NaNoWriMo: A Writer's Reality

*Disclaimer: This post was written in full NaNoWriMo mode, ie. no proofread, no (okay, some) typing corrections, and little thought given to word choice, the object being to get words on paper STAT. Thanks for understanding!*

Okay, I know I said NaNoWriMo was real in my last post, but let me just paint you a little picture of what this month has looked like chez Kiley.

My desk is cluttered with several notecards, some of which have really important information pertaining to my story, some are to do lists, some served as coasters when my actual coasters was misplaced under all the other notecards, and some contain utter drivel. There is also my Moleskin notebook that I bought as a motivational present for ONLY NaNoWriMo notes. That plan is actually working out well.

My two watches both sit crumpled to the left of my laptop, because I always take them off twelve seconds into writing. Have you ever typed on a laptop with a bulky watch on? No good.

I have several blue pens (okay, and one black pen for distinction) and several highlighters, all (hopefully!) tightly capped, for whenever I need my next multi-colored bout of inspiration.

There is a dinner plate with smudges of hummus. There is an empty glass that still smells vaguely of Yuengling. There is an empty coffee cup with a spoon sticking out of it. There is a bowl originally used to ration my chip intake, but it has since become a pomegranate detritus receptacle. There is also a half-eaten pomegranate.

Sidenote: pomegranates are SO not writing friendly fruit, what with the juices and staining and difficult maneuvering for the seeds, but if you like to munch and keep your hands and mouth busy while watching TV, I'd recommend them for that.

A number of earrings and hair clips and ties are sprinkled over the desk, because when I put on my SkullBeats headphones that actually block out noise, the earrings inevitably gouge holes in the sides of my head, and I end up ripping them out of my ears and tossing them aside. Somehow, I forget to do this before putting on my headphones EVERY. TIME. The hairclip graveyard that is collecting has a similar story, except it's because my hair is getting pulled by the headphones.

I can almost see my bed under the discarded and carefully laid out dress clothes. When I get home from work, I immediately pick up my sweats and t-shirt from my bed and get out of my work clothes, because who wants to be in slacks any longer than is absolutely necessary? I take just enough care to make sure they don't get wrinkled, but not quite enough for them to make it all the way to safety in my closet. When I go to bed shortly after this post, I will move the pile to my desk stool, and they'll be moved back again when I get home tomorrow.

Over the past twelve days, I have consumed at least two cups of coffee, more often three, one of which may be a medium from Starbucks. (No, I don't want to think about the money that I'm wasting there, but damn is that pumpkin spice latte to die for.) I have eaten some fruit, but also multiple family-size bags of chips, a box of peanut granola bars, some fruit, and the delicious sandwiches that Bouchon Bakery provides as break food. Yesterday, I opted for the salad, hearing the little voice in my head (and the not so little voice of my ass) calling to me, "Vegetables! Please, for the love of all that is holy, VEGETABLES DAMNIT!"

I was running regularly, 2-3 times a week, but have now run once in twelve days. My stomach is losing what little tautness had been growing, and my ass is making an impression on the cushion beneath it.

I am tired. I am grumpy from being tired. I have a near constant headache, but whether that's from staring at the computer screen for hours on end or because I'm having caffeine withdrawals, I don't quite know. I found out last week that I'll be leaving New York - at least for now, I'll post about it later - and moving back to Cincinnati, so there are boxes littering my floor that need to make it to the post office before this coming Sunday if I'm going to have any chance of staying under the weight limit. I haven't had a day off of work (shortest shift has been 6.0 hours, the longest when I work both jobs has been 12.0) since last Tuesday, and I will work every day until I leave New York on November 19.

But if I said that any of this was making me genuinely unhappy, I'd be lying. In twelve days (excluding yesterday, because my computer crashed and I was going to hand-write, but I took the day off of writing and it was EXACTLY the breather I needed...we'll see if it comes back to haunt me at the end of the month), I've written 21,165 words. I'm almost halfway to my novel, and I'm feeling writing highs that I haven't felt in over a year.

I'm not halfway into the challenge, but already I cannot thank NaNoWriMo enough for the support, the motivation, the kick in the ass that I needed to get writing again. I'm nervous about this next half coming up - moving back home with my family, Thanksgiving, and plenty of distractions - but I'm excited to keep writing, and I want to WIN. (Winning means submitting your novel to the official word count and being declared a 'winner' and receiving a digital high-five.)

The next time I stop writing, somebody come give me a smackdown, kay? It may sound like I'm torturing myself, but I really like what I'm doing right now, and you'd be doing me a favor if you were to give me a wake up call in the future.

Maybe I'll learn my lesson and be my own motivator soon enough, but I'm going to take advantage of all this camaraderie and interweb support and keep plodding along on this month's challenge. I hope you all are well and having a happy writing-November, non-shaving-November, or whatever kind of November you choose!

Here and there,
Kiley

NaNoWriMo is a Reality

*This post was supposed to go up Wednesday, October 31, but due to lack of interwebs, well, it’s a little late*

Committing to writing scares me. To talk about it is one thing, to post tidbits on a blog is another, but declaring that I'm going to write a novel in thirty days has me scared shitless.

Today is Halloween. Which means November begins tomorrow. Which means NaNoWriMo begins, and I have to physically commit myself to the cause and to my writing. Until now it’s been all talk, but the reality of what I’m about to undertake is just now hitting me.

50,000 in 30 days, averaging about 1,667 words per day. AH! Why did I sign up for this? Where am I going to find the time to fit this in? Is my story good enough? Will my characters be believable? Will I like what I write? Will anyone else? Will I make it?

These questions have all been plaguing me over the past few days that I’ve been stuck inside, thanks to Sandy, and I’ve procrastinated with the best of them. I’ve logged over 25 episodes of House and done minimal work on my outline for NaNoWriMo. Even now, I’m writing about being scared about writing instead of taking action and doing something. That’s the worst part. I know I’m not being productive! As I’ve written these last few sentences, I’ve thought about organizing my desk, writing out a list of goals/motivational notes for myself, going to sleep to get well rested for November, and a dozen other things that would surely increase my productivity, but really would all just help me procrastinate. I’m the worst.

In an effort to stop my procrastination and assuage my fears, I’m going to make this the shortest post ever and hurriedly straighten my room before I do the last bit of outlining and character profiles before taking the plunge tomorrow. I said I was going to write a novel in a month, and I am scared to death that I’m going to fail, fall short, or write crap if I do finish, but I guess those are all risks I’m going to have to take.

Please excuse my limited posts or potential absence over the next month. Hopefully it means that I’m busy writing an awesome novel! I’ll try and share a bit of what I’m writing or other pieces I’ve written in the past if I do post, but follow me on Twitter with that button over there << or search for KileyKatey. I'm sure I'll be word-vomiting there when I'm not word-vomiting my novel.

Thanks for any thoughts, good wishes, or prayers you can send my way, too. Know that they are appreciated!! See you on the other side, 50,000 words down the road!

Here and there (but really, just sitting in front of my computer for thirty days),
Kiley

**At the time of this post, I'm up to 7,235 words! Still, send encouragement, tell me you're sure I'm not writing utter drivel, and please keep bearing with me this month. Also, my story is about gnomes, if you were wondering. I am tweeting a hell of a lot more than usual too, so if you want to keep in touch, follow me there!

Hurricane Sandy: Uptown, over, and out

*This post was supposed to go up Tuesday, October 30, but due to lack of interwebs, well, it’s a little late*

So here on the East Coast, we’ve been dealing with Hurricane Sandy since this past weekend. Storm trackers were on top of things starting last Friday, though my family had already heard reports and were asking me about it even earlier. Thank you to everyone for your love, concern, and offered support over this last week. I am so privileged to have so much love in my life, and I thank you all for it. To those who experienced effects far worse than we did, who have suffered from the damaging winds and surges, my heart goes out to you. You’re in my thoughts and prayers, and I wish you the fastest, safest recovery. For those helping, thank you, God bless, and please take care of yourselves, too.

