blog found out by people that she had mentioned in the blog. I use this as a cautionary tale for myself. I hope that I have not expounded too much on the people in my life in a way that would embarrass them or make them resent me. But I suppose this is a problem all bloggers must deal with at some point.
January 28, 2010
January 27, 2010
You Know Your Job Search is Getting Rough When...
This just has to be shared because it is too funny. My dad, God bless him, brought home some job announcements from his company yesterday. I forgot to look at them last night because I got caught up in other things. Today when I was eating lunch I took the time to look through them. I laughed hysterically as I read through the first job description. The job was for a warehouse associate in Baltimore with Toyota. The job would be second shift with more often than not required overtime from 12:00 am to 2:00 am. Some of the responsibilities were driving a forklift, unloading boxes with "proper equipment" (I'm guessing arms or hand trucks) and loading trucks for transportation of objects. The reason I laughed so hard was that one I cannot even picture myself doing this job, secondly the pay scale for the job would leave me living in probably the most dangerous part of Baltimore, and me picturing myself driving a forklift. I am extremely clumsy and I do not think heavy machinery should be operated by someone like me. I know my dad is trying to help me and wants me to have a job as much as I want me to have a job but I do have to draw the line at what I can and can't do. But I do appreciate his trying to help me out.
Dream a Little Dream
So the past two nights I have had the weirdest dreams. I don't think they can be attributed to eating something before bed or any late night movie I may have been watching before going to sleep.
The first dream was me sleeping on my pillows in a New York subway station. I was on the platform and tucked under my covers. The trains, people and rodents were not bothering me. I just remember snuggling down further into my little blanket cocoon and laying my head on the soft pillows. When I opened my eyes in the dream I was still sleeping in the subway and still snuggled up despite passing trains and standing passengers. What is the deal with that?
The next dream took place in my old apartment. Apparently I had a lot of furniture in this dream and all of it was piled up against the door making it difficult for me to get out. I think I can read this one a little better than the subway dream. I also kept going to the closet and saw that it was filled up every time I thought it was empty. It was so real to me that I woke up today actually questioning whether or not I moved everything out of my closet. Apparently I have some mixed emotions and questions subconsciously about everything that has been going on lately.
The move from DC was really life changing and even more so because although I was moving I wasn't moving to something specific. I was moving to a new change, a new opportunity, but not a new job or even the promise that this would work out. But better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all.
Still hoping and still waiting for good news. But I'm alive, I have food, and clothes. I'm doing OK.
The first dream was me sleeping on my pillows in a New York subway station. I was on the platform and tucked under my covers. The trains, people and rodents were not bothering me. I just remember snuggling down further into my little blanket cocoon and laying my head on the soft pillows. When I opened my eyes in the dream I was still sleeping in the subway and still snuggled up despite passing trains and standing passengers. What is the deal with that?
The next dream took place in my old apartment. Apparently I had a lot of furniture in this dream and all of it was piled up against the door making it difficult for me to get out. I think I can read this one a little better than the subway dream. I also kept going to the closet and saw that it was filled up every time I thought it was empty. It was so real to me that I woke up today actually questioning whether or not I moved everything out of my closet. Apparently I have some mixed emotions and questions subconsciously about everything that has been going on lately.
The move from DC was really life changing and even more so because although I was moving I wasn't moving to something specific. I was moving to a new change, a new opportunity, but not a new job or even the promise that this would work out. But better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all.
Still hoping and still waiting for good news. But I'm alive, I have food, and clothes. I'm doing OK.
January 26, 2010
Stuck in a Moment
Today I was definitely trying to stay on the sofa as long as I could and I did but was able to get myself up and dressed to venture out into the world. I decided to go to the Fords post office to pick up a certified letter. I got the directions from the USPS website and with a 1/4 tank of gas I set out on my journey. It took forever to find this little post office. It turns out the directions I had were not the best. I rode up and down the street and somehow the street I needed to be on, New Brunswick, became King George's Post Road. How can a road with the name post in it not have a post office on it. So I thought I would just give up the search then I thought about the fact that I had not just gone straight ahead, I had turned off of the main street in each direction. So I went slowly down the street and wouldn't you know there it was, so small you would miss it if you blinked.
After my success at finding the tiny Fords library I decided to swing by the Barnes and Noble down the street from my house. I filled out an application just in case even though no one knew if the store was hiring at the moment. After that I went home and cooked some lunch.
Lately I have been in a funk as I explained to LaTannia today. I have been having a George Bailey moment. This is another "It's a Wonderful Life" reference, which I mentioned before is my favorite movie. I feel like the whole world is moving forward except for me. And I wish I could peer into the future and see how all this would turn out. Not so much to see what I was doing in the future but to just have some assurance of the fact that this situation does in fact change in the future. It is frustrating that I seem to not be making any progress although I am definitely trying and I have decided not to give up no matter what. But I have so many needs right now and absolutely no resources.
But sooner or later something's gotta give, right?
After my success at finding the tiny Fords library I decided to swing by the Barnes and Noble down the street from my house. I filled out an application just in case even though no one knew if the store was hiring at the moment. After that I went home and cooked some lunch.
Lately I have been in a funk as I explained to LaTannia today. I have been having a George Bailey moment. This is another "It's a Wonderful Life" reference, which I mentioned before is my favorite movie. I feel like the whole world is moving forward except for me. And I wish I could peer into the future and see how all this would turn out. Not so much to see what I was doing in the future but to just have some assurance of the fact that this situation does in fact change in the future. It is frustrating that I seem to not be making any progress although I am definitely trying and I have decided not to give up no matter what. But I have so many needs right now and absolutely no resources.
But sooner or later something's gotta give, right?
January 25, 2010
Rainy Days and Mondays
Any Carpenters fans out there? If so you will surely recognize the title of this blog as one of their most famous songs. It is a rainy day and a Monday in New Jersey. But things are looking up since my last post. I hope that no one read that post thinking that I was angry at my dad or grandmother or anyone else for that matter. It was a bad day and I just needed a rant. What else is a blog good for than the occasional rant. I've moved past it and I love my family very much.
Yesterday I got some much needed encouragement from Pastor Jason Alvarez at the Love of Jesus Family Church. I love him so much. He is an amazing minister, singer, musician and friend. I have never met him personally but I do know these things about him. Yesterday at church we were sitting close enough for me to make actual eye contact. He was speaking about how when things happen (I think he was addressing Haiti) how everyone wants to put blame somewhere. He attributes all blame to the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy. For his support he used Genesis 3. He also spoke about how sometimes the devil can use people especially people we trust to get at us. The battlefield is the mind. Don't let him get a foothold there because that is where he seeks to undo you. It was a great message and so timely for everyone and I think especially for me. I need to protect my ears, my thinking and guard my tongue so I don't undo my blessing. We can sabotage our own success if we have the wrong thinking and the wrong words. So I was encouraged to stay strong and to make sure to refuel myself with the Word and to keep a positive mouth and mind. Good stuff.
After church we came home and had lunch. Although I was tempted to take a Sunday afternoon nap I decided that I needed to get some work done and then I would watch the Vikings/Saints game. So I finished yet another USA Jobs application. This one was for a seasonal position working at the NPS' Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as a park ranger. How fun would that be especially if you get to work on the grounds of either or both places. I would love to say that I worked there and I would probably beg someone to take me up to the crown of Lady Liberty so I could look out. How awesome would that be? They let you do it now even if you are a civilian but maybe I could stay longer or go after hours or something. Hopefully I'll here back from that by the end of February.
After my successful completion of the application I read a couple of chapters of What Color Is Your Parachute. In the beginning of this book it seems like there is no hope for finding a job but then it gets better and he gives you some tips and strategies for finding a job. The most successful method of finding a job he says is making a full career change and starting your own business. Although I have thought about this I don't know if I could do that at this moment but if it is the most successful way of going about getting a job then I shouldn't rule it out all together. And reading these chapters gave me some good ideas of how to contact people in my own industry.
Feeling good about job hunting the next day and in the future I tuned in to watch the Vikings/Saints game and was enjoying it immensely until the last minute fifty. Oh Brett, why? But you know I feel like the guy is 40 years old and he made it much further than guys half his age but this did put a damper on the Super Bowl for me because I was hoping to be cheering for him next week. But good show Favre you are definitely one of the best players in the game.
Last night ended with some Consider Lily and then I was knocked out from a long day.
Today started later than I would have hoped I think the rain helped in keeping me glued to the pillow. But it has been productive and Norman posted his video on Twitter so if you check my Twitter updates from today you can see that I retweeted his video link so you can check him out.
I think that's it for now! Props to Alec and Tina for their SAG awards for 30 Rock. I can't wait for the Oscars. I won't lie I look forward to awards season!
