tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35217431418622641382024-03-08T07:03:03.499-08:00Taking the Long Way AroundAdventures of a girl with an NY address, a Mass ID, and an Iowa area code trying to find a place to call home.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-27472179376268124502011-11-13T18:15:00.000-08:002011-11-16T17:51:21.619-08:00Complete Full Circle, Part III arrived in Boston three days before school started. I was all alone in a house where I would be spending the next year with two girls I had never met. It was Labor Day weekend - a holiday that I would later come to learn is taken much more seriously in New England than it is in the Midwest - and everyone was off at the beach, lake houses or the Cape enjoying the last bits of summer. That's when it hit me. I didn't know anyone and was about to enter an intensive one year program. <br /><br />Turns out I was really lucky to be a part of this particular class. Forty-five of us from all over the world. We were all so very different, yet shared the same open mindedness and passion for adventure, travel and communications. We clicked and these people became like a family to me. We worked hard and played hard -holidays, birthday, projects and presentations. Before I knew it, we were living in the school library completing our final capstone projects and preparing for graduation. <br /><br />I got a summer internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and spent my summer writing press releases, doing research and helping to compile the annual report. I found myself enjoying the opportunities not living at Emerson gave me to enjoy the city. As the end of summer approached, I decided I wasn't ready to leave. <br /><br />At the time my internship ended, there were no full time positions available at the hospital and another classmate of mine was leaving an internship to move to NYC. Her boss was working on a job for Tufts Medical Center and she passed along my name to help continue with the project given my previous experience in health care. <br /><br />I took the job and immediately started working on the rebrand and website upgrade/migration project for the hospital. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the project. As the contract neared an end I was so very happy in Boston. I had a great circle of friends and was out enjoying all that New England had to offer. The city had stolen my heart and I wanted to stay. <br /><br />The only problem was that I needed to find a more stable full time role. This turned out to be harder than I imagined. The city is very highly educated and I still seemed to be stuck in between being over qualified for some things and under qualified for the rest. <br /><br />After a few months of unsuccessfully searching for something in the city, I began to realize I may have to leave. I wasn't sure I was ready to go back home as I really enjoyed city life. Many of my grad school friends had migrated to NYC and I decided if I were going to find a job anywhere, it would be there. <br /><br />A friend was looking for an apartment and said I could move in with him if I came down. I began sending out resumes in the city and prepared to move down. <br /><br />I arrived in the city in October of 2008 - two weeks after everything started to fall apart with the economy. I started to worry as I moved in and one of my roommates was laid off from his job. Maybe this move wasn't the best move. <br /><br />I spent the next three months job hunting and trying not to go crazy being cooped up in a small apartment in a city where I couldn't spend any money. There were a lot of tough days and a lot of times I questioned my decision to leave behind all that I had built in Boston. <br /><br />In February I finally started working as the Digital Content Manager for Cornell's Graduate School. It was my work on the Tufts project that landed me the job. I was lucky enough to be the first in the role and was given the opportunity to build the position in the two years I worked there. <br /><br />But soon I started to feel as if I had reached the limits of the role. Working in the Admissions office instead of working with public affairs was difficult at times and I was really itching to learn some new things. <br /><br />In December of 2010 I interviewed and was hired for a Marketing Manager role in the custom content division of Rodale publishing. I never thought too much about the move until a friend of mine from Canada was visiting the city and her boyfriend introduced me to a friend of his as a friend of hers from London and the only one who had stayed in publishing. Which wasn't really my goal, but somehow I had found myself right back in a publishing house. <br /><br />Soon my role at Rodale began to change and as my division started restructuring I began to explore my options outside the company. I was contacted by a recruiter at a large PR firm at the end of August for a Webmaster/Online Marketing Specialist role for the company's global rebrand. I was offered the role and accepted the position. I've now been working there for about a month and finally feel like this is where I should be. <br /><br />It's ironic looking back though because I never dreamed I would be working for one of the large PR firms - especially not in the NYC office of one. I never dreamed I would live in