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

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