Yesterday I got some much needed encouragement from Pastor Jason Alvarez at the Love of Jesus Family Church. I love him so much. He is an amazing minister, singer, musician and friend. I have never met him personally but I do know these things about him. Yesterday at church we were sitting close enough for me to make actual eye contact. He was speaking about how when things happen (I think he was addressing Haiti) how everyone wants to put blame somewhere. He attributes all blame to the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy. For his support he used Genesis 3. He also spoke about how sometimes the devil can use people especially people we trust to get at us. The battlefield is the mind. Don't let him get a foothold there because that is where he seeks to undo you. It was a great message and so timely for everyone and I think especially for me. I need to protect my ears, my thinking and guard my tongue so I don't undo my blessing. We can sabotage our own success if we have the wrong thinking and the wrong words. So I was encouraged to stay strong and to make sure to refuel myself with the Word and to keep a positive mouth and mind. Good stuff.
After church we came home and had lunch. Although I was tempted to take a Sunday afternoon nap I decided that I needed to get some work done and then I would watch the Vikings/Saints game. So I finished yet another USA Jobs application. This one was for a seasonal position working at the NPS' Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as a park ranger. How fun would that be especially if you get to work on the grounds of either or both places. I would love to say that I worked there and I would probably beg someone to take me up to the crown of Lady Liberty so I could look out. How awesome would that be? They let you do it now even if you are a civilian but maybe I could stay longer or go after hours or something. Hopefully I'll here back from that by the end of February.
After my successful completion of the application I read a couple of chapters of What Color Is Your Parachute. In the beginning of this book it seems like there is no hope for finding a job but then it gets better and he gives you some tips and strategies for finding a job. The most successful method of finding a job he says is making a full career change and starting your own business. Although I have thought about this I don't know if I could do that at this moment but if it is the most successful way of going about getting a job then I shouldn't rule it out all together. And reading these chapters gave me some good ideas of how to contact people in my own industry.
Feeling good about job hunting the next day and in the future I tuned in to watch the Vikings/Saints game and was enjoying it immensely until the last minute fifty. Oh Brett, why? But you know I feel like the guy is 40 years old and he made it much further than guys half his age but this did put a damper on the Super Bowl for me because I was hoping to be cheering for him next week. But good show Favre you are definitely one of the best players in the game.
Last night ended with some Consider Lily and then I was knocked out from a long day.
Today started later than I would have hoped I think the rain helped in keeping me glued to the pillow. But it has been productive and Norman posted his video on Twitter so if you check my Twitter updates from today you can see that I retweeted his video link so you can check him out.
I think that's it for now! Props to Alec and Tina for their SAG awards for 30 Rock. I can't wait for the Oscars. I won't lie I look forward to awards season!
January 23, 2010
"You're my little ray of sunshine..."
It is amazing how your emotions can run hot and cold especially when you are going through something. I have my good days and bad days like anyone else and I think right now they are magnified because I am going through a major life change and challenge. This was extremely evident on today.
I know that people mean well when they try to give you advice but sometimes it's a kick in the crotch or I guess gut is a better analogy for me. This afternoon my father was probing into my situation, meaning my joblessness, to see what I was doing about it. Mind you he was watching TV at the time and we had had this conversation at least three times in the last week but I was willing to recount my efforts once more. Then he mentioned that today he was riding by the Post Office and thought about me because sometimes the Post Office hires part-time workers. Then he informed me that it would be good just to have some kind of job to be able to combat having an empty bank account. Thanks for the heads up!
After this conversation I got the feeling that I always get when I am about to burst into tears. I can feel every nerve in my fingers and the tears start to come. I know the situation looks extremely bad and that I probably could be doing more to handle it but sometimes I feel like I get no credit whatsoever and that's what hurts the most. After my little H.A.T.E.U. (Having a Temporary Emotional Upset (Hi Mimi)), I decided to get my feelings out to God and after that dazzling entry in my prayer journal I felt much better. I decided that I just need to shake off the comments and keep pushing forward (much easier said than done) and focus on filling out the NPS Park Ranger position that I need to turn in.
Later on I got a call from my grandmother who just returned from a church conference. She was excited about having come back from her conference and was eager to relay all the details. Unfortunately I could not put faces with the names she was calling out but it sounds like she was able to enjoy herself and she had been most worried about getting a room which my parents were able to surprise her with for her birthday. So I was happy for her. She of course wanted to know if I had found a job yet. And my answer is what it has been for the last two years, No. Then she said that she knew I would find something. I guess she could sense the "yeah right" manner in which I was agreeing with her which was probably brought on from the earlier incident in the day. She said she really meant what she was saying and that she really believed that I would find a job. This is actually a great change because when I used to get excited about jobs her response was, "Well if this doesn't work out, you'll get something else." So I felt pretty much counted out before I was even in the ring. But here lately she has a more positive spin. After my less than enthusiastic response she said "Now listen, you're my little ray of sunshine and I don't want you to get depressed." What a lift of spirits. She said she knew it was hard for me but truthfully it could be worse and that is true. And then she echoed the words that everyone seems to be uttering to me, "You just have to wait." Uhhh.
Wait has become my least favorite word in the English language. Even though by comparison to a life span or even just a span of time two years is not long but if you are scratching, clawing, crying, and praying your way through two years that's a long time no matter what anyone says. And people seem to think saying this word will dispel all fears and anxieties for me it intensifies them. I've been waiting for a very long time and all the while hoping that with each resume and job offer that this will finally be the turn in the tide. However, for reasons not clear to me that has not happened yet. And I think I have done a pretty good job of coaxing myself into wait mode without the help of the free world. This is probably an overreaction which is quite normal for me but it is extremely aggravating when you feel like people are saying how you feel doesn't count or that you don't have the intelligence to figure some rudimentary things out for yourself. One thing I have noticed during this process is how much people cut me off when I'm talking and then bully me into accepting their opinion. You can always tell when they do this because they interrupt you and usually get extremely loud if not yelling and this is followed by silence. Most of the time when my conversations get to this point I just let it go which I am starting to realize may be interpreted as acceptance it is merely that I wish to end this conversation and get off of the phone with or away from whomever I am talking to.
It's so funny that in two career books that I have read and in several spiritual self-help books that I have the authors have pointed out how your family and your friends can sometimes become your biggest detractors. They sincerely want to help but sometimes they try to transfer their feelings onto you. They see how you are struggling and they just want you to be in a place that isn't that. So they try to talk you out of your dreams, tell you you have plenty of time to do what it is you want to do in the future, and shove anything that they think you can do into your hands or your email inbox (last week I got two emails for being an unpaid intern for college credit at Kaplan from one of my family members (please check the requirements)). But deep down all they are trying to do is help you out.
If there is anything that I have learned from this job hunting/joblessness portion of my life it is that life is too short to settle for a sub par version of your life. You should look at every opportunity and seriously ask yourself if you don't take that chance will you regret it forever. I think regrets can often be harder to live with than mistakes because at least you tried. And also when friends and family are talking your ear off, confusing your mind, and trying to push their wants on you, take it with a grain of salt the decision is ultimately up to you.
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."
-Winston Churchill
"You never fail until you stop trying." - Albert Einstein
I know that people mean well when they try to give you advice but sometimes it's a kick in the crotch or I guess gut is a better analogy for me. This afternoon my father was probing into my situation, meaning my joblessness, to see what I was doing about it. Mind you he was watching TV at the time and we had had this conversation at least three times in the last week but I was willing to recount my efforts once more. Then he mentioned that today he was riding by the Post Office and thought about me because sometimes the Post Office hires part-time workers. Then he informed me that it would be good just to have some kind of job to be able to combat having an empty bank account. Thanks for the heads up!
After this conversation I got the feeling that I always get when I am about to burst into tears. I can feel every nerve in my fingers and the tears start to come. I know the situation looks extremely bad and that I probably could be doing more to handle it but sometimes I feel like I get no credit whatsoever and that's what hurts the most. After my little H.A.T.E.U. (Having a Temporary Emotional Upset (Hi Mimi)), I decided to get my feelings out to God and after that dazzling entry in my prayer journal I felt much better. I decided that I just need to shake off the comments and keep pushing forward (much easier said than done) and focus on filling out the NPS Park Ranger position that I need to turn in.
Later on I got a call from my grandmother who just returned from a church conference. She was excited about having come back from her conference and was eager to relay all the details. Unfortunately I could not put faces with the names she was calling out but it sounds like she was able to enjoy herself and she had been most worried about getting a room which my parents were able to surprise her with for her birthday. So I was happy for her. She of course wanted to know if I had found a job yet. And my answer is what it has been for the last two years, No. Then she said that she knew I would find something. I guess she could sense the "yeah right" manner in which I was agreeing with her which was probably brought on from the earlier incident in the day. She said she really meant what she was saying and that she really believed that I would find a job. This is actually a great change because when I used to get excited about jobs her response was, "Well if this doesn't work out, you'll get something else." So I felt pretty much counted out before I was even in the ring. But here lately she has a more positive spin. After my less than enthusiastic response she said "Now listen, you're my little ray of sunshine and I don't want you to get depressed." What a lift of spirits. She said she knew it was hard for me but truthfully it could be worse and that is true. And then she echoed the words that everyone seems to be uttering to me, "You just have to wait." Uhhh.