Being here on the upper side of Manhattan, the effects haven’t been nearly as serious as those seemingly everywhere else on the East Coast. It’s like we had a special umbrella that protected us from everything – power outages, floods, property destruction – and for that I’m so thankful. On the other hand, a girl can only watch so much television over the span of a few short days. I say that tongue in cheek, since many are without power, but here’s a little glimpse into my last four days, preparing for the worst and experiencing the best, and luckily the most boring side, of Hurricane Sandy.

Saturday: My only day off during the week, I had a late start and went running for the first time since I got sick nearly two weeks ago. It’s not that I just now felt well enough to start running again; it’s that I was too lazy all week to get up an hour early and take care of business. I have every intention of getting back in shape starting November 1, so I will capitalize on these last few days of October and be the sloth that I loathe to be until then! After my run, I lazed around the apartment some more and went grocery shopping. Not only was I out of food, but my family in the Midwest was checking in on me and urging me to stock up on non-perishables and water, and I figured better safe than sorry. Afterward, I went to meet a new friend for coffee in this really neat little coffee shop with a library! We sat and talked for a good few hours, and I’m so glad we got together.

Saturday night was meant to be spent Halloween partying, but after plans fell through, I took advantage of the couple of Coors tallboys I’d bought for the occasion and went to work on my writing. I’ve nearly got a full outline for my NaNoWriMo story, but these character profiles are giving me the hardest time, mostly because I don’t feel like writing them. With November only a few days away, I know what I should spend the rest of the day doing! I didn’t pay much attention to weather reports, but my family kept me well informed that a storm of massive proportions was coming my way. The biggest news was the mayor’s warning that the MTA was considering shutting down transit. I didn’t realize it then, but in a city like New York that relies primarily on the subway and buses, this is a huge deal to say the least.

Sunday: I got up on Sunday for work at the bakery, and was surprised to see that the mall was largely dead. Usually we’re on a wait thirty minutes after we open, but we only managed a waiting list for an hour the whole time I was there. I did answer a number of phone calls asking whether or not we were open, and our managers mentioned in our pre-service meeting that if the subway were to shut down, that we would close early. As it was, I was sent home an hour early, at 3:00 instead of 4:00, and we did in fact close early, though I don’t know when. The subway stopped running at 7:00 that evening and buses shortly thereafter.

It wasn’t until then that I realized exactly how serious a storm this was going to be. Once home in my apartment, I went back out to do laundry (figured I was down to just a few pairs of underwear and should probably have enough to at least get me through the six days of stormy weather my iPhone weather report said we would have), where both TVs were showing weather reports. I started getting a lot more messages from family and some friends at this point, asking about my safety and wishing me the best. Between washing and drying cycles, I wandered next door to the same grocery store I’d visited the day before – then with minimal shoppers, shelves still lined with gallons and cases of water – to find ridiculously long lines at every register, most nuts and canned goods nowhere to be found, and a few singular bottles of water left on the selves. Deciding that I had enough from the previous day (but mostly because I was irritated by the long lines and frantic people), I just went back to the laundromat.

At home with clean laundry, I packed a go-bag complete with multiple days worth of clothes, my passport, my Nook, a few family photos, a box of granola bars, and the hundred dollars my mom suggested I withdraw, just in case. Since I’m a list-maker, I wrote out a “fast-grab” list in case we were made to evacuate immediately, which included: toothbrush, phone charger, phone, notebook, and medicine. The emergency hotline for my internship informed me that the office would be closed on Monday, and I was excited to have another day off work. My roommate and I bunkered down and I still got to watch Revenge and 666 Park Avenue between weather reports tracking Sandy’s progress.

Monday: For me, the most dramatic parts of my experience with Hurricane Sandy had passed. If those last few paragraphs didn’t seem overly dramatic, it’s because they simply weren’t. Preparing and wondering what would happen were the worst part of my preparations by far, and I’m thankful for that. I watched the reports of water levels rising at Battery Park, the most southern tip of Manhattan, and massive waves wreaking havoc on New Jersey before the storm even hit. With no coverage in our area and hours until the weather was supposed to get really bad, my roommate and I decided to take a walk by the Hudson to see what was happening for ourselves.

We walked down to the Hudson, which really is walking down. I’m maybe ten blocks from the highest point in Manhattan, and to get to the river I have to walk down my street, down a set of stairs, across a little overpass, down a winding path under the highway, across the street, under another underpass, and down another winding path through some woods. We’re a ways off the river, is my point. The water was very high and we could see where, presumably during high tide, the water had pushed up across the running path. Aside from some small gusts of wind, things were relatively calm, and there were even joggers, bikers, and families with young kids out looking around.

Satisfied with our photos, we worked our way back up to the neighborhood. On the way home, I got a Dunkin Donuts pumpkin latte as well as 25 Munchkins (chocolate and pumpkin!), and a piece of pizza to accompany me while we rode out the storm. At this point, around 1:00, Sandy had reached the status of Hurricane Irene in some places, but the storm was still a solid six hours off the coast, the worst yet to come. I put on my grey baggy high school soccer sweats and snuggled up with the weather report. But I was bored of the weather within an hour, so I muted it, keeping half an eye out for breaking news, and cued up House from my external hard drive.

The rest of my Monday was spent watching 15 episodes – yes, 15 45-minute episodes – and eating way too much. I kept an eye on the charge on my phone, plugging it in when it fell to less than 80%, and tried to resist opening my entire stash of food all at one time. Casualties in my apartment include: two pieces of French toast, SunChips, RiceWorks Sweet Chili crisps, ¼ jar of dry roasted peanuts, one slice of broccoli and tomato pizza, one pumpkin latte, approximately 12 Munchkins, and five water bottles of water (filled from the faucet, not the sealed gallon I bought). My greatest health threats: impending obesity from my binging, and bed sores from excessive lying around all day. You’ll be happy to know, I scraped by with only mild stiffness from my self-imposed lack of movement. I received an email that the bakery would be closed on Tuesday, another day off work for me. I dozed off around 1am to the occasional gust of wind outside my window, though only mild from what I could hear.

Tuesday: I woke up this morning and immediately turned on the news and realized just how lucky I am and how much real damage I avoided here in upper Manhattan. I ventured outside to see the state of our streets, but aside from a number of leaves from the now bare trees, there’s nothing piled up on the sidewalks, no damage here to speak of. Down closer to the George Washington Bridge, all I see are more bare trees. There may be more to see closer down to the water, but there are plenty greater and more important stories all around the area, particularly in New Jersey from what I’m seeing.

For now, public transit is still shut down here and there are a reported 2 million without power. That seems to be the primary concern for the city now, other than rescue efforts of course, and some buses will be running starting this evening. For now, I’ll wait until there’s another update on my office’s emergency hotline to see what my agenda will be for tomorrow, on Halloween. They don’t expect the subway to be back up for another four days or so, and I don’t know how else I would even get to work unless the buses all start running by tomorrow.

I don’t mean to be insensitive by highlighting how un-serious my situation is here in Manhattan, only to show how lucky I am to have such minor, petty concerns. To everyone who has reached out to me, thank you all again! I really do feel all warm and fuzzy, and it’s not just the sweatpants I’ve been wearing for days on end. To those all over the area, I wish you the best and hope your situation more closely resembles mine and not some of the tragic cases they’re continuing to report on the news. To those in the Midwest and further north who are just now experiencing the effects of Hurricane Sandy, be strong, be safe, and God bless. Take care everyone! I’ll be here, hopefully continuing to write and prepare for NaNoWriMo (unless I’m watching more House, which is saddeningly likely). For myself, I hope to God I can manage to eat less and control myself today, because my ass cannot continue to handle the amount of calories I’m ingesting. Stay safe, everyone.

Here and there,
Kiley

My Family is the Best Family

*This post was supposed to go up Thursday, October 25, but due to lack of interwebs, well, it’s a little late. I wanted to include more photos too, but the Starbucks internet only uploads so quickly, and it was more important to me to get these posts up!*

It’s true. I am the most loved child in the best family, ever. Let me tell you what a great weekend I had so that you can see why. Disclaimer: the only thing that could have made this weekend better were if my dear sister could have afforded to miss school and accompanied my parents, uncle, and cousin.