Manhattan. I never dreamed I would love working on websites and that I would be lucky enough to find a career combining my love of marketing with my passion for writing. <br /><br />But, looking back, the pieces all add up. In one combination or another they all came together to point me down the path to where I am now: <br /><br />PR degree > Working at publishing company in London for PRWeek > London led me to the Global Marketing program in Boston <br /><br />Living in London made me feel I could take on NYC > My work in Boston for MGH and Tufts helped me get the Cornell job > The Cornell job gave me a strong background in content management > My publishing experience and GMCA degree sent me to Rodale > All of the above led me to my current role <br /><br />It scares me to see just how much sense it all makes now given the indecision and agitation each of these decisions caused me at the time. <br /><br />So, you see, there really was no other answer to my friend's question and I'm looking forward to the next link in the chain...in time :) <br /><br />Now that my story's complete, this really is my last post here. However, that doesn't mean I'm giving up writing. For me, the stories are never really told. In all honesty, I just don't have the time to maintain two blogs at the moment and I'm looking for a different outlet now. <br /><br />Something that provides me more creative license and less structure. A collection of thoughts and stories that may not always follow a story arc. If you're interested in coming along for the ride, make sure to find me at <a href="http://amy-visibleink.blogspot.com/">Visible Ink</a>. <br /><br />Thanks again for reading!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-70840885492875506882011-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:002011-11-09T19:41:11.593-08:00Complete Full Circle, Part I<span style="font-style:italic;">"There's nothing more ironic or contradictory than life itself." - Robert De Niro</span><br /><br />The other day a friend asked me how my recent changes were working out. I told her I was happy for the first time in a long time. <br /><br />"You'll have to tell me your secret," she said. <br /><br />She made it sound so easy.<br /><br />"Seven years of hard work." <br /><br />Honestly, that was the only thing I could possibly answer with. Looking back it's been a long journey to essentially get back where I started from. <br /><br />Ironic, but somehow comforting because it makes me realize I always did know what I wanted. Maybe not in the sense of someone who decides they are want to be a doctor when they are four and spends their whole school career in pursuit of that goal, but, essentially, I did the same, just by taking the long way around. <br /><br />Those of you who have followed along with this blog and my previous ones have heard bits and pieces of this story already, but I want to go back and tell it - mostly to myself - again. It's a long one, so I'll break it up into two parts so as not to overwhelm :)<br /><br />Growing up I loved to read and write. In my spare time you could either find me with a book or filling notebooks with stories and poems. But for some reason I never considered it could be a career. In fact, when my kindergarten class made a book entitled "When I Grow Up" I actually drew myself as a nurse. Crazy, since there is NO WAY I would ever make it in that field for many reasons. <br /><br />I continued on through high school and entered Iowa State as an undeclared major my freshman year. Urged by my LAS advisor to take a wide range of classes on my way to deciding on a major I happened to take JLMC 101: Mass Media and Society. <br /><br />I LOVED the class but for some reason still didn't consider declaring as a JLMC major as broadcast and newspaper reporting never held any appeal to me. Time went by and as sophomore year began and the deadline to declare approached, I decided to give Journalism a try and signed up for a full schedule of JLMC curriculum. <br /><br />All of a sudden I realized a passion for writing didn't mean I was limited to being an english major, an author, or in broadcast. I discovered the perfect combination for the girl who loved socializing, writing and was fairly organized - PR. <br /><br />My junior year at Iowa State I got very involved in PRSSA and clearly remember the president of our chapter being awarded a summer internship at Weber Shandwick in NYC, which we all thought was the biggest deal ever. <br /><br />I had developed an interest in health care communications and finished my senior year with an internship at the local hospital. As graduation approached, I decided to pursue another great passion of mine - traveling and made arrangements to move to London and work for six months before getting serious about job hunting. <br /><br />In December of 2002 I thought I was all set. I would go to London, have a great time and then come home and get a job in PR at one of the hospitals. <br /><br />Little did I know London would change everything. <br /><br />In London, I landed a job as an editorial assistant at Haymarket Publishing. Working on Contact US, a supplement to PR Week, my job was to research suitable entries for the directory. One of the categories happened to be education and in researching all of the PR/Communications programs, a few schools popped up again and