Wait has become my least favorite word in the English language. Even though by comparison to a life span or even just a span of time two years is not long but if you are scratching, clawing, crying, and praying your way through two years that's a long time no matter what anyone says. And people seem to think saying this word will dispel all fears and anxieties for me it intensifies them. I've been waiting for a very long time and all the while hoping that with each resume and job offer that this will finally be the turn in the tide. However, for reasons not clear to me that has not happened yet. And I think I have done a pretty good job of coaxing myself into wait mode without the help of the free world. This is probably an overreaction which is quite normal for me but it is extremely aggravating when you feel like people are saying how you feel doesn't count or that you don't have the intelligence to figure some rudimentary things out for yourself. One thing I have noticed during this process is how much people cut me off when I'm talking and then bully me into accepting their opinion. You can always tell when they do this because they interrupt you and usually get extremely loud if not yelling and this is followed by silence. Most of the time when my conversations get to this point I just let it go which I am starting to realize may be interpreted as acceptance it is merely that I wish to end this conversation and get off of the phone with or away from whomever I am talking to.
It's so funny that in two career books that I have read and in several spiritual self-help books that I have the authors have pointed out how your family and your friends can sometimes become your biggest detractors. They sincerely want to help but sometimes they try to transfer their feelings onto you. They see how you are struggling and they just want you to be in a place that isn't that. So they try to talk you out of your dreams, tell you you have plenty of time to do what it is you want to do in the future, and shove anything that they think you can do into your hands or your email inbox (last week I got two emails for being an unpaid intern for college credit at Kaplan from one of my family members (please check the requirements)). But deep down all they are trying to do is help you out.
If there is anything that I have learned from this job hunting/joblessness portion of my life it is that life is too short to settle for a sub par version of your life. You should look at every opportunity and seriously ask yourself if you don't take that chance will you regret it forever. I think regrets can often be harder to live with than mistakes because at least you tried. And also when friends and family are talking your ear off, confusing your mind, and trying to push their wants on you, take it with a grain of salt the decision is ultimately up to you.
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."
-Winston Churchill
"You never fail until you stop trying." - Albert Einstein
Welcome to Williamsburg (Brooklyn)
Keeping on the theme of good friends, last night I got to hag out with a friend from middle school who now lives in New York. Actually she is pretty much a New Yorker now that she has lived there going on six years. Her name is MK. We both belonged to the same entourage in middle school and through the reuniting power of Facebook we have seen each other a couple of times in the last two and a half years when I have had to go to New York on work trips or interviews. MK lives in Astoria where there is no want for Greek food or coffeehouses. Her old apartment was a cute slice of NY real estate that she shared with three other roommates. One of these roommates, Norman, was debuting his first music video last night at a bar around the corner from another former roommate's apartment in Williamsburg. So this made for the perfect opportunity to see MK again.
I set out on the L train which I think I had only been on once before and got off at the Bedford stop. Williamsburg is an interesting neighborhood like many other neighborhoods in New York. There are old apartment buildings and old warehouses that now serve as lofts and there are the brand new developments like the one MK's friend lives in which is super nice. The pre-show party began about 6pm. I thought I would be arriving late but I turned out to be the first person there which was fun but I felt bad about showing up before MK to DGs house. But I had met him before and we got to get in some pre-dinner conversation. It's so fun for me to have nights like these because I feel that for a long time my social life has been on hold or quite honestly shut down. I was working so much in D.C. that even if I had an invitation to go somewhere I was usually too tired to accept. However, last night I hope sets a precedent for being more social and making new friends. DG is hilarious and we got to talk about his burgeoning career as a Internet content editor/consultant. I think it's very cool that so many people are beginning their own businesses. They get to be their own boss and they get to do what they love.
MK and Norman got there right after me and it was so good to see MK. It's amazing that we met when we were 12 and stayed in touch til we were about 16. We went off to college and had some contact then but life happened and we got separated. But now we are in touch and I am glad that there is someone that I know well who is an awesome person that can help me navigate this new New York life I am pursuing.
We had amazing pizza last night from a restaurant called Fortino. It was really amazing flat bread pizza. And to accompany this awesome pizza were life stories. I find it fascinating what is going on in every one's life. Many of us were job hunting and trying to figure out what to do next. Some people had just gotten a new job and others were in their normal jobs and pursuing new interests with their free time. MK's friends are hilarious and kept me in stitches.
After pizza was done we went to Norman's show. Norman is Norman Vladimir, emerging singer-songwriter talent. Last night he had a show at Spike Hill in Brooklyn and it was the premier of his music video for his song 120 volts. I had never heard Norman perform live before. I had seen video that he had posted on the Internet. But Norman live was phenomenal. He has a rich and soulful voice that was accompanied by his own keyboard playing, a bassist, a violin, and a make shift drum kit. Norman was great and I don't say that because I know him or my friend knows him. He is someone to watch. I think one day he will have a contract and be an artist on a label. I enjoyed the show immensely except for the fact that the people in front of me were way taller so I couldn't see everything and then people kept going to the bar and practically knocking me and MK over to get there. If you are trying to get by someone in a tiny bar you don't come at them with your whole body you find the open space in the crowd and slip through. Is that so hard to remember.
After the show everyone returned to DG's for the after party. I enjoy the moments when I get to talk to New Yorker's who have an inside track into how their city works and have insights into how things should ideally work. MK used to work in the NYC political scene and she has lived in two extremely different neighborhoods, the South Bronx and Astoria. Her friend, Rashi, who grew up in New York and still lives there had some interesting insight into how there should not be urban blight and neglect in poor areas and then the utmost care in neighborhoods where neighbors would be outraged with a gum wrapper on the street. It's a universal problem though. Another favorite conversational tidbit was talking about various neighborhoods in New York and where you can live for a pretty decent price. Some places are in sketchy neighborhoods and others are in not so sketchy neighborhoods but I guess you have to choose what you want to live with or live without. But these conversations make me feel hopeful about my own transition in NYC life which I hope and pray happens sooner rather than later. As MK pointed out last night when I am ready to move to NY I have a plethora of advisers when it comes to where to live.
Sadly we are not as young as we used to be and we all started to get tired around midnight! I couldn't believe it myself. I used to be able to stay up late with no problem and even as late as last fall I could stay up until at least 3 am with no problem although I think I had adjustment insomnia brought on by intense stress. But the party was over for me, MK, and her manfriend. We walked back to the subway which I kept calling the Metro thanks to my D,C. living and went to our homes. I love being so close to NYC but I truly cannot wait to move there.
I had such a fun time last night and I hope that it is the beginning of many more times like last night.
Welcome to Williamsburg!
I set out on the L train which I think I had only been on once before and got off at the Bedford stop. Williamsburg is an interesting neighborhood like many other neighborhoods in New York. There are old apartment buildings and old warehouses that now serve as lofts and there are the brand new developments like the one MK's friend lives in which is super nice. The pre-show party began about 6pm. I thought I would be arriving late but I turned out to be the first person there which was fun but I felt bad about showing up before MK to DGs house. But I had met him before and we got to get in some pre-dinner conversation. It's so fun for me to have nights like these because I feel that for a long time my social life has been on hold or quite honestly shut down. I was working so much in D.C. that even if I had an invitation to go somewhere I was usually too tired to accept. However, last night I hope sets a precedent for being more social and making new friends. DG is hilarious and we got to talk about his burgeoning career as a Internet content editor/consultant. I think it's very cool that so many people are beginning their own businesses. They get to be their own boss and they get to do what they love.
MK and Norman got there right after me and it was so good to see MK. It's amazing that we met when we were 12 and stayed in touch til we were about 16. We went off to college and had some contact then but life happened and we got separated. But now we are in touch and I am glad that there is someone that I know well who is an awesome person that can help me navigate this new New York life I am pursuing.
We had amazing pizza last night from a restaurant called Fortino. It was really amazing flat bread pizza. And to accompany this awesome pizza were life stories. I find it fascinating what is going on in every one's life. Many of us were job hunting and trying to figure out what to do next. Some people had just gotten a new job and others were in their normal jobs and pursuing new interests with their free time. MK's friends are hilarious and kept me in stitches.
After pizza was done we went to Norman's show. Norman is Norman Vladimir, emerging singer-songwriter talent. Last night he had a show at Spike Hill in Brooklyn and it was the premier of his music video for his song 120 volts. I had never heard Norman perform live before. I had seen video that he had posted on the Internet. But Norman live was phenomenal. He has a rich and soulful voice that was accompanied by his own keyboard playing, a bassist, a violin, and a make shift drum kit. Norman was great and I don't say that because I know him or my friend knows him. He is someone to watch. I think one day he will have a contract and be an artist on a label. I enjoyed the show immensely except for the fact that the people in front of me were way taller so I couldn't see everything and then people kept going to the bar and practically knocking me and MK over to get there. If you are trying to get by someone in a tiny bar you don't come at them with your whole body you find the open space in the crowd and slip through. Is that so hard to remember.