I finished work at the bakery on Friday afternoon and all but bounced out of the building, already riding an emotional my-family-is-coming high. I had time to get back to my apartment and throw a bag together before I met my parents, Uncle Mark, and cousin Melissa at their hotel in the Financial District. We stayed at Club Quarters just outside the original site of the World Trade Centers, where the current memorial site is, and in view of the new towers that are being built. The new towers will be taller than the Empire State Building!

True to form, New York traffic severely delayed my family’s arrival, and then the construction and one ways delayed them longer. Eventually they arrived at the hotel and we had a wonderfully long, huggy mini family reunion in the lobby. Once we unloaded, we headed straight for the subway to get dinner at La Camelia, a Mexican restaurant near my internship. This was the first of many delicious and oversized meals throughout the weekend. We shared a pitcher of margaritas and after fresh made guacamole – big chunks of tomato, diced red onions, spices and other goodness – I had the night’s special: chicken stuffed with a cheese and spice blend over rice. I finished every bite. And that’s saying something since I’ve actually been paying attention to what I eat here!

After dinner, we basically rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and I showed them my office building. It was pretty anticlimactic, I realized. Hey, see that big tall sky scraper, next to that other really tall sky scraper? That one that looks like all the others in the dark? Well, I work there…Good one, Kiley. Anyway, from there, we trekked to Times Square for super touristy photos and a drink at a great bar near the red steps called Tonic.

By the time we got home at midnight, my family was more than ready to fall into bed after a 10+ hour drive and my running them all over hell’s half acre. We all slept very, very well.

The next morning, we woke up nice and early to catch the Staten Island Ferry where we saw…lots of fog. Literally could not see more than fifty meters past the boat. I felt so bad (badly? But that sounds weird, though technically it’s grammatically correct…hmm)! I felt worse again when we reached Staten Island and didn’t have time to run to the Wu Tang Clan landmarks my uncle wanted to see. The band originated there, and there used to be a shop but it closed down a while back, and the only other options as far as landmarks were a few of the projects where some of the band members grew up. We opted out of perusing those. Instead, we caught the ferry right back. The fog had luckily lifted and we could see the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline as we came back across. It felt great watching the city grow bigger as we drew closer, the wind whipping around us, and having my family close by.

Once back in Manhattan, we got right on the subway and headed to my bakery for lunch. OH. MY. GOD. I had planned to omit my places of employment, but I can’t eat food so good and be treated so well and not speak up. Go to Bouchon Bakery Café in Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. Third floor. The food is incredible. I’ve been blown away by the sandwiches and/or salads we get for break food (for free, every shift by the way), so I knew our food was really good but WOW. I had our quiche, which changes every day according to what Chef decides. With our roasted cauliflower soup du jour, I was in heaven. I sampled the gnocchi, seared salmon, and hanger steak around the table, and every time I decided which I liked best, I immediately felt I was being unfair to the other dishes. The local grown cab franc we had with the meal was perfectly soft and complemented each dish well. The pumpkin cheesecake we shared for dessert, so rich and creamy and pumpkin-y without being overly any of those things, was to die for. I don’t have any photos of any of this, because it was plated so beautifully and smelled so good, I couldn’t stop from diving straight in. Really, come eat at Bouchon.

We walked a bit of Central Park afterward until we decided we were just too full and would rather sit on the subway and digest. So to my apartment we went for a tour. We regrouped there and fought the urge to nap before walking down to the Hudson and following it back toward downtown. Along the way, we stopped at Tom’s Restaurant – yes! the diner from Seinfeld, although the inside shots were actually filmed in the studio, but still – for a coffee.

With the pick-up we needed, we headed for the Empire State Building with every intention to go up, but at $48 a piece (FORTY-EIGHT DOLLARS WHATTTT??), we passed. Maybe some other time. Instead we shopped, which wasn’t quite as bad of an idea, but still just as hard on my wallet. But now I have a cute new dress and Oxfords to wear to work, so that’s cool.

The family made its trek further downtown again to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and get dinner, though I was honestly still full from gorging myself at lunch. I made my way through another delicious dinner, this time Greek, before we stumbled into a taxi to go home. Apparently, I’d walked everyone around the city so much that everyone was ready for bed by 9pm that night! I consider it a tribute to the time I’ve spent here that my feet were only mildly throbbing after the walking we’d done that day. New York, I’m getting used to you!

I was the first one up in the morning and by the time I was walking out the door for work at the café, everyone else was only just starting to get up. My family had tickets to see the World Trade Center monument and had to check out while I was working, but we met up in Chinatown after work for some cheap shopping and a drink in Little Italy. As expected, we found a number of great deals all throughout Chinatown, and I have a scarf and perfume to show for it.

The whole time we walked around, I was able to catch up what’s going on with my family as I pointed out all the cool things I’ve found here and things I’ve come to notice around the city. I love the way Dad stumbled a little as the subway started and how he thinks it’s a tribute to me that I’ve grown accustomed to simple aspects of city life like that. I love my Uncle’s excitement of being in the start-up place of his favorite bands and artists. I love that Mom continues to interrogate me in the nicest and most concerned way possible because she just wants to understand me and my life. I love how Melissa encouraged me to do what makes me happy and make the most out of life, because that’s what’s really important. On my family’s vacation, they had fun and their excitement and enthusiasm were contagious, their complaints and tiredness carefully hidden. They let me monopolize their break and drag them on a seemingly endless tour around the city, all the time making me feel like the most accomplished and loved person in the world.

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend or better people to spend it with – unless of course the rest of the family had been there too!

Here and there,
Kiley

Being Sick Sucks: A comparative international study of falling ill

Well, I'm sick again. Sick to the point that I asked to go home an hour early from my internship on Monday and got sent home from host-work on Tuesday. After a gallon of orange juice, countless cups of tea, a marathon sleep - twelve hours on Monday night, a long nap on Tuesday, and eleven hours of sleep Tuesday night, I finally woke up feeling loads better today. Thank God. This recent bout of illness, however, made me start thinking about all the times I've gotten sick over the last year. Which was a lot of times.

Being sick at home (for as long as I can remember and yes, all the way through high school), meant being taken care of by my parents. Cue Mom for any food, drink, or bucket that could possibly be needed, Dad for any errand to get that food or drink. I would camp out on the couch and watch Ferris Beuller's Day Off, because it felt so appropriate. Not because I was playing hooky, just because it was a day not spent at school.

Being sick overseas is different and difficult for entirely different reasons. In Australia, I spent the first month or so sick as anything. I was not only the new kid in class, but the one with the gross cooties who couldn’t stop sneezing and hacking all over everything. Ew. I didn’t want to bother seeing the doctor, partly because of the hassle of insurance and partly because I’m too stubborn to think I actually need the doctor, so I settled for lots of sleep and lots of oranges. (Oranges were ALWAYS available at dinner, and I was eating six or so oranges a day I would guess.) The few times I did take medicine, I was strongly disappointed. Ever heard of Parametacol? Me neither. It’s the Australian/British version of Ibuprofen/Tylenol and it’s about a tenth of the strength. Boo.

France presented a completely different set of issues. I SO should have brushed up on my medical vocabulary before I went. The first time I started to feel poorly, I actually went straight to the drugstore and only then realized that I had no idea what I was looking for, let alone how to ask for it. It was within the first month of being there, so I mimed my ailment and named the body part. It worked well enough but I had the same problem as in Australia, that nothing is quite as strong as it is in the States. Also, most of Europe prefers to take their medicine like Alka-Seltzer, which is just gross, especially when it’s not that effective! I continued to sleep and ingest near-lethal doses of Vitamin C as my preferred treatment plan.

On one particular occasion, days before leaving for the UK, I remember all but crawling out of the apartment for a decongestant, orange juice, and some kind of sleeping aid so that I could fall asleep. I did not want to feel that awful while traveling, and I hoped to knock it out before we left. With no makeup and in sweats – so far below the French standard for leaving the house it’s not even funny – I made it to the grocery store for juice and tissues. I wanted to go home before I hit the checkout line, I felt so weak.

But I pushed on and made it to the pharmacy just down the Cours Mirabeau. I looked for the same meds I had used before but eventually just waited to play charades with a pharmacist because I couldn’t make heads or tails of the descriptions on the medication. What felt like hours later, I made my way to the register with my meds and was relieved to be close to the end of my ordeal. Then two old French women promptly cut me in line. Side note: Europeans don’t seem to give a flying fuck about lines and any/everyone will cut in front of you, then get mad if you get mad. I sat fuming behind the women while they took an inordinate amount of time at the counter, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Worst sick experience EVER.

