Sunday, September 23, 2012

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

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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

Saturday, September 15, 2012

"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

Thursday, September 6, 2012

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