again in my research. <br /><br />***Six months later *** <br /><br />I return Stateside and begin looking for a job in PR. The job market at home was never good and I struggled to find something in my field. Three - unrelated - jobs later I landed in a temp job for a small computer engineering firm working as the receptionist/internet help desk/marketing girl. <br /><br />I loved working there and helped with tradeshows, lunch and learn events, a Microsoft Across America event and had multiple copywriting tasks. I was learning a lot about technology and enjoying my coworkers. Unfortunately, six months after I started they lost a few clients and decided to eliminate my position. <br /><br />I was at a loss. It had taken me three jobs to finally get somewhere I wanted to be and now I was looking at starting all over again. I began contemplating grad school. I thought maybe more skills would give me an edge since I lacked the years of experience everyone seemed to require. <br /><br />Racing against upcoming application deadlines, I managed to apply to five schools. Two in the midwest, Columbia - just to say I had tried :), a publishing program in London - and this Emerson College I had read so much about while working at Haymarket. <br /><br />I had applied to various programs at each school, and, as I waited to hear back, I started wondering which program would be the best fit for my career goals. I got into the program in London first and was so excited about the possibility of returning to the country I had been so sad to leave a year and a half earlier. I got into the two schools in the midwest and got rejected from Columbia - big surprise :) <br /><br />As I tried to weigh the pros and cons of each of these programs, I wondered about Emerson. I had never heard of the school before London and had never been to the East Coast. I wasn't exactly sure what my career goal was and it was making the decision difficult. I eventually ruled out London as much as it broke my heart, since I decided a publishing career would not be a smart move. Since I was having trouble deciding between the remaining similar programs, I decided Emerson would be the deal breaker. If I got in, I had to go. <br /><br />As the response deadline for each program approached, I worried more and more. Just in time I heard back from Emerson. They admitted me and I accepted. I surprised everyone by announcing I was moving to Boston in a month for a year-long intensive Master's program. <br /><br />I was going to go and once I moved back to Des Moines at the end of the year I would be eligible to apply for all the jobs asking for five years of experience or a Master's degree. I was all set. <br /><br />But once again, Boston changed everything. <br /><br /><br />To be continued....Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-15111483273925624022011-10-24T16:35:00.000-07:002011-10-25T19:17:51.198-07:00Emerging on the Lighter Side of DarknessI'm happy. <br /><br />Only two words, but it's sad that I realize how long it's been since I was really, truly happy and could make such a simple statement. <br /><br />I'm saying this from a place where everything is different...on too many levels to even address tonight in this entry, really. <br /><br />But everything is. <br /><br />A lot of differences makes one happier me and I'll be back to write more soon, but for now, excuse me while I'm off to go remember this.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-51455811252773979322011-10-05T04:32:00.000-07:002011-10-05T04:40:33.736-07:00Announcing Visible InkAs I put words to paper again, so to speak, I realize one of the reasons I felt uninspired by blogging for awhile was that I feel this blog is too focused for some of the things I feel compelled to write at times. <br /><br />I don't want to ruin that so I'm choosing to launch another blog for stories that are inspired by other things - the past and present, some real and some imagined. I make no promises as to where it will go, I can only say it will be nothing less than interesting. <br /><br />For those of you who wish to come along, story time is about to begin: <a href="http://amy-visibleink.blogspot.com/">http://amy-visibleink.blogspot.com/</a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-26113745471145947402011-10-04T19:19:00.000-07:002011-10-06T04:07:21.809-07:003 Strikes You're Out...I Mean, Third Times a Charm?Standing at the plate with a full count. Hoping to hit it out of the park, but I've only got one more strike. <br /><br />That's the perfect analogy for how I feel right now. After two tries at making NYC the perfect situation for me, I'm staring down a third. This time everything's different. <br /><br />Everything. <br /><br />So all I can give it is one more shot. The pitch has been thrown and I'm taking a swing. <br /><br />Let's hope it's a home run instead of an out.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-84895811659530036632011-09-26T20:31:00.000-07:002011-09-27T20:02:09.634-07:00When I abandoned this blog so long ago, I vowed not to return until I was beginning a new adventure and could start over with a new blog. But, because the past makes us who we are and because writing is like oxygen to me, I'm back. <br /><br />I really wasn't fair when I said I was leaving until a new adventure came along because essentially every day in this city - or any other, really - is a new adventure. The time that has elapsed between my last entry and this one have been anything but adventure-less. <br /><br />Stay tuned...Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-76827080820392665222011-01-31T18:47:00.001-08:002011-01-31T19:00:23.639-08:00Signing offI started this blog almost three years ago now. A lot has happened since then and I'm glad I have an archive of all that I've gone through living in the city. Looking back brings so many emotions. There have been some great moments and also moments of incredible loneliness. Moving to Manhattan has tested so many parts of me and I hope, along the way, I've gained more than I've lost. <br /><br />I took a brief break from this blog a short while ago because I felt the words escaping me. The truth is, I don't want to write here anymore. I've always written this blog for myself and no one else and I don't feel that writing here is providing me anything more than unnecessary time spent dwelling on things lately. <br /><br />So, when a new start comes, so will a new blog. <br /><br />Until the next adventure....Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-50876714657649143602011-01-27T16:02:00.000-08:002011-01-27T21:48:44.165-08:00Living in New York has never been easy and, honestly, I have never struggled as much as I have living here in the city. There hasn't been a week that's passed without a thought of wanting to give up, yet something keeps me here. <br /><br />I don't know what or why. <br /><br />I keep thinking that maybe all this needs to be perfect is a little bit more time and a little bit more patience. But maybe I just had to do this to realize that something else is better for me...<br /><br />I'm not sure. <br /><br />I don't know why I'm here or continue to be here. <br /><br />I am afraid that when I go elsewhere I will miss this more than I think, but I am also afraid that if I stay here I will miss everything else because I'm too busy struggling to get by. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.” - Amos Bronson Alcott</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-48859963459101229192011-01-22T11:19:00.000-08:002011-01-27T21:46:31.591-08:00Full CircleLast night I met up with a friend whom I met while working at a publishing house in London. As her boyfriend introduced me to a friend of his he made the comment that I was the only one who stayed in publishing. I almost interjected, but as I thought about his statement, I realized that was the way it looked even though it was far from the truth. <br /><br />In undergrad I had at one time considered a career in publishing. I applied to many positions at a local magazine publisher and to be honest, it was what drew me toward my job in London. But after returning Stateside and seeing how much the industry was changing I decided to change my plan as well. <br /><br />I did a little marketing for a computer engineering firm and, after grad school, I fell into an account executive role in Boston working for Tech and health care clients. Which eventually led to my web content management experience and further fueled my interest in technology and the digital space. I truly enjoyed all of these roles and had never once looked back at publishing. But somehow, recently after interviewing for a more digitally focused position, I found myself in the custom content division of a large publishing house here in the city. <br /><br />So, in a way, he was right. It was out of that idea and the decisions that I made following London which have somehow led me full circle without me ever consciously making the choice to.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-34841413403917302142011-01-16T10:29:00.000-08:002011-01-16T12:25:20.432-08:00<span style="font-style:italic;">There are years that ask questions and there are years that answer. -Zora Neale Hurston</span><br /><br />2010 was definitely a questioning year for me. So many of all different types and there were no answers in sight. <br /><br />I'm starting 2011 off with more excitement than I've felt in a long time. Already, just half a month into the new year, it's better than the last and I feel less anxious about the questions. <br /><br />I feel a sense of giddy anticipation that things are about to take an interesting upturn because of changes that I'm making and that those around me are contemplating. <br /><br />I almost gave in to the overwhelming discontent that last year left me with, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be glad I'm giving this another try.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-86958143188002044992010-12-30T14:13:00.000-08:002010-12-30T14:43:30.836-08:00New Year, New JobMy new job starts in two weeks. I'm excited about the new opportunities this job will bring, but I'm also a little sad about leaving my old one. As I'm preparing to hand off the role, I realize just how much I have accomplished over two years. <br /><br />I was hired into my current role just as the position was being established. This gave me the flexibility to make the role my own. I took the basic job description given to me in the first few days and slowly put my own spin on it. As appropriate, I took great delight in adding some online marketing and branding in with my web editing responsibilities and over time have established us a productive online presence. <br /><br />I've earned the trust of my bosses which allowed me the freedom to prove my ideas to them and I appreciate the fact that I had this opportunity. As I move from this role into a new role in a new company, I can't help but be a little sad in giving up "my baby." <br /><br />I only hope that all the work I put into building my current position into what it has become will not be for nothing. As my boss contemplates replacing me, I hope they will and I hope that some of the work I've done will stay as a foundation for the next person to come in and build upon. <br /><br />And most of all, I hope that I will be lucky enough in my new position to be given the same opportunity. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't know where it can lead” - Julia Morgan</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-25042728664738838182010-12-20T20:08:00.001-08:002010-12-20T20:12:23.900-08:00Standing on the edge eyes closed and about to jump. The smallest leap I've ever made. It should be the easiest, but maybe that's why it's the scariest. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise. ~Author Unknown</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-32412185290530730182010-12-09T10:06:00.000-08:002010-12-09T10:31:25.846-08:00On WinterI step out into the parking lot as dusk begins to fall. There is a stillness to the air that you only feel on bitterly cold and empty nights. The silence of winter. The crisp, cold quiet that has a presence and, at the same time, doesn't. <br /><br />The parking lot is half empty but the snow has continued to fall covering up the tracks of anyone who's been before. I feel like I'm the last person who exists in the world as I walk over to my car hearing only the crunch my footsteps make in the snow. <br /><br />The wind picks up and I quicken my pace. Stars begin to pierce the clear sky and I know that without a cloud cover it's going to be a cold night. I reach my car and start the engine to let it warm up as I grab the snow brush and clean off the windshield. <br /><br />I dread getting back into the car and having to grab the steering wheel so cold it can still be felt through gloves. I take a moment and glance up. <br /><br />The sky is now dark and the snowflakes have gotten even larger. I watch the fluffy flakes swirling around under the streetlight. Still alone I feel as if I am trapped inside one of those souvenir snow globes. <br /><br />I finally get back inside the car and sit and watch the flakes fall back on the windshield while bracing myself for the concentration my drive home will take. I can see the snowflakes in delicate detail - just like the ones we used to draw in elementary school - and for a moment, I'm grateful for the beauty of winter.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-25890261751564738052010-12-07T10:28:00.001-08:002010-12-08T04:33:27.369-08:00For the first time in my life I'm homesick. Weird, because I've often been away from home and have never been bothered by it before. <br /><br />I went off to summer camp when I was younger all the time and even lived in a foreign country for 6 months and never felt homesick during any of these experiences. Sure, I missed people but I guess those were situations where there was some type of term limit on the time I would be away from home. <br /><br />Maybe the reason I'm feeling this so acutely at present, is that I'm starting to realize the permanence of my life here - and not just meaning in New York City, but the fact that I may never even live in the same time zone as home again and I never get to visit as much as I wish. <br /><br />Lately random excerpts from my past flash back on a daily basis and as I realize they come from all the places I've called home in the past, I'm wondering if these feelings of "homesickness" aren't so much about the place itself, but maybe more about things I'm lacking here. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />"Fifty percent of the people in the world are homesick all the time. You don't really long for another country. You long for something in yourself that you don't have, or haven't been able to find.” -Anonymous </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-72606807453708180972010-12-05T12:27:00.000-08:002010-12-07T10:26:28.684-08:00Stay TunedIt's been awhile since I've been here and for awhile I wasn't sure I was going to be back, but once again the pull of the pen recaptures me. My thoughts are never better expressed than through the written word and even though right now there are still more thoughts than there may be words, making even some of them tangible is a step in the right direction.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-24605485192571395252010-08-04T10:46:00.001-07:002010-08-04T19:17:03.309-07:00730 DaysThat's how long I've now been a resident of New York City. Twenty-four Metro Cards and well over 1,400 Subway rides. Miles and miles of walking and countless pairs of shoes. <br /><br />At least ten walks across the Brooklyn Bridge, three visits to Coney Island, and one visit to the US Open. Three nights in Harlem, two birthday parties in Williamsburg, and a train trip up the Hudson. <br /><br />Two Christmases and two incoming classes of students. One tour of Yankee Stadium and a Philharmonic concert in Central Park. <br /><br />Crumbs, Cupcake Cafe, and Sugar Sweet Sunshine. African, Caribbean, and Ukranian food. <br /><br />And those are just a few highlights of the past 730 days. So you might understand my dilemma in making a change. <br /><br />I'm really going to miss all this, but at the same time, I think I might be ready for a new challenge.