Unfortunately for me, this bout of illness did not end before our trip to the UK and we found ourselves in many a drugstore all over England, Scotland, and Ireland. This was nice because the medication labels were in English, but awful because the drugs were just as weak as everywhere else and the pound conversion is even less friendly to the dollar than the Euro. And you know the labels all over cold meds that say don’t drink alcohol? … Whoops. But we had a blast, even if I did murder half a rainforest with all the tissues I used those twelve days. The only painful parts were the trips to the drugstores.

Here in New York I've made three trips to the pharmacy, and one trip to the grocery store. I used Neo Synephrine for the maximum three days that I was allowed, and I've gone through the original box of tissues I bought as well as the carton of orange juice. Now, I'm working regular doses of Day/Nyquil (absolute Godsend!), hot tea, my Albuterol inhaler, and lots of fruit. I'm also trying saline solution for the first time ever, and now that I have the process down, it's actually really helpful. Piece of advice: don't lose focus for even one second, because if that shit gets into your mouth, well, just keep your concentration and don't let it get into your mouth. Blech.

Let’s suffice it to say that if I must be sick, I choose to be sick in Cincinnati. Where my parents will bend over backward to take care of me, even though I’ve graduated college and for all intents and legal purposes am an adult. There’s nothing better than Mom and Dad when you’re sick.

All that being said, I’m feeling much better now that I’ve actually been taking proper care of myself these last few days. Just in time for my family’s visit! And I will probably run myself right back into the ground while they’re here. That would even be okay, because I’m so incredibly excited to see them and we’re going to have a marvelous time being tourists in this wonderful city. Welcome to New York, family! I’ll be back with a full report after the weekend.

Here and there,
Kiley

Kathleen Came to Visit!

The greatest reunion of all time has occurred. After approximately ten months, twenty-four days, and I don't know how many hours (because of the time difference between Australia and the States, not because I don't remember the exact last second the train pulled away and I could no longer see her face), Kathleen and I were reunited at last!

I woke up on Friday to get ready for work to find that I had a very sore throat and a runny nose and was very upset to be feeling under the weather with Kathleen's arrival a mere twenty-four hours away. (Still, I kind of felt it was only appropriate for one of us to be sick for our reunion since at least one of us was almost ALWAYS sick in Australia.) As soon as I got off work that night, I loaded up on nose sprays, cough drops, and cold meds to give me the best chance at a good night’s sleep. This worked well in two ways, because my nose stopped running long enough to allow me to breathe well enough to fall asleep, and it took care of the butterflies-in-my-stomach/first-day-of-school-excitement that would have kept me up.

When my alarm went off Saturday morning, I read Kathleen’s message (she missed the bus) and promptly snoozed for another hour, which did wonders for my head cold though it meant I had to wait for Kathleen just a little longer. I headed to Port Authority Terminal and after text- and phone-tag, I spotted a pair of purple boots and a purple bag, and I knew I had found Kathleen. I’m trying to think of a metaphor for the excitement, the happiness, the shock, the elation that I felt when we finally had the longest hug of all time in the middle of the hallway outside RadioShack, but an explosion doesn’t come close to describing what I felt. Kathleen and I were together.

It was as if she’d just popped back into my dorm room in Australia, like we’d never spent more than four seconds apart. We made our way back to my apartment and hung around for a bit before heading for lunch, chatting and catching up on any and every detail we’ve missed out on with each other over the last year.

For lunch, we decided to go to Ellen’s Stardust Diner. Good choice as always, Kathleen! It’s a 50s style diner, which is almost guaranteed to serve a good burger, but this diner is special in that all its waiters and waitresses are performers. Apparently, a number of Broadway stars get their start at this diner, and we could absolutely see why. They’re all fantastic singers. And it didn’t stop the entire time we sat and ate. We sat at a tiny half booth/table, elbow-to-elbow with the customers on either side, and the servers walked around the tables or climbed onto the little platform that made up the backs of the booths, directly behind my head.

We continued to reminisce, talk about the future, and everything in between over our pitcher of Brooklyn Seasonal Ale – I’m in love with every Brooklyn-brewed beer I’ve tried so far, by the way! – Blue Suede Burgers, and waffle fries. The music ranged from classic rock to the Wicked soundtrack to Call Me Maybe (yes, really – it was a request, apparently…damn that catchy awful song), and every singer was spot on and so fun to listen to. It was so fun and so delicious that neither Kathleen nor I felt that bad over the $75 bill. But that’s New York near Times Square for you, I guess!

Heavily weighed down, we headed into Times Square where we were almost immediately distracted by the M&Ms store. Where they have bags to create your own mix from any color and any type of M&M you can imagine. We started to fill up a bag until we noticed that the line was ridiculously long, at which point we put the bags back and were content with the few pieces of candy we’d accidentally already popped in our mouths. (Everyone else was too…)

So we trekked to the big red stairs in Times Square and looked at all the people dressed in costumes taking photos with tourists and seriously contemplated taking photos too. But we didn’t.

After some shopping and a Starbucks-fueled pick-me-up, we tried to hail a taxi to take us to the Staten Island Ferry, but I think we suck at hailing cabs. After a few minutes, a hired car offered to take us for a flat rate and we hopped in. The driver was so nice and we talked to him for most of the twenty-minute drive. He told us about things to do in New York, pointed out different places and landmarks to go as we drove, and told us about growing up in New York. I love getting cool drivers.

We were just in time to board the ferry to Staten Island, our only goal to see the Statue of Liberty since it was already dark and getting late at this point. We sat on the top deck, marveling at the lights and New York skyline as we left the dock. Moments after taking off, the Statue was visible, glowing green on the water. It was another of those I-can’t-believe-I’m-really-seeing-this kinds of moments. Such a monumental landmark and significant symbol of our country, it was incredible to see in person. It is much smaller than I was expecting, and I’d been told this already but it was still remarkably and surprisingly small. I definitely need to come back in the daylight!

Once we made the round trip, snapping photos all along the way, we boarded the subway to head back to mine where we had some exciting and epic Skype dates set up in Australia. First on the agenda were Ross and Vez. I’ve been able to Skype Ross a few times, but Vez and I have only messaged since I left Australia so it was particularly fantastic to get to Skype the two of them while I was with Kathleen in person. Such a happy reunion! Next, Kathleen and I had the pleasure of talking to Chris who Kathleen has kept in better touch with than I have, so it was SO nice to get to talk to him finally too! Here's to keeping in even better touch.

ILY, you guys. You’re the greatest, and seeing you online only makes me want to get to Australia that much faster in person. Still at the absolute top of my travel list, to get back and spend time with you all. Or, come to the States and I will gladly host you forever. Please and thank you!

Having gotten our Australia fix (for the time being – there’s always an incurable Australia longing lurking in my chest that will invade my dreams and errant thoughts at the slightly provocation), we grabbed our six-pack and headed to my roof that overlooks the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River. We spent even longer talking up there, just like we had been all day. I can’t remember laughing that much in so long. We capped off the night with some Fresh Prince on TV back in my room and crashed, happy as can be.

This morning was an early one as I still had to go to work at the bakery, so Kathleen and I had pastries and I had a much needed coffee before I started my shift. Kathleen hung out doing thesis work like a boss while I readied the hosting area for the day’s service, and before I knew it Kathleen was coming over to say bye to go catch her bus. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach, realizing that I had to say goodbye again. Note to self: don’t say goodbye to anyone who will make you want to cry at work, because it’s really awkward if you’re even just a little teary-eyed when trying to seat unsuspecting customers. Also: try your best not to sneeze on customers either. I didn’t, but there were two close calls that could have been really, really gross, stupid cold. Sneezing bullet: dodged. Teary-eyes: working on it.