After the show everyone returned to DG's for the after party. I enjoy the moments when I get to talk to New Yorker's who have an inside track into how their city works and have insights into how things should ideally work. MK used to work in the NYC political scene and she has lived in two extremely different neighborhoods, the South Bronx and Astoria. Her friend, Rashi, who grew up in New York and still lives there had some interesting insight into how there should not be urban blight and neglect in poor areas and then the utmost care in neighborhoods where neighbors would be outraged with a gum wrapper on the street. It's a universal problem though. Another favorite conversational tidbit was talking about various neighborhoods in New York and where you can live for a pretty decent price. Some places are in sketchy neighborhoods and others are in not so sketchy neighborhoods but I guess you have to choose what you want to live with or live without. But these conversations make me feel hopeful about my own transition in NYC life which I hope and pray happens sooner rather than later. As MK pointed out last night when I am ready to move to NY I have a plethora of advisers when it comes to where to live.
Sadly we are not as young as we used to be and we all started to get tired around midnight! I couldn't believe it myself. I used to be able to stay up late with no problem and even as late as last fall I could stay up until at least 3 am with no problem although I think I had adjustment insomnia brought on by intense stress. But the party was over for me, MK, and her manfriend. We walked back to the subway which I kept calling the Metro thanks to my D,C. living and went to our homes. I love being so close to NYC but I truly cannot wait to move there.
I had such a fun time last night and I hope that it is the beginning of many more times like last night.
Welcome to Williamsburg!
January 21, 2010
"No man is a failure who has friends."
It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite movie and the above mentioned quote from that movie is one of my favorite quotes as well. Sometimes we read things or see things in movies and we think, "Wow, that is so true." But thinking it and living it are two different things and last week I lived it.
As I blogged previously last week was the end of my life in Washington, D.C. I had lived there for two and a half years and was unable to find a permanent position. So the day came when I had to make the decision to leave it behind. D.C. had been a struggle for only about a year and some months but I think you just know when things are not working out and it was not working out for me and not worth trying to stay longer to wait out the situation. It was very painful to do because I had envisioned myself living in D.C. for so long and I believed that it was going to be a permanent transition when I moved there from grad school. But D.C. proved to be temporary and in the end I think that was for the best because why should we struggle when we really don't have to.
So last week on Tuesday I set out from New Jersey after getting my gas tank filled up and getting some Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee. On the way there I got a birthday text from one of my best friends, Erin. We met in D.C. when she came to be a part of a protege program at the church we both attended and since there was a coffeehouse connected with the church and she wants to own her own coffeehouse, it worked out perfectly that we worked together at the coffeehouse. We had a year of fun together and she ended up moving back to upstate NY at the end of it but we have stayed in touch. So Erin's text was a surprise and since I was driving I took the chance that she might be available and I would have a chance to talk to her while I was on the road. As it turned out she was available to talk and we had a wonderful conversation while I was driving and she was enjoying a day off from work. I think one of the marks of a true friend is someone that you can easily have a conversation with, even if you have not talked to or seen them in a very long time, and it just feels like you're picking up where you left off. Erin is definitely one of those people for me.
The drive to D.C. went well. I didn't even stop and think I just went full force into getting my apartment cleaned out. I took the bed, the mattress, the feather bed, and the shelves from my apartment to the waste dump in D.C. although I got lost on the way there. Eventually I found it and fortunately before it was time to meet with Chris at NCC.
I made it back to Capitol Hill to meet with Chris that afternoon. It is hard to put into words how wonderful Chris is. He has an amazing testimony and his love and compassion for his family, community, and fellow human beings is awesome. One of my favorite memories was his laughter at the oh-so-convincing role that a fellow pastor, Heather, provided in her portrayal of Ouizer in a church production of Steel Magnolias. It is the best reaction I have ever seen to anything! Like the wonderful person he is, he talked and prayed with me about this major life change that was underway. It feels good to have people like him in your corner, because you know that there is at least one person out there in the world (other than your family members) who cares about what happens to you and how you feel about it. We had a wonderful conversation and were able to say so long. It was greatly encouraging to see him and especially going into a night of packing all my things it was good to clear my head.
That night I got some pizza from my favorite pizza place and I watched one of my favorite shows The King of Queens. After dinner and moving the Tahoe thanks to my lack of a Zone 6 parking permit, I packed until 2 or 3 in the morning. I got all of the things that needed to go to the dump together and all the Goodwill things together and I was done for the night. After all the things got separated I started feeling good about the whole move.
The next morning I was able to get up early and go to Goodwill. After Goodwill I went back to the apartment and got the rest of my dump things. I was off to meet my good friend Lajuana when I stopped to wait by the coffeehouse until she got off from work. I sat there listening to my cd and saw that it was time for her to leave work. I went to start the car and no battery! So there I was stranded with no way of getting to a mechanic. But God made a way. I was able to get in touch with my dad and he got me a AAA membership which allowed them to come and change my battery. I was also offered help from my friend Tiffany who lived up the street from where I was but fortunately didn't have to break into her work schedule to jump my battery but it was so awesome that she helped me out and was willing too. Also Lajuana who I was supposed to pick up and take home walked 3 blocks to come and sit and wait with me til AAA came. Amazing friend! It was also such a wonderful time to just talk and laugh. Lajuana has an infectious personality and we spent many mornings together developing a wonderful friendship. After the AAA person came and the battery was changed we were off. I got to spend an hour and a half with Lajuana as opposed to the 30 min if my car had been working that we may have had together. So it was a blessing that the car died there and that I was able to get the battery changed in D.C. not on the open road and to spend time with my friend.
After I dropped Lajuana off I went to the dump again and dropped off the rest of the things that I needed to get rid of. After that I parked the Tahoe at my house and walked to meet my friend, Kristin. Kristin is amazing and she has such a wonderful disposition about her. She can cheer you up and she is an awesome listener. Kristin and I have also been going through searching for jobs together and making life decisions. I appreciate her friendship immensely. We went to the coffeehouse, Sidamo, and sat, talked and cried for two hours. We didn't cry the whole time just at the end. But how many people do you have in your life who can talk to you and ask you such thought provoking questions that you both start crying in a coffeehouse. Not many! But Kristin is one of those people. I think she can see good in everyone and she strives to be the best that she can be and she operates in such grace. Her courage and strength are encouraging and inspiring to me. After our good-bye at Sidamo I headed home to get ready to meet another good friend, Tiffany.
Were it not for my second stint as a barista I would not have met Tiffany, so I am so very glad to have met her. She is beautiful, cool, intelligent and radiant. She is sisterhood. Tiffany is amazing. She owns her own business and has an ivy league education. She is so well-rounded and keeps me informed all the time. Tiffany and I went to dinner at Eatonville. If you are ever in D.C. be sure to head up to 14th street, near U St and go to this restaurant. It's a tribute to the author Zora Neal Hurston and it has wonderful food and atmosphere. Tiffany and I had a wonderful dinner there and we got to talk about so many things. On top of all we talked about we made plans that when she comes to NYC (and Lord willing I will have a job by then) we are going to go see Fela! together and go up to Harlem and hang out. Tiffany has been such a strong encouragement over the last year that I have known her. She has encouraged me to follow my dreams and to not get bogged down with what is not working out but to create a new plan when the old one gets cut short. It is so wonderful to know her and to have shared such a great moment and meal with her.
Later that same evening I went to visit one of the oldest friends that I have in D.C., Kati. Kati and I met shortly after we both moved to D.C. Kati is from Ohio and I had just left Ohio after doing grad school in Columbus for two years. She, another Katie and I became fast friends. We celebrated birthdays together, watched The Hills together, we watched The Bachelor together, we went shopping together and we prayed together. We met through a small group at NCC, called Alpha and remained friends ever since. It was very cyclical that the evening and my time in DC ended with one of the first friends that I had in DC. Poor Kati is nose to the grindstone in a position that began for her last year but has since become as far as I can tell a great career path for her. I left Kati with my black push cart that most inner city no car havers have in order to get groceries and the like from the store to their apartments. I remembered that she didn't have one and was fortunately able to take it over to her house that evening. We also were able to say out good-byes and just catch up.
That night when I got back I just had a high spirit because of the wonderful people that I was reminded of having in my life over the last two days. It was sad to leave D.C. but it was nice to know that in the future there are people you love that you can come back to and really the place is less important than the people. There is a quote that says "Wherever you are it is your friends that make your world." And this quote is true too in addition to the one above. It's the people, the connections, and the community that we are drawn to and in need of wherever we are.