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-68971687070847423562010-07-18T20:08:00.000-07:002010-07-19T17:52:36.239-07:00Speechless. Mute. Taciturn.However you wish to describe it, I'm out of words. <br /><br />I've never written this blog for anyone other than myself. It's always been a way for me to capture my thoughts. I've saved moments in this blog that have reminded me of myself at times when I felt I was losing who I was. I've let out frustration, found peace, and may have even cried over this blog. <br /><br />Writing has always been my thing but lately I've felt no compulsion to write here. I still see the pictures in my head, but currently they are too jumbled to put into words. <br /><br />There's so much to say that I choose to say nothing. I'll be back when the words return. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” - Mark Twain. </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-74618514082889849672010-07-02T20:55:00.000-07:002010-10-26T20:55:31.080-07:00It's here again already. My second favorite holiday after Christmas, the Fourth of July was always a big deal in our family. Maybe it was because it falls six months after we last got together. Maybe it's because everyone enjoys long leisurely summer afternoons that stretch into evening while knowing you have the next day off. Or it could have even been knowing that my aunt never failed to bring her famous Jell-O cake to the get together. <br /><br />Whatever the reason, I've always looked forward to the Fourth of July and usually have plans to celebrate long before the big day arrives. Even both of the Fourth's I've spent abroad included celebrating. <br /><br />So this year when I found the holiday rapidly approaching and I had no plans, I was feeling a bit sad. I didn't really have concrete plans for enjoying the holiday in the city and had no plans to take advantage of the long weekend by leaving the city. But it turned out to be a busy weekend. <br /><br />Friday night three of my friends and I ventured out to Coney Island. Every Friday night throughout the summer they have fireworks on the beach. We arrived around 6:30 and spent some time walking the boardwalk while waiting for the sun to set. Coney Island was packed and we passed some time people watching as we made our way up to Brighton Beach. The sun was beginning to set and we grabbed a table at a Russian restaurant on the boardwalk. We ordered dumplings and borscht as it got dark. Soon the fireworks began and we could even see the shows in Jersey and Staten Island off in the distance. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/TDPKw5nLpeI/AAAAAAAAAcM/DVg1HohtbuQ/s1600/coneyisland.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/TDPKw5nLpeI/AAAAAAAAAcM/DVg1HohtbuQ/s400/coneyisland.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490955312142460386" /></a><br /><br />Saturday I spent the day in Harlem before returning to meet friends in the city for a night of dancing. The holiday weekend meant the city was pretty empty and we were lucky enough to be some of the first people in the club, which meant we got a table for the night :) <br /><br />Sunday we spent the day in Central Park. It was beginning to heat up and we decided that we didn't want to spend hours waiting in Manhattan for fireworks and decided to take the Path to Hoboken. We arrived in Jersey with just enough time for dinner before heading to the waterfront where we got second row seats to the show. The fireworks were spectacular and watching them with Manhattan as the backdrop was even better. <br /><br />Monday we finally got out of the city. The three of us took the Metro North about an hour and a half up the Hudson to a small town called Beacon. It was ridiculously hot and we spent a few hours staying cool in the DIA:Beacon, an interesting contemporary art museum. <br /><br />So while my weekend was anything but traditional, it was still fun.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-61932680805964899532010-06-22T19:24:00.000-07:002010-06-23T20:36:21.312-07:00Betwixt and BetweenI haven't posted a new entry in a few days because I can't seem to quiet my mind enough to focus on just one topic. Lately, each day passes in a blur of: love and hate; happiness and sadness; and progress and setbacks. It seems I have possibly developed ADD as I can't seem to decide on anything. I feel as if I'm riding some roller coaster that has left its track and I have no idea where we are headed. <br /><br />I both love and hate the idea of leaving New York. I both love and hate my job - for different reasons. I both miss home and yet cringe at the thought of going back there right now. I both love being single and miss being attached. I both crave adventure and miss the familiar. I both want to be more and less in everything. <br /><br />I don't know if any of this makes sense. It makes no sense in my head...and all I do know is that I'm unsure of anything.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-486892717294021562010-06-13T21:13:00.001-07