Kathleen, I had SO much fun with you in the day that we got spend together! Thank you so much for making the trip, because I had the greatest time, and I cannot wait to see you again. I promise that as soon as I find a day (or hopefully more!) that I’m not working, I will make the trip to see you, because I cannot stand the thought of it being another year until I see you again. You’re such a great friend, and I know you’re there for me like I’m here for you. I miss you already, and I’m so happy you made it home safe already! I miss you, I love you, and I WILL see you soon! Thank you for yet another unforgettable weekend, and know that I am looking forward to the next one as soon as it is humanly possible!

Here and there,
Kiley

I cannot handle the anticipation.

*This was meant to have posted last Wednesday, but due to a temporary lack of interwebs and then a lack of time, I'm just now posting it*

There are some really, really good things coming up this next month, and I’m SUPER excited about all of them. And good things have happened this week, so I’ll fill you in on that too.

First this past week. I started a second job hosting at a café downtown, and it’s been really good so far. For one, they feed me during my break, which I have to take during my 5.5- or 8-hour shift and it’s really good food. Sandwiches, salads with goat cheese, pizza (on the weekends!), and sometimes pastries or sweets if the bakery has some to offer. YUM. My four consecutive days of training from Thursday to Sunday took up a lot of my time this weekend so if I were to offer an excuse for not having written in a week, well, that would be it. But I’m not doing that anymore! Here’s cool thing #2 and the reason why.

I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. (I know, November is a little ways away, but bear with me and I’ll get to the reason why this matters already and part of why I feel great.) The goal is to write 50,000 words between November 1 and 30 – for the unfamiliar, a page is about 250! – and there’s a website where you can join a community of sorts based on your city. The people here will basically serve as your support group for the month, because with a task as daunting as writing a novel period let alone that quickly, God knows a support group is necessary. I struggle to crank out these 1,000-word or so posts once a week. Good grief, what have I signed up for.

Anyway. I realized when I registered on the site a month ago that good Lord will I need help. I brainstormed my story options: build on a smaller work of fiction I’ve started (though fiction has never been my strong suit), come up with a new fiction idea, or decide on a timeframe for a complete memoir (a complete account of Australian adventures? I wondered). Since it’s a “novel” challenge, I leaned away from the memoir and am thinking about working with a short story draft I did for my Intro to Fiction course two years ago.

With an idea in mind, I decided I need to begin planning. And that I need help with that too. How do you create a sustainable story arc? Compelling characters? Convey a believable and enchanting setting? And in one month?? I confess this is part of the reason that I prefer nonfiction. The story is already there, so it’s just a matter of telling it. I’ve struggled a little here about what to tell, who to identify, and what photos to use, mostly because I want to respect people’s privacy and also because I don’t want to provide a reason for future employers not to hire me. With fiction, however, an entire world and characters are created from scratch. I admire that kind of imagination, so I've chosen fiction in an effort to challenge myself. It's also why I believe I need even more help than if I were writing nonfiction.

Cue the “Writing and Publishing” section of Barnes and Noble. I bought 90 Days to Your Novel this weekend by Sarah Domet. I chose it over the 30-day version and the several varieties of basic novel how-tos because of the introduction.

Domet basically says that the difference between a writer and a wannabe writer is that a writer actually writes. Go figure, huh? She emphasizes that in order to actually pen a novel, you will probably have to skip out on some social outings, write when you don’t feel particularly motivated, and ultimately park yourself at the computer for extended periods of time. That part was kind of a wake-up call for me, because I realize that though I do write I don’t invest nearly enough time like I should. There’s always something else going on and it’s easy to put it off until the next day, much like working out – but I’ll save that issue for another time.

So, no more excuses. I’m doing a modified version of Domet’s 90-day plan, and I hope to have my outline, for which she allots 4-5 weeks, finished by the end of October. Then it’s write write write for thirty days. Which will include a visit from a friend in New York, the end of my internship, and flying back to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving. Yikes. But my goal is to write every day. Fingers crossed, nice thoughts, and any prayers you can spare, please!

Along with this pledge came a revelation. Working in publishing, I see so many works, contact so many bloggers, and send out so many books that it’s been a wake-up call to get on my game. Last week, I received an email from a blogger I reached out to for a review of one of our books, and he asked me if we would be interested in publishing his book that is similar to the one I was looking to send out. Being a lowly intern of no authority whatsoever, I asked my publicist boss (who is really so wonderful). Her answer was simply that we don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, but he should try going through an agent. It was honest, but entirely discouraging for an aspiring writer.

It felt like a real blow to have to tell this guy no without ever having seen his work, and I realized that I was projecting. I’m enjoying being in the publishing industry, but I become more and more convinced every day that I want to write for a living. I get that this isn’t something that happens overnight, but I’m hoping that I’m getting closer to figuring out what I want and also how to get it. For now, I’m happy where I am, but I need to figure out more direct avenues to get to what I want and how to get my work into other people’s hands. Which brings me to the next bit.

While I’m taking on NaNoWriMo in November, I’ve (mostly) decided that I’ll take to posting pieces of the novel to the blog and occasional updates and rants on my progress. For the rest of October, I’m looking forward to writing my outline, but I’ll also keep posting my general musings much like I have been. In an effort to get out and start exposing what I like to write best, I might start including excerpts from the personal essays and memoir-type things I’ve written that I hope will be my primary focus one day.

While I’m prepping for NaNoWriMo, I have some other things to look forward to, mostly in the form of playing host. First guest: KATHLEEN! My Australian bestie (okay, she’s American, but we met in Australia) will arrive this weekend. We haven't seen each other in a year, and my excitement is not containable. Short version: I. CANNOT. WAIT.

The following weekend: MY PARENTS ARE COMING! AND my uncle and my cousin! YAY! Okay, enough exclamation points. Bold font and capital letters aren't adequate expression of my excitement, so I don't know why I'm even bothering with the exclamation points. Still, I get to show them around this wonderful city that I have the privilege to call home. It’s especially cool, because I really miss all of them a whole lot. Hooray impending reunions.

I feel like I’m going to be particularly all over the place over this next month, so I sign off with the utmost sincerity:

Here and there,
Kiley

Public Transport and People Watching

Sorry for my absence! What a week it's been. Lots of ups and downs, but this is more a post of general New York musings than a life update – I’ll get to my triumphs, woes, and first world problems in another post sometime soon. For now, I come to you from my room as I listen to the rain hitting the windows with every intention of curling up with a book and/or movie when I finish this post! Or getting lost in the America’s Next Top Model marathon going on. We’ll see.

On to some New York observations and comparisons to my dear home in the Midwest.

There is (very) limited public transportation in Cincinnati but in New York, it's a necessary and wonderfully convenient part of everyday life. And thank God, because I could not handle driving in this madness with everyone honking while trying to navigate complicated intersections and one-way streets.

I realized something about myself when I came back from Australia, and that’s this: my stress level raises a hundred fold when I drive. The things that come out of my mouth when other drivers piss me off could serve as a stellar audition tape to get me on Rock of Love or Jersey Shore my sailor’s mouth is so bad. Yay public transportation for lowering my blood pressure.

As far as subway goes though, I think New York is actually a bit more complicated than some of the other transit systems I've encountered. In London, Paris, Chicago, and Sydney, there is one platform for one train going one direction. Here, multiple trains run on the same platform and if there are two sides, it’s a tossup as to whether both platforms go the same or opposite directions. Everything is marked, so it shouldn’t be that confusing, but the MTA makes the mistaken assumption that passengers pay attention.

If, say, you're half paying attention because your head is buried in a book, it becomes more difficult to concentrate and you might just jump on the wrong train because it’s at the same platform as the one you want and you forgot to check that you’re getting on the right line. Or going the right direction. Or getting off at the right stop. I’ll suffice it to say that these are all mistakes I’ve made.

The upside to this, however, is that I’ve polished off four books in my three weeks here so far. In light of this extra reading I’ve been able to do in transit, a book list and reviews are on my list of blog-additions to come! Probably in a new tab, but I’ll brainstorm and bring that to you shortly.

When I’m not reading on the subway, my other favorite hobby is people watching. Strike that – my favorite New York hobby anywhere is people watching. I come from a long line of people watchers. My mom and sister have an airport game where they pick out the various people waiting to greet people and give them new life stories.

“That middle-aged man is picking up his parents who are coming back from Florida, where they go every winter. He’s been taking care of their house, even though his brother was supposed to be the one doing it. His wife was going to come with him, but they got in a big fight because he won’t rat his brother out to his parents.”