So Thursday morning it was finally time to finish the packing. I finally got everything in the Tahoe except the things that I would swing by on the way back to pick up. I looked around my apartment and just remembered all the times that I have shared there and the moments of being that happened there. It was a feeling of sadness mixed with a feeling of accomplishment. For two and a half years I made it on my own in the capitol of the nation. What a privilege it was to be a Washingtonian. I headed out and waved a little good-bye as I took the scenic route out of D.C. down Constitution Ave past the Mall and the monuments. It's been real D.C. It finally hit me as I was driving down I-295 that my apartment was empty and that the life that I used to know was over. That's when I burst into tears.
A couple of days later when I was in Charlotte, NC visiting my mom and unloading all of my things into her garage I read something very encouraging. I read a chapter in Joel Osteen's book It's Your Time and he wrote about the place of blessing. He said sometimes there is a mental, emotional, physical or spiritual place that we all need to get to before the Lord can bless us. This was very comforting because I have had to move in all of these different ways over the last two years. Now was the time for the physical move. The good news was that once you get to the place where you are supposed to be the Lord can give you what you need in order to have the dreams, goals, purposes, or wants that you desire. It's good to know that God has it all together and under control when we don't. And it is comforting that he provides us help along the way in various forms and one of those is in good friends. It's tough to walk the straight and narrow but we don't have to do it alone.
P.S- This weekend I am getting a New Jersey driver's license
As I blogged previously last week was the end of my life in Washington, D.C. I had lived there for two and a half years and was unable to find a permanent position. So the day came when I had to make the decision to leave it behind. D.C. had been a struggle for only about a year and some months but I think you just know when things are not working out and it was not working out for me and not worth trying to stay longer to wait out the situation. It was very painful to do because I had envisioned myself living in D.C. for so long and I believed that it was going to be a permanent transition when I moved there from grad school. But D.C. proved to be temporary and in the end I think that was for the best because why should we struggle when we really don't have to.
So last week on Tuesday I set out from New Jersey after getting my gas tank filled up and getting some Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee. On the way there I got a birthday text from one of my best friends, Erin. We met in D.C. when she came to be a part of a protege program at the church we both attended and since there was a coffeehouse connected with the church and she wants to own her own coffeehouse, it worked out perfectly that we worked together at the coffeehouse. We had a year of fun together and she ended up moving back to upstate NY at the end of it but we have stayed in touch. So Erin's text was a surprise and since I was driving I took the chance that she might be available and I would have a chance to talk to her while I was on the road. As it turned out she was available to talk and we had a wonderful conversation while I was driving and she was enjoying a day off from work. I think one of the marks of a true friend is someone that you can easily have a conversation with, even if you have not talked to or seen them in a very long time, and it just feels like you're picking up where you left off. Erin is definitely one of those people for me.
The drive to D.C. went well. I didn't even stop and think I just went full force into getting my apartment cleaned out. I took the bed, the mattress, the feather bed, and the shelves from my apartment to the waste dump in D.C. although I got lost on the way there. Eventually I found it and fortunately before it was time to meet with Chris at NCC.
I made it back to Capitol Hill to meet with Chris that afternoon. It is hard to put into words how wonderful Chris is. He has an amazing testimony and his love and compassion for his family, community, and fellow human beings is awesome. One of my favorite memories was his laughter at the oh-so-convincing role that a fellow pastor, Heather, provided in her portrayal of Ouizer in a church production of Steel Magnolias. It is the best reaction I have ever seen to anything! Like the wonderful person he is, he talked and prayed with me about this major life change that was underway. It feels good to have people like him in your corner, because you know that there is at least one person out there in the world (other than your family members) who cares about what happens to you and how you feel about it. We had a wonderful conversation and were able to say so long. It was greatly encouraging to see him and especially going into a night of packing all my things it was good to clear my head.
That night I got some pizza from my favorite pizza place and I watched one of my favorite shows The King of Queens. After dinner and moving the Tahoe thanks to my lack of a Zone 6 parking permit, I packed until 2 or 3 in the morning. I got all of the things that needed to go to the dump together and all the Goodwill things together and I was done for the night. After all the things got separated I started feeling good about the whole move.
The next morning I was able to get up early and go to Goodwill. After Goodwill I went back to the apartment and got the rest of my dump things. I was off to meet my good friend Lajuana when I stopped to wait by the coffeehouse until she got off from work. I sat there listening to my cd and saw that it was time for her to leave work. I went to start the car and no battery! So there I was stranded with no way of getting to a mechanic. But God made a way. I was able to get in touch with my dad and he got me a AAA membership which allowed them to come and change my battery. I was also offered help from my friend Tiffany who lived up the street from where I was but fortunately didn't have to break into her work schedule to jump my battery but it was so awesome that she helped me out and was willing too. Also Lajuana who I was supposed to pick up and take home walked 3 blocks to come and sit and wait with me til AAA came. Amazing friend! It was also such a wonderful time to just talk and laugh. Lajuana has an infectious personality and we spent many mornings together developing a wonderful friendship. After the AAA person came and the battery was changed we were off. I got to spend an hour and a half with Lajuana as opposed to the 30 min if my car had been working that we may have had together. So it was a blessing that the car died there and that I was able to get the battery changed in D.C. not on the open road and to spend time with my friend.
After I dropped Lajuana off I went to the dump again and dropped off the rest of the things that I needed to get rid of. After that I parked the Tahoe at my house and walked to meet my friend, Kristin. Kristin is amazing and she has such a wonderful disposition about her. She can cheer you up and she is an awesome listener. Kristin and I have also been going through searching for jobs together and making life decisions. I appreciate her friendship immensely. We went to the coffeehouse, Sidamo, and sat, talked and cried for two hours. We didn't cry the whole time just at the end. But how many people do you have in your life who can talk to you and ask you such thought provoking questions that you both start crying in a coffeehouse. Not many! But Kristin is one of those people. I think she can see good in everyone and she strives to be the best that she can be and she operates in such grace. Her courage and strength are encouraging and inspiring to me. After our good-bye at Sidamo I headed home to get ready to meet another good friend, Tiffany.
Were it not for my second stint as a barista I would not have met Tiffany, so I am so very glad to have met her. She is beautiful, cool, intelligent and radiant. She is sisterhood. Tiffany is amazing. She owns her own business and has an ivy league education. She is so well-rounded and keeps me informed all the time. Tiffany and I went to dinner at Eatonville. If you are ever in D.C. be sure to head up to 14th street, near U St and go to this restaurant. It's a tribute to the author Zora Neal Hurston and it has wonderful food and atmosphere. Tiffany and I had a wonderful dinner there and we got to talk about so many things. On top of all we talked about we made plans that when she comes to NYC (and Lord willing I will have a job by then) we are going to go see Fela! together and go up to Harlem and hang out. Tiffany has been such a strong encouragement over the last year that I have known her. She has encouraged me to follow my dreams and to not get bogged down with what is not working out but to create a new plan when the old one gets cut short. It is so wonderful to know her and to have shared such a great moment and meal with her.
Later that same evening I went to visit one of the oldest friends that I have in D.C., Kati. Kati and I met shortly after we both moved to D.C. Kati is from Ohio and I had just left Ohio after doing grad school in Columbus for two years. She, another Katie and I became fast friends. We celebrated birthdays together, watched The Hills together, we watched The Bachelor together, we went shopping together and we prayed together. We met through a small group at NCC, called Alpha and remained friends ever since. It was very cyclical that the evening and my time in DC ended with one of the first friends that I had in DC. Poor Kati is nose to the grindstone in a position that began for her last year but has since become as far as I can tell a great career path for her. I left Kati with my black push cart that most inner city no car havers have in order to get groceries and the like from the store to their apartments. I remembered that she didn't have one and was fortunately able to take it over to her house that evening. We also were able to say out good-byes and just catch up.
That night when I got back I just had a high spirit because of the wonderful people that I was reminded of having in my life over the last two days. It was sad to leave D.C. but it was nice to know that in the future there are people you love that you can come back to and really the place is less important than the people. There is a quote that says "Wherever you are it is your friends that make your world." And this quote is true too in addition to the one above. It's the people, the connections, and the community that we are drawn to and in need of wherever we are.
So Thursday morning it was finally time to finish the packing. I finally got everything in the Tahoe except the things that I would swing by on the way back to pick up. I looked around my apartment and just remembered all the times that I have shared there and the moments of being that happened there. It was a feeling of sadness mixed with a feeling of accomplishment. For two and a half years I made it on my own in the capitol of the nation. What a privilege it was to be a Washingtonian. I headed out and waved a little good-bye as I took the scenic route out of D.C. down Constitution Ave past the Mall and the monuments. It's been real D.C. It finally hit me as I was driving down I-295 that my apartment was empty and that the life that I used to know was over. That's when I burst into tears.
A couple of days later when I was in Charlotte, NC visiting my mom and unloading all of my things into her garage I read something very encouraging. I read a chapter in Joel Osteen's book It's Your Time and he wrote about the place of blessing. He said sometimes there is a mental, emotional, physical or spiritual place that we all need to get to before the Lord can bless us. This was very comforting because I have had to move in all of these different ways over the last two years. Now was the time for the physical move. The good news was that once you get to the place where you are supposed to be the Lord can give you what you need in order to have the dreams, goals, purposes, or wants that you desire. It's good to know that God has it all together and under control when we don't. And it is comforting that he provides us help along the way in various forms and one of those is in good friends. It's tough to walk the straight and narrow but we don't have to do it alone.
