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
Ok, so I know we just Skyped, and I could totally text you this, but your entry was looking a little lonely and you asked for a comment so here you go. As for mapping your run, this is going to sound completely cliche but it's actually true in this case: There's an app for that. When I actually ran outside here, Emily, the girl I ran with, had one on her phone that told her how far we'd gone and what trails we were taking in the park. It was actually pretty sweet, minus the fact it was in kilometers. Who wants to do math when you're trying not to die? Anywho, I'm not sure what it's called but I found one called Ghost Race that does the same thing and it's only a buck, although I'm sure you could find a free one that works just as well. Hope that helps! Miss you tons and can't wait to see you back in the Midwest! Love ya!
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Thanks, B! I'll definitely check out that app and see how I go with it. Miss you too, and see you ASAP!
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