“That family, they’re picking up their cousin who’s visiting for the month. He’s the daughter’s best friend – they grew up together and are the same age – and the parents are really happy, because he was always a good influence on her. She’s been kind of wild lately, but they’re all really excited to have this cousin visit.”

And I wonder where I got the need to tell stories.

I’ll leave you with a few of my most recent and most memorable encounters in people watching. There are always the well (or at least interestingly – hello hipster Mecca) dressed, the musicians, and the model-esque, forever making a statement. There are the unfortunate and poorly dressed with the shopping carts or strollers that may contain every possession the person owns. The suit-clad and power-driven businesspeople with their gadgets and stern expressions, the terribly touristy with the maps and cameras and clothes that give them away immediately.

Today, I saw a man in full camouflage and army boots, which wouldn’t have been so odd had he not also had a fox tail. I was crossing the street at the Time Warner Center this morning and stared at this thing poking out from the bottom of his jacket or from a hole in his pants. I honestly couldn’t tell you how tall this person was or what color hair they had, but I am fairly sure that it was a man. By the time that I recovered from the oh-my-God-WHY?!, I found myself scurrying after him to try and snap a discreet photo, but alas I lost my opportunity while I was ogling.

Second place goes to the upper-middle-aged man in the half-unbuttoned pink and white stripe button up, exposing a hairy chest and covering what I can only imagine was an equally hairy beer belly. On top of this beer belly perched an iPad opened to what I believe was a word search-type game. The rest of the outfit wasn’t anything special, but accompanying the beginning-to-bald man’s attire was the priceless look on his face. I think I looked up because his hands frantically skirting around the screen caught my attention. The way his brow scrunched together and his nostrils slightly flared in his deep concentration complemented the little pink tongue that flexed and curled over his upper lip, poking out through an otherwise tight and puckered mouth. That expression on a man whose era, based on the hairy chest and shirt, was probably the 70s stays with you. I would have taken a photo if I hadn’t been at the most inopportune angle.

First place, however, goes to the joint effort of this team. To the kid too engrossed in his game – at full volume no less – and the old man so bewildered by what he was watching that he couldn’t be bothered to control the expression on his face. And lastly thank you, Facefriends, for your entertaining comments when I posted this photo to Facebook. Blogworld, I’ll save you the description but leave you with this little gem of a photo.

Here and there,
Kiley

Keeping Busy Does a Girl Wonders

Thursday brought the career motivation that I needed, but there has definitely a lack of social activity and it was starting to bring me down. Coming from Cincinnati where I have a number of friends around and a large extended family who gets together at least once a week, my minimal interaction with other people was getting to me. Luckily, I got the attitude adjustment I needed in the form of serial Skype dates on Friday night that led to a wonderfully fulfilling weekend.

I realized that the past three times I’ve moved, the only times I’ve moved, that I had the luxury of what I call “built-in friends”, people you can count on being your new friends because you’re all in the same situation. When I went off to college to play soccer, I had the team to lean on and it was a quick and lasting bonding experience. Australia took me to I-House, my dorm with all kinds of welcoming activities and plenty of other new international students looking for friends. In France, the whole program arrived at the same time and us Americans stuck together automatically.

I haven’t had that in New York. I wondered if I’d find that camaraderie with the other interns, but being the only intern at my imprint, well, not so much.

Which brings me back to Friday night. Jackie was the first date in my line-up, and she gave me exactly the motivational kick in the ass that I so needed. With both of us being in new cities, we talked about the adjustment period and how it really just takes time to settle in and get in the swing of things. It’s to be expected whenever you completely up and move to a new city.

As per usual, Jackie’s general outlook on life picked me up and made me realize that we are in fact living the life. I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to come to New York, a world metropolis, to begin pursuing a career in the field of my choice. I’m a short subway ride away from some of the most exciting entertainment with the world at my feet, an immense amount of possibilities in front of me, and a bright future on the horizon. Attitude: checked. Mood: lifted.

After a short dinner break, I was on with B who also recently moved to a new city and was ready with more advice and encouragement on settling in. We laughed and lamented our days of living together and I was left feeling happier and also excited for the How I Met Your Mother premier which B and I will be watching “together” on Monday. Yay.

As if I hadn’t already gotten the pick-me-up I needed, my next date was with my parents. Parents are always pretty good at that pat on the back that says “you’re awesome and perfect just the way you are, and of course you’ll make friends and be happy because you deserve it” and mine are no exception. Alone in my apartment at 10 o’clock on a Friday night, a situation that may have left me near to tears had I let myself think about it earlier in the week, I could not have felt more loved and optimistic.

Having checked my attitude, I got up Saturday to volunteer at one of the branches of the New York Public Library for Love a Library Day with New York Cares, a volunteer group. I met some wonderfully driven and philanthropic people through the group and am looking forward to getting registered and doing more volunteer work in my free time.

This experience also taught me a valuable lesson: don’t be mean to the people handing out flyers. Half of my three hours of service were spent doing exactly this. Yes, I was one of those people. And I really did appreciate being told “no, thank you” as opposed to being flat-out ignored, given a dirty look, or generally being treated like shit. Bottom line is you don’t know what people are out there trying to promote – maybe it’s a good cause or even something you’re interested in – and those people are still people. They’re just doing a sucky and irritating job, and that’s not their fault.

Having completed my task at the library, I headed home to get ready for soccer. I found a website, Meetup.com, that has all kinds of activities, groups, and clubs all over. I found a co-ed soccer group and figured I might as well give it a go. Meet people and keep working toward getting in shape at the same time. And it was fun! I felt bad since I was a few minutes late having gotten lost in Central Park trying to find the field.

Also, I was the first and only girl to show up for my team. I’m pretty sure I was getting looks, either because I was the only girl or because I was wearing gym shoes instead of turf shoes (a blazing signal that says “I’ve never played soccer before” if you’re over the age of five). Luckily, I opened up with a few decent passes and a shot and people seemed to get a lot friendlier. Or maybe I imagined it all from the beginning, and my confidence was just boosted once I had a few good touches. I won't rule out the latter.

One hour and a lot of sweat later, my team was on the losing end, but it was a good competitive game for the most part. I even met another Midwesterner who seemed really friendly, so I’m hoping I’ve found a friend! I headed home after soccer and after fixing a great big salad with grilled salmon, I gladly fell into bed and slept soundly through the night.

And then woke up fairly sore. Which, oddly enough, was really nice! Oh, to be in shape again. I’m closer than I was but not there yet. At any rate, I got up to go observe and be interviewed for a second job hosting at a café downtown. It was super busy and I completely felt like I was just in the way, but I was told I did a good job and would get a call back once the manager talked to my trainer to see how I did. Fingers crossed, because it pays pretty well, the hours are really reasonable, and I need something to help fill up my time! Once home, I caught the rest of the Bengals game – second win in a row! WHO DEY – and made dinner for my roommates.

There’s something to be said for the power of positive thinking, believing in yourself, keeping your chin up, and all those other awful but true clichés you always hear. It reminds me a lot of the culture shock I experienced in France. You’d think having been through this before, I’d remember to keep plugging along and to stay busy but alas, some lessons have to be learned twice. Hopefully, I won’t need a third reminder!

Here and there,
Kiley

The Met and Motivation

I have officially been in New York for two weeks, and I have completed my second week of work (funny potentially Freudian slip – I typed “school” first instead of “work”! Weird…). Anywho!

Last Sunday, I got up early and made my way to the Met. I got off the subway and was excited to walk through Central Park, like my maps app told me I would which would also allow me to see Central Park for the first time, but then I realized it actually had me walking on the street bordering the park and not actually entering. Central Park Fail. There were heaps of people running, on bikes, with strollers, and all other kinds in the area, so I’m thinking my new Central Park plan will be to go for a run there soon.

I got to the Met after a short walk and was amazed by all the little street vendors right outside the museum and by the architecture of the building itself. So beautiful!