P.S- This weekend I am getting a New Jersey driver's license
January 11, 2010
Funny Story
Monday January 11 Continued
So this past week was my birthday. I am not ashamed to say that I am now 28 years old. So that was last Tuesday. My dad was working and getting to the City and back during the week is a little difficult because of traffic and time. So my dad said we could do what I wanted this past Saturday (Jan 9). So I said that I would like to go see the Broadway show Fela! and eat at The Mermaid Inn in the East Village.
On Saturday I ask my dad before we leave are we parking and taking the train over or are we going to the City and parking at a garage. I do not get a clear answer. So I figured we would go to the City and park at a garage like we usually do. For those unfamiliar with all it entails, it can be very costly. For one the train is 8.00 a person (each way), then we have to pay 5.oo to park, and then we have our metro cards we have to get. So there is alot involved.
Well we are still driving and I can see the City coming up and we are passing the Statue of Liberty, I'm getting excited. Then my dad says, "It would probably be better to ride the train, huh?" "Well, okay," I say, thinking that it will be the same as any other time that we have parked and ridden the train over. But that was my first mistake.
We pull into this almost abandoned Park&Ride at Liberty State Park. It is cold and the wind is blowing furiously. So we walk to the ticker purchasing kiosk and discover that we only had to pay 3.80 for parking (if we even had to pay at all on the weekends, still not sure). So we get our tickets and still we both are thinking that we are taking the NJ Rail system which takes you into the City to Penn Station and then from there we would take the subway to Times Square and pick up our tickets at the TKTS booth.
Well we get help from a kind woman who tells us that if we are taking this train which is a light rail that runs through Hoboken and Newark that we need to get off at Exchange Place and from there we can get the NJ Path train that will take us to the City. So we wait in the cold and the train finally comes through. We get to Exchange Place and get the tickets we need to access the NJ Path train. Now I am nervous because we left our house at 10:30 so that we could get to the TKTS booth early enough to get good tickets for Fela! and our time is dwindling away. So we wait for the Path Train which is running late because they are doing maintanence and using one track. Eventually the Path train comes. We finally get to New York to the Path station there which is right on the edge of the WTC site which I didn't know and kind of threw me for a loop when I looked over and saw that it was right there. I still have not recovered from that day and I was not even in the city when it happened. So we walk to the A train at Chambers Street and I realize that I am going to have to navigate because my dad does not like the train and is unfamiliar with how to navigate this serpentine systems of rails.
We are able to take the A train to 42nd St and change to the NRW to go to Times Square where we will get our tickets in the nick of time and go see Fela!
Well we get to Times Square and we reach the TKTS booth and they do have seats for Fela! only these seats are partial view. And there is no way that they can tell us how much of the view is obstructed. Dad to his credit was willing to take the partial view seats but I explained that even though these are discounted seats it is not worth paying the money for these seats if you can't see. Another TKTS agent convinces him of the same. So it looked like the Broadway part of our day was over. Then we decided to call the theater. It sends me to Telecharge where the only seats they have are $122.00. Not cool. SO Dad says how about we go to the theater and see what they have there. I agree and off we go.
Once we get onto the street where the show is (the Eugene O'Neil Theater on 49th) it is evident that this show is in high demand. We get in line for the tickets and discover that what we have been told is true there are only $100+ seats left for the matinee. There was a man there who was selling his one orchestra seat for 62.00 but he only had one. Dad told me that he would pay that man so that I could go see the show which was so sweet. But that would have not been fair to my Dad who was looking forward to seeing his first Broadway show.
We headed back to the TKTS booth with hope that possibly they might have some tickets for the evening show. But we found out that the box office opens in the evening at 3 and that they are never truly sure what seats will be available if any. We peruse the offerings once again with about 15 min until 2pm when the shows are going to be starting. I figured that for my dad Chicago and Mary Poppins were definitely out but Memphis, a new show, looked like it could be worthwhile. So we ask a TKTS agent about that show and they say it is a love child of Hairspray and Jersey Boys. I loved Hairspray and I have heard good things about Jersey Boys so we decide to take a chance with 10 min til show time.
Side note: One of the hilarious things about going and trying to find an alternate show after we realized we wouldn't be able to see Fela! is that the people working for TKTS who were helping people by telling them what was hot on Broadway and what the shows were kept suggesting to us that we see Fela! I wanted to say, "Hey, guy you are not helping." Just rub it in!
So we saw Memphis and thankfully it was at the Shubert where they allow you to eat in the theater. I think Dad and I would have had a full course meal if we could have but we settled for a Kit Kat and pretzels. Memphis kept me entertained although sitting in a theater that was predominately white and watching a musical that is about 1950s Memphis, rock and roll and racism (comeplete with lead character interracial relationship) was a little awkward. But the show was good. My dad didn't appreciate the profanity but barring that I think it was a solid show not the best I've seen but good. The true star is the female lead Montego Glover. She has an amazing voice and she is a very good actress.
After Memphis we both were starving and thanks to being back on the street we were cold. So we decided to head to the restaurant.
I was able to figure out that we needed to get to the BDFV so we could get to the Lower Eastside. We arrived on 2nd Ave and made it to The Mermaid Inn. Fresh seafood in lower Manhattan yet overpriced. I ordered a shrimp cocktail, lobster sandwich, and Old Bay fries. My dad had a beef short rib, braised greens and mashed potatoes. At the end of the meal you get a fortune teller fish and a demitasse of chocolate mousse with whip cream.
After our meal in the toasty back room we got back on the subway to go to the Magnolia Bakery at Rockefeller Center because we were too cold to walk the 20 min it would take to get to the Magnolia on W 10th and Bleeker.
We made it fine and the Subway thankfully drops you often directly beside the shop on 6th Ave. I got my birthday cupcakes and dad got his Carrot cake snack for the Cowboys game he was anxiously waiting to get to. We got back on the subway and made it to Chambers St.
We made it back to the Path train and we made it back to the Hoboken light rail and eventually back to our car. Then home to eat our baked goods and for my dad to get home in time to see the second half of the game.
Earlier in the day, in my mind, I was so frustrated. We had taken three trains to get to New York in order to pay 3.80 for parking. And on top of that we missed getting good tickets for the show I wanted to see. But then I had to talk to my mind and my emotions and think about the fact that 1) Dad and I got to go to New York again, together 2) I learned a new way to get to New York 3) I got to brush up on my subway skills which always makes me feel good 4) I got to add another Broadway show to my repetoire and 5) I had a good time through it all.
Patience can be annoying to develop but it is worth having. We have to be just as patient with others as we would with ourselves and even more so. Plus if you are patient you reap the benefit.
"Let perseverance (patience) finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4
So this past week was my birthday. I am not ashamed to say that I am now 28 years old. So that was last Tuesday. My dad was working and getting to the City and back during the week is a little difficult because of traffic and time. So my dad said we could do what I wanted this past Saturday (Jan 9). So I said that I would like to go see the Broadway show Fela! and eat at The Mermaid Inn in the East Village.
On Saturday I ask my dad before we leave are we parking and taking the train over or are we going to the City and parking at a garage. I do not get a clear answer. So I figured we would go to the City and park at a garage like we usually do. For those unfamiliar with all it entails, it can be very costly. For one the train is 8.00 a person (each way), then we have to pay 5.oo to park, and then we have our metro cards we have to get. So there is alot involved.
Well we are still driving and I can see the City coming up and we are passing the Statue of Liberty, I'm getting excited. Then my dad says, "It would probably be better to ride the train, huh?" "Well, okay," I say, thinking that it will be the same as any other time that we have parked and ridden the train over. But that was my first mistake.
We pull into this almost abandoned Park&Ride at Liberty State Park. It is cold and the wind is blowing furiously. So we walk to the ticker purchasing kiosk and discover that we only had to pay 3.80 for parking (if we even had to pay at all on the weekends, still not sure). So we get our tickets and still we both are thinking that we are taking the NJ Rail system which takes you into the City to Penn Station and then from there we would take the subway to Times Square and pick up our tickets at the TKTS booth.
Well we get help from a kind woman who tells us that if we are taking this train which is a light rail that runs through Hoboken and Newark that we need to get off at Exchange Place and from there we can get the NJ Path train that will take us to the City. So we wait in the cold and the train finally comes through. We get to Exchange Place and get the tickets we need to access the NJ Path train. Now I am nervous because we left our house at 10:30 so that we could get to the TKTS booth early enough to get good tickets for Fela! and our time is dwindling away. So we wait for the Path Train which is running late because they are doing maintanence and using one track. Eventually the Path train comes. We finally get to New York to the Path station there which is right on the edge of the WTC site which I didn't know and kind of threw me for a loop when I looked over and saw that it was right there. I still have not recovered from that day and I was not even in the city when it happened. So we walk to the A train at Chambers Street and I realize that I am going to have to navigate because my dad does not like the train and is unfamiliar with how to navigate this serpentine systems of rails.