Once inside, I got to the ticket counter where they “recommend” a price, but really you can pay as much or as little as you like. Cool, right? I felt awkward asking to pay less, so I bit the $12 bullet and got my little metal Met-pin and museum map. Good grief is/are there a ton of artwork/exhibits/rooms/wings/statues/beautiful things! I mean I shouldn’t be surprised that it was on par with the Louvre, since it’s a world-famous museum in a metropolitan hub of the world. Maybe I just assume that all things foreign have a different kind of feel to them than what we have in the US. Regardless, I was speechless.

I started in the Egyptian section, then made my way to the American portion. I did a quick lap around the European sculptures and exited through the medieval section, reading and appreciating as much as I could in the couple of hours that I spent there, but there was just so much. Maybe I’ll give a tour a go one of these times or devote an entire day to museum-ing and catch the Guggenheim and the MoMA (although modern art isn’t exactly my scene, it’s still something worth checking out!) too. As always, there seems to be so much to see and do.

After my morning at the Met, I made my way back to the subway, largely because it was the Bengals’ second game of the season. Having missed an entire football season last year, I’m making it a point to catch as many games as possible this year. Only problem: I’ll be watching most of the games online seeing as the general New York population doesn’t seem to be all that interested. I figured that out this weekend. Oh well!

Interesting happenings of the week so far include braving the Harlem Costco. Not just because it’s Harlem, and not just because it’s Costco, but because it’s the two together. You know how most families in the mid-west bring their mini-vans, pick-ups, or SUVs to Costco/Sam’s? That’s not possible for me here, because I don’t have a car and I do have public transportation. My roommate and I trekked out there and $175 later (and hopefully a month from having to make that kind of purchase again…) we filled up the massive duffle bag and took a strap each while I lugged a sack of potatoes in the other hand, she a box of Sunchips. Much sweat, lots of breaks, and five – no seven, including the subway – flights of stairs later, we actually made it back to the apartment! Mission accomplished, savings acquired, work-out gotten. Although I did an ab routine that morning, Tuesday, so double work-out points for me.

I ran today too, and am happy to report that I’m definitely getting in better shape because I’m covering more distance in the same amount of time, about thirty minutes, though I don’t actually have any clue how far that is. Based on the landmarks I’ve given my roommate, he reckons it’s about a four-mile run. I’m skeptical, because I was dying at home doing less than two miles, but my parents’ house is in a pretty hilly area and this is flat, so maybe that’s the case. I should figure out a way to map it. Any ideas or handy apps that will do it for me, anyone?

Socially, I found a great website for all kinds of clubs and "meetups", so I’ll be playing soccer twice this weekend with a coed pick-up team and joining a language conversation group (espanol and review français here I come!). There are writer’s groups and book clubs that I’m looking into too, but I want to be able to meet at least a few times, and most of them only meet monthly. Figuring out what to do about those.

On the work-side of things, Monday brought with it a lot of online blog research focusing on pregnancy and infancy, which otherwise known as “mommy blogs”, or “mom blogs” as one blogger is trying to advocate for the sake of being taken more seriously. Good point well made.

Even though I’m only scheduled for Monday and Wednesday, I made my way back in for a Brown Bag meeting on Tuesday (where, by the way, NO ONE actually ate lunch...so my stomach just grumbled and my sandwich remained tucked in my bag) to listen to a guest speaker on the transition and relationship between books and television/film. And it was really interesting! There are so many more dynamics not only in publishing but in production in general, especially when it comes to the transition from paper to the screen. So much more intricate than I thought – or maybe I just hadn’t given the adaptation process and logistics of such a thing that much thought. Either way. Very informative and a very engaging speaker!

Wednesday at work brought on more blog research, but also led to emailing a number of bloggers and reaching out to them with copies of one of our books, hoping they’ll review and discuss our product with their readers. And I got some decent responses! Looking at these blogs, these successful, well-read, and popular blogs, whatever the target audience and topic, made me realize that I need to step up my game. I really want to take writing seriously and be successful with it, and over the last year with the traveling and finishing school, I just really haven’t focused on my personal writing.

That’s going to change now. Over the next few weeks, I plan to restructure and revamp this site to make it more user-friendly and more organized. I’m going to start writing like my personal writing, as in using the kind of language I normally use – children beware – and telling the kind of stories I want to tell. I’ll still be updating on my whereabouts and what I’m up to, but just in a more me kind of way.

That being said, if you’ve been reading or following me, let me know! Comment, follow me, subscribe (that might not be possible just yet, but I know it’s a feature that I want here so please bear with me while I get a lot more blog-savvy!), let me know that you’re there. I really enjoy writing this, and I want to be more diligent about my postings and make improvements all around. If you’ve got suggestions, I’ll gladly take those, too. Shit just got real, son, and I’m going all out. Here’s to the forth-coming and improved Everywhere at Once. Thanks for reading, and I hope you stay with me for the long haul.

Here and there,
Kiley

"There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York"

I’m in New York! And I’m in my new apartment. And I had my first week of work. Okay, now let’s back it up, and I'll tell you all about it.

My mom got me off to the airport, and the flight to Philly went smoothly. Except then my flight out of Philadelphia was delayed for over an hour. I talked to my mom that night, and apparently a threat was called in to the airport. Turns out it was a hoax and the person who called in the threat was trying to get back at the person on the flight that they made turn back around and land again. Not that the airlines told any of us this, but that’s fine. Eventually I got on my flight and to La Guardia safely!

Justin, who I met in Australia, picked me up from the airport and it was a wonderful reunion! Since leaving Australia, I got to meet up with Ole and Leelou in France, and now I get to add Justin to the list of happy reunions. He helped me get my bags to his car and then he accompanied me to my first apartment viewing in Astoria. There should be a general disclaimer about apartment hunting: IT’S NOT EASY. Apartment #2 cancelled on me, so Justin took me back to his place on Long Island where I met his wonderful, wonderful family who had dinner for us when we arrived. Thank you, Justin’s parents, for the unrelenting kindness, friendliness, and openness you showed me this weekend. I felt so comfortable and welcome in your home! Justin and I hung out until we went to pick up his girlfriend from work, who was fun and so kind too! You all are great, and Justin’s so lucky to have you all.

For the remainder of the weekend, I got to hang out with Justin, his girlfriend and parents while I met with a few more people around Manhattan and Brooklyn looking for a place to stay. I was getting SO frustrated about not hearing back from people, people cancelling appointments, and seeing run-down places in rough neighborhoods. I had one more appointment in Washington Heights, uptown from Central Park and right next to the George Washington Bridge. I walked off the subway to a neighborhood full of people, a park on my left, and once I rounded the corner, a beautiful view of the Hudson River. The roommate renting the room showed me the hammock that hooks onto either corner of the room, and I was hooked, even before he walked me down to the river, pointing out a number of walking trails on the way to the bridge. Just look at what’s five minutes from my front door! (Please accept my apologies for the quality of these photos - I've just had my iPhone every time, and not my actual camera. Whoops!)

I moved that Sunday, which was perfect because my first day of work was Monday. I turned on the radio on Monday morning and the first song that came on? Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" from which I copped lyrics for this post title. That's GOT to be a good omen, right?? Monday at work was a lot of orientation and getting acquainted with the people in the office, as well as the titles I’ll be working on that are coming out this season and will be coming out next season after I leave. HOW COOL?! Oh! And we were given a book during our orientation meeting. I stayed up until 4am yesterday finishing mine. YAY.

I wasn’t sure how to approach the job in relation to this blog - what I could say, what I couldn't - but we were given a handout on social media and how we’re to conduct ourselves. I want to go back over everything and check with my boss before I divulge who I’m working for and what I'm working on, just so I don’t get myself in trouble, but everything I publish here are my own thoughts, opinions, etc. and are no reflection on any company I currently or may ever work for!

That being said, my first and second days of work went well and were honestly really fun! I’m only working two full 9-5 days, fourteen hours, but I actually wish I were there more often. So far, I’ve mailed books to more news shows, magazines, and freelancers than I can count. Apparently, that’s about step one of publicity, getting the books you’re publishing into as many hands as possible. Go figure! Aside from mailings, I was asked to give input on a press release for one of the books that will be released soon and write questions for Facebook quizzes used as promotional material for the books. I also had a stand-off with the copier that you would not believe.