We are able to take the A train to 42nd St and change to the NRW to go to Times Square where we will get our tickets in the nick of time and go see Fela!
Well we get to Times Square and we reach the TKTS booth and they do have seats for Fela! only these seats are partial view. And there is no way that they can tell us how much of the view is obstructed. Dad to his credit was willing to take the partial view seats but I explained that even though these are discounted seats it is not worth paying the money for these seats if you can't see. Another TKTS agent convinces him of the same. So it looked like the Broadway part of our day was over. Then we decided to call the theater. It sends me to Telecharge where the only seats they have are $122.00. Not cool. SO Dad says how about we go to the theater and see what they have there. I agree and off we go.
Once we get onto the street where the show is (the Eugene O'Neil Theater on 49th) it is evident that this show is in high demand. We get in line for the tickets and discover that what we have been told is true there are only $100+ seats left for the matinee. There was a man there who was selling his one orchestra seat for 62.00 but he only had one. Dad told me that he would pay that man so that I could go see the show which was so sweet. But that would have not been fair to my Dad who was looking forward to seeing his first Broadway show.
We headed back to the TKTS booth with hope that possibly they might have some tickets for the evening show. But we found out that the box office opens in the evening at 3 and that they are never truly sure what seats will be available if any. We peruse the offerings once again with about 15 min until 2pm when the shows are going to be starting. I figured that for my dad Chicago and Mary Poppins were definitely out but Memphis, a new show, looked like it could be worthwhile. So we ask a TKTS agent about that show and they say it is a love child of Hairspray and Jersey Boys. I loved Hairspray and I have heard good things about Jersey Boys so we decide to take a chance with 10 min til show time.
Side note: One of the hilarious things about going and trying to find an alternate show after we realized we wouldn't be able to see Fela! is that the people working for TKTS who were helping people by telling them what was hot on Broadway and what the shows were kept suggesting to us that we see Fela! I wanted to say, "Hey, guy you are not helping." Just rub it in!
So we saw Memphis and thankfully it was at the Shubert where they allow you to eat in the theater. I think Dad and I would have had a full course meal if we could have but we settled for a Kit Kat and pretzels. Memphis kept me entertained although sitting in a theater that was predominately white and watching a musical that is about 1950s Memphis, rock and roll and racism (comeplete with lead character interracial relationship) was a little awkward. But the show was good. My dad didn't appreciate the profanity but barring that I think it was a solid show not the best I've seen but good. The true star is the female lead Montego Glover. She has an amazing voice and she is a very good actress.
After Memphis we both were starving and thanks to being back on the street we were cold. So we decided to head to the restaurant.
I was able to figure out that we needed to get to the BDFV so we could get to the Lower Eastside. We arrived on 2nd Ave and made it to The Mermaid Inn. Fresh seafood in lower Manhattan yet overpriced. I ordered a shrimp cocktail, lobster sandwich, and Old Bay fries. My dad had a beef short rib, braised greens and mashed potatoes. At the end of the meal you get a fortune teller fish and a demitasse of chocolate mousse with whip cream.
After our meal in the toasty back room we got back on the subway to go to the Magnolia Bakery at Rockefeller Center because we were too cold to walk the 20 min it would take to get to the Magnolia on W 10th and Bleeker.
We made it fine and the Subway thankfully drops you often directly beside the shop on 6th Ave. I got my birthday cupcakes and dad got his Carrot cake snack for the Cowboys game he was anxiously waiting to get to. We got back on the subway and made it to Chambers St.
We made it back to the Path train and we made it back to the Hoboken light rail and eventually back to our car. Then home to eat our baked goods and for my dad to get home in time to see the second half of the game.
Earlier in the day, in my mind, I was so frustrated. We had taken three trains to get to New York in order to pay 3.80 for parking. And on top of that we missed getting good tickets for the show I wanted to see. But then I had to talk to my mind and my emotions and think about the fact that 1) Dad and I got to go to New York again, together 2) I learned a new way to get to New York 3) I got to brush up on my subway skills which always makes me feel good 4) I got to add another Broadway show to my repetoire and 5) I had a good time through it all.
Patience can be annoying to develop but it is worth having. We have to be just as patient with others as we would with ourselves and even more so. Plus if you are patient you reap the benefit.
"Let perseverance (patience) finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4
Moving On
Hello Again,
I posted my first blog post last night and it was exciting. I have now added a link to my Twitter page @Ebken so that hopefully I will be able to share these ideas with others but I will keep writing regardless.
This morning started out really well. I went to sleep some time in the middle of the night and woke up slightly refreshed except that like so many nights before the edge of the sectional sofa that I have been sleeping on at my dad's house was sticking straight into my back. But I shook it off did some reading and Bible study and got dressed. While I was in the shower I had a chance to think about the fact that tomorrow is a turning point in my life. I am moving all of my things out of my first apartment located in DC and moving anything that I can't live without to my parent's garage in Charlotte, NC. It's a big deal. I've been thinking about all the things that happened there. The time I locked my keys inside after I moved in and bruised my arm climbing over the wall so that I could go call a locksmith at the coffeehouse that I eventually worked at around the corner. The time my crazy, old neighbor banged on my door so loudly and I like a true champ hid in the bathroom. The two beta fish that I shared my space with who eventually died there also (RIP George and Harry). The girls' nights I retuned home from. The loud garbage men who repeatedly broke the back gate lock and compromised my safety. The Netflix envelopes I anxiously awaited after a frustrating day at whatever job I was working at the time. The first time I experienced real snow in DC and got to look down the street and see the Capitol Building and the Mall covered in snow. The grocers down the street that I bought all manner of junk food and other provisions from.
In sum: this was where I truly began to have an adult life. Part of me hates to see it go. The other part is glad that there is finally a reason to throw things away that I don't need and to truly begin my new life in Jersey and hopefully some time in the future in NYC. I'm sure that when I stand there on Thursday afternoon and see the apartment empty again like it was two and half years ago when I moved in it will be an emotional time for me but I know that it is about moving on and not living in the past but striving for the future.
"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." Marcus Aurelius
I posted my first blog post last night and it was exciting. I have now added a link to my Twitter page @Ebken so that hopefully I will be able to share these ideas with others but I will keep writing regardless.
This morning started out really well. I went to sleep some time in the middle of the night and woke up slightly refreshed except that like so many nights before the edge of the sectional sofa that I have been sleeping on at my dad's house was sticking straight into my back. But I shook it off did some reading and Bible study and got dressed. While I was in the shower I had a chance to think about the fact that tomorrow is a turning point in my life. I am moving all of my things out of my first apartment located in DC and moving anything that I can't live without to my parent's garage in Charlotte, NC. It's a big deal. I've been thinking about all the things that happened there. The time I locked my keys inside after I moved in and bruised my arm climbing over the wall so that I could go call a locksmith at the coffeehouse that I eventually worked at around the corner. The time my crazy, old neighbor banged on my door so loudly and I like a true champ hid in the bathroom. The two beta fish that I shared my space with who eventually died there also (RIP George and Harry). The girls' nights I retuned home from. The loud garbage men who repeatedly broke the back gate lock and compromised my safety. The Netflix envelopes I anxiously awaited after a frustrating day at whatever job I was working at the time. The first time I experienced real snow in DC and got to look down the street and see the Capitol Building and the Mall covered in snow. The grocers down the street that I bought all manner of junk food and other provisions from.
In sum: this was where I truly began to have an adult life. Part of me hates to see it go. The other part is glad that there is finally a reason to throw things away that I don't need and to truly begin my new life in Jersey and hopefully some time in the future in NYC. I'm sure that when I stand there on Thursday afternoon and see the apartment empty again like it was two and half years ago when I moved in it will be an emotional time for me but I know that it is about moving on and not living in the past but striving for the future.
"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." Marcus Aurelius
January 10, 2010
Life as I Know It
Hello All,
This is my first blog and my first blog entry, so bare with me. My name is Ebony Kendrick. I recently moved from Washington, DC to Fords, New Jersey, south of Newark. Needless to say it has been a very drastic change in my life but then again the last two years of my life have been one drastic change after another.
Two and a half years ago I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Master of Arts degree and set off to conquer the museum industry in Washington, DC. I had done two internships there while in college and was moving to DC to start another internship that I hoped would turn into a job and if it didn't I was sure that I would be able to find a job at a Washington-area museum with out much of a problem.
So the first few weeks were very crazy. I lived with a woman who was a friend of a friend of my mother's in Alexandria, VA. It was June and there was little A/C and pipes that didn't work. Taking a shower in a stranger's basement and then having to dodge up two flights of stairs was a challenging experience but it was well worth it because I figured hey at least this is part of the story it will get better from here. And it did.
Work at the museum was going very well and I had a boss that trusted me to get the job done. so I was able to work at my own pace and I even got my own cubicle before long while the other interns who were still in college, had to work at a desk. Then I was told we would be restarting our exhibition from the beginning. This was my chance to prove myself. I did hours of searching for primary sources and reading through articles to find the information that we needed in order to restart the exhibition. When it was all over I was well received by both my boss and her boss and I felt good and that I had the skills to do what it was I actually wanted to do: be a museum curator.
So June became July and before I knew it a lucky find on craigslist.com turned into my first apartment and it was in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill no less. Life was getting better indeed. I moved into my tiny, tiny 350 sqft apartment. But I soon realized that I did not have the salary that I needed in order to support myself or my tiny, tiny apartment. So I had to get a second job. I found a job at the coffeehouse around the corner from my house. I remember thinking that this would be a perfect fit because I would be able to get there after work since it was right off the metro and then be able to get home in five minutes. And this would only be temporary because I was gonna get my first real job at a museum in no time so it would be fine.
Well I worked through the end date of my internship and was fortunately funded to continue for two more months. So I was working two jobs and seven days a week. This was not what I had imagined my new DC life to be but I was intent to make it work. So I worked the two more months at the coffeehouse and the museum. Then I was able to get a contract with the museum but it was temporary not permanent like I had hoped which meant I had to continue being a barista.
I worked that way until March of the following year when the exhibition team that I worked with was told the Friday before Easter that the department we were co-sponsoring our exhibition with did not want to be our friend anymore. So just like that it was over for me. My extension of my contract would have come from funds provided by that department.
Well I took it in stride (I think). I applied for jobs in the morning as I became one of the thousands of people who occupy coffeehouses as their own home away from home offices. In the evening I would still work as a barista. I was able to have interviews for several jobs but unfortunately was not chosen for any of them getting the response, lack of experience.
In August my work at my current coffeehouse was frustrating me more and also not providing me with enough income. So I changed over to another neighborhood coffeehouse where I worked about 36 to 39 hours a week for not much more than I made at the other coffeehouse. But I was rewarded with friendships and dependability that I didn't have with my former co-workers who liked to give me TMI accounts of their partying exploits and liaisons and come into work hungover only to feign illness and tell our boss who also was hungover most weekends that they didn't feel well and needed to go home.
I was content for a time and just accepted that I was going to be a barista for a while. But I didn't give up on museums. I kept applying for jobs and I kept calling my museum contacts. Well I was able to have a successful connection that led to a six month contract doing research for an upcoming exhibition at another museum in DC. Only there was not going to be enough money to be able to stop being a barista so it was back to two jobs once again but at least I was going back to a museum where I would be able to keep my skills sharpened and meet new people and hopefully find a full time museum job.
The museum job was a great change. The administrative assistant became my best friend in the office. We went through so much together and she helped me to know how to go about talking to the people in power in order to get on their radar about possibly becoming a future permanent employee. My supervisor on the other hand was a little more difficult. She came from a family that worked in museums and right from the beginning we had no established relationship. It was difficult to predict her moods and it was challenging to do some of the tasks she asked of me because of having to work my second job in the afternoons. But nonetheless I kept positive because I knew that in the end it would be better for me to comply and hopefully get a job than to expose my true feelings.
My museum job which I hoped would be extended was not and I became extremely overwhelmed by the two jobs so I quit the barista job in August of last year in order to focus on the museum. When the museum didn't work out and I couldn't become a barista again I moved to temporarily stay with my dad in New Jersey. I applied for a job at the museum that I had just left and was in Jersey to wait it out. The job I applied for was exactly the job that I had just finished a contract for but for much more money. I was a shoe in, right? Wrong.
I found out the week before Christmas that out of over 200 applicants I had made it to the top but I was not high enough to qualify for the final candidate pool. So it seemed that New Jersey had become more permanent than I had hoped it would be and as a testament to that fact I am moving my things out of my DC apartment this week.
2010 is a chance to start over and I think that this is a new beginning for me. Let's hope that from here on out there is more positive things to blog about.
The Twenty-Something
This is my first blog and my first blog entry, so bare with me. My name is Ebony Kendrick. I recently moved from Washington, DC to Fords, New Jersey, south of Newark. Needless to say it has been a very drastic change in my life but then again the last two years of my life have been one drastic change after another.
Two and a half years ago I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Master of Arts degree and set off to conquer the museum industry in Washington, DC. I had done two internships there while in college and was moving to DC to start another internship that I hoped would turn into a job and if it didn't I was sure that I would be able to find a job at a Washington-area museum with out much of a problem.
So the first few weeks were very crazy. I lived with a woman who was a friend of a friend of my mother's in Alexandria, VA. It was June and there was little A/C and pipes that didn't work. Taking a shower in a stranger's basement and then having to dodge up two flights of stairs was a challenging experience but it was well worth it because I figured hey at least this is part of the story it will get better from here. And it did.
Work at the museum was going very well and I had a boss that trusted me to get the job done. so I was able to work at my own pace and I even got my own cubicle before long while the other interns who were still in college, had to work at a desk. Then I was told we would be restarting our exhibition from the beginning. This was my chance to prove myself. I did hours of searching for primary sources and reading through articles to find the information that we needed in order to restart the exhibition. When it was all over I was well received by both my boss and her boss and I felt good and that I had the skills to do what it was I actually wanted to do: be a museum curator.
So June became July and before I knew it a lucky find on craigslist.com turned into my first apartment and it was in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill no less. Life was getting better indeed. I moved into my tiny, tiny 350 sqft apartment. But I soon realized that I did not have the salary that I needed in order to support myself or my tiny, tiny apartment. So I had to get a second job. I found a job at the coffeehouse around the corner from my house. I remember thinking that this would be a perfect fit because I would be able to get there after work since it was right off the metro and then be able to get home in five minutes. And this would only be temporary because I was gonna get my first real job at a museum in no time so it would be fine.
Well I worked through the end date of my internship and was fortunately funded to continue for two more months. So I was working two jobs and seven days a week. This was not what I had imagined my new DC life to be but I was intent to make it work. So I worked the two more months at the coffeehouse and the museum. Then I was able to get a contract with the museum but it was temporary not permanent like I had hoped which meant I had to continue being a barista.
I worked that way until March of the following year when the exhibition team that I worked with was told the Friday before Easter that the department we were co-sponsoring our exhibition with did not want to be our friend anymore. So just like that it was over for me. My extension of my contract would have come from funds provided by that department.
Well I took it in stride (I think). I applied for jobs in the morning as I became one of the thousands of people who occupy coffeehouses as their own home away from home offices. In the evening I would still work as a barista. I was able to have interviews for several jobs but unfortunately was not chosen for any of them getting the response, lack of experience.
In August my work at my current coffeehouse was frustrating me more and also not providing me with enough income. So I changed over to another neighborhood coffeehouse where I worked about 36 to 39 hours a week for not much more than I made at the other coffeehouse. But I was rewarded with friendships and dependability that I didn't have with my former co-workers who liked to give me TMI accounts of their partying exploits and liaisons and come into work hungover only to feign illness and tell our boss who also was hungover most weekends that they didn't feel well and needed to go home.
I was content for a time and just accepted that I was going to be a barista for a while. But I didn't give up on museums. I kept applying for jobs and I kept calling my museum contacts. Well I was able to have a successful connection that led to a six month contract doing research for an upcoming exhibition at another museum in DC. Only there was not going to be enough money to be able to stop being a barista so it was back to two jobs once again but at least I was going back to a museum where I would be able to keep my skills sharpened and meet new people and hopefully find a full time museum job.
The museum job was a great change. The administrative assistant became my best friend in the office. We went through so much together and she helped me to know how to go about talking to the people in power in order to get on their radar about possibly becoming a future permanent employee. My supervisor on the other hand was a little more difficult. She came from a family that worked in museums and right from the beginning we had no established relationship. It was difficult to predict her moods and it was challenging to do some of the tasks she asked of me because of having to work my second job in the afternoons. But nonetheless I kept positive because I knew that in the end it would be better for me to comply and hopefully get a job than to expose my true feelings.
My museum job which I hoped would be extended was not and I became extremely overwhelmed by the two jobs so I quit the barista job in August of last year in order to focus on the museum. When the museum didn't work out and I couldn't become a barista again I moved to temporarily stay with my dad in New Jersey. I applied for a job at the museum that I had just left and was in Jersey to wait it out. The job I applied for was exactly the job that I had just finished a contract for but for much more money. I was a shoe in, right? Wrong.
I found out the week before Christmas that out of over 200 applicants I had made it to the top but I was not high enough to qualify for the final candidate pool. So it seemed that New Jersey had become more permanent than I had hoped it would be and as a testament to that fact I am moving my things out of my DC apartment this week.
2010 is a chance to start over and I think that this is a new beginning for me. Let's hope that from here on out there is more positive things to blog about.
The Twenty-Something
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)