I thought myself to be sufficiently acquainted with your basic office technology but, well, I was wrong. I felt like a monkey banging on a time machine. I take that back – monkey is giving myself too much credit. Try rhinoceros. By the time I pushed every button imaginable, I figured to hell with it and just hit start. And it started! Except the copies were printing landscape instead of portrait. I had the wherewithal to hit cancel immediately and only wasted about eight pieces of super nice paper that we use for press releases. I turned the paper and hit start again. It took a second to realize that they were STILL printing landscape. I hit cancel again, wasting another ten or so sheets of paper before poking my head in my boss’s office and asking for help. She showed me another way to copy, but the problem is that I still don’t know which is the correct way for the paper. Guess I’ll find out later.

At any rate, I love what I’m doing. In my downtime, I’m reading the backs of books to familiarize myself with what’s about to be published, as well as the catalogs of the company’s year long list of releases. I can’t think of a happier, better place to work. And everyone’s been so friendly so far, too! Fingers crossed everyone stays as nice, that I figure out the copier, and that I get good feedback on the things I handed in last week.

In other exciting New York news, I got to be here for the eleventh anniversary of September 11. Wow. My roommate took me downtown to see the beams of light they shine from Ground Zero and we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to get a better view of the New York skyline. It was breath-taking. There were so many people out taking photos and walking around, and everyone seemed so peaceful. After not even being in the country for this last year, it was wonderful and completely different to experience this kind of event through the eyes of a foreign country, then through the eyes of a New Yorker. Incredible.

After the Brooklyn Bridge, we went to Ground Zero, and there was an entirely different atmosphere. It was still respectful, but more reverent. Not as peaceful, but so much more emotional. The fireman’s mural and all the paper lanterns, the flowers and wreaths, the notes from kids to lost parents. It was moving and touching to see all the people who still remember and care so much. God bless America.

Additional highlights of the week include my other job search, running, and my search for volunteer work. With only working fourteen hours a week with internship, I’m looking for another job too. I’ve handed in several applications and am in the pain-staking process of calling back to follow up and to keep calling back and calling back and filling out more apps. I swear if this is as frustrating as finding an apartment, I’ll…okay, I don’t know what I’ll do. Hopefully channel my energy and frustration into something productive like writing or running or both!

On the running front – remember the marathon that I decided I would train for? – apparently, registration for the marathon is full unless you’re with an organization or charity. Guess I should have figured that out before going public about it. Maybe I’ll catch the Flying Pig in Cincinnati in May. But! I’ve been running twice this week on the path by the Hudson River anyway. I snapped these literally while running, so I’m surprised they’re not shakier or blurrier. My other roommate wants to get in shape too, so hopefully we’ll be able to power through some runs or exercise videos together over these next two months. Fit-and-in-shape-Kiley, here I come!

And volunteering. I spent the afternoon after my run today at the Fort Washington branch of the New York Public Library. I have dreamed of coming to this library (okay, the main branch, not this one in particular, but still) for a very long time. Since they’re not hiring and since I’ll probably still have some time to fill, I applied for volunteer opportunities. The woman at the desk said they might be able to get me into some kind of tutoring position since I have experience already, so I’m really hoping I’ll get the chance, even though they already have so many applications for volunteers. More on that as it develops.

I plan to make my way into the city for some sight-seeing tomorrow since I have yet to see any of the monumental, iconic, in/famous sights New York has to offer. High up on my list is the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, since I’ve been moderately obsessed with that particular era and type of immigrant history for as long as I can remember. I also want to go to the Met, up in the Empire State Building, and to a Yankees game. I’m a Reds fan through and through, but I feel like it’s just something that I have to do! Don’t be mad, Dad, Uncle Terry, I’ll come back as true a Reds fan as ever!

And I think that wraps it up! Here’s hoping my internship continues to go as well, that I find another job, that I find a way to volunteer, and that I find a way to meet people too! Lots of love from New York.

Here and there,
Kiley

A Cinci Summer and the Next Step

Well, here we go again! After a three month hiatus in Cincinnati, a new adventure begins. Before I fill you in on the latest and greatest here, I’ll recap the last few months in my hometown.

I got home from France at the end of May and was happier than ever to see my family again. My parents and sister got me from the airport with homemade tshirts, light-up sign, flowers, and all. What a great way to come home!

I spent the first few weeks at home catching up with friends and family here in Cincinnati. I ate Gold Star, Skyline, LaRosa’s, and Chipotle, watched American TV, and played with my dog - everything impossible to do overseas. Once back in the swing of things here, I went back to my waitressing job at LaRosa’s and began my career search. Which was trying. But more on that later.

Some summer highlights: the four of us, my parents, sister, and I, took our first vacation in a number of years. We hit the road after my Friday night shift and drove through the night to Daytona Beach the week of the Fourth of July. We relaxed, tanned, ate, and generally had one of the best family vacations I can remember. Oh, and ABBY AND I WENT TO HARRY POTTER WORLD WHERE WE GOT CHOSEN FOR OLLIVANDER'S WAND CHOOSING. We bought the wands, obviously.

My parents hosted a graduation party for me, and I got to see some good friends from out of town, as well as a number of good high school friends who I haven’t seen in ages. And there was some good spirited family competition in the form of leg wrestling. Nothing new for a Nabel family gathering!

Keeping with Nabel gatherings, this summer marked the First Annual Cousin Vacation! There are thirteen of us in my generation, and the majority of us were able to car pool it to the Outer Banks in South Carolina for a week, then stop over in Virginia Beach for the weekend where one of the cousins lives. I don’t know if our family is odd in that we all really like each other and get along so well, but we managed to all live in a house, share bedrooms, and take turns making dinner for the group. Veronica even made an appearance in animal print bathing suits! I love my family so much it’s crazy. Such a great week! Thanks, cousins and company, for a memorable first weekend. Can’t wait for next year!

In addition to these awesome things, BRoy made it down for a couple of days – great visit as per usual watching movies and talking for hours and hours, I had a few wonderful weekend trips around the state, I watched Allie take off for her own semester abroad in Austria – good luck my friend! I can’t wait to hear about all your adventures, and I watched How I Met Your Mother and am almost caught up to the present season! The only thing missing was a trip to Fort Wayne. You're all definitely at the top of my list of people to catch up with!

And now for the new adventure part: I’m moving to New York tomorrow for a ten week internship with a publishing company in Manhattan! YAY! I’ll be working in publicity doing all sorts of things – I’ll find out more this Monday when I start. I currently have no apartment but I'm viewing several this weekend, and I’ve packed a massive checked bag, a carry-on bag, and a purse. I may still be over the weight limit, but I’ll have to wait till morning to see just what the scale reads. Fingers crossed. It’s still the stupid shoes that get me every time!

While my external hard drive continues to back up my computer, I’ll relate a little conversation I had with my mom and family on the porch while I took a packing break this evening. My mom asked me about the best/worst-case scenario for this internship: do I want to get a permanent offer, do I want to be in publicity, do I want to end up in New York, etc. I don’t have a best and worst case scenario, and I’m really excited for an opportunity like this, but I do have a few goals. I think this amount of time, a few months, will give me the exposure to publishing in general and allow me to live in a major city. I have always loved reading and books, and I can’t imagine a better industry to work in. When I started my job search, I was looking at any and everything that dealt with writing, and I think I really lucked out to get my foot in the door with a publishing company. New York is the biggest publishing hub in the country, and if publishing is what I want to do, then New York is the best place to be! So I hope to figure those things out and give a lot of thought to the future, what I want, who I am, and where I want be, and what I want to do. Oh! Latest scheme that will hopefully become a reality: run the (half) New York City Marathon. It’s in 59 days, so here’s to getting my butt in gear and knocking something off my bucket list! Lots to think about and do!

It’s crazy to think I’ve been home for months. In a lot of ways it feels like I never left, but also like I just got here. My family – parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sister, grandma, friends – have been so great to me, and I can wait to hear from any and everyone who wants to visit! I’m also ridiculously excited to see Justin, my long-time-no-see native New Yorker friend I met in Australia. So many good things, old and new, and I cannot wait for all of them. Here’s to new adventures, new friends, reuniting with old friends, and bringing the best of the old in with the new!

Here and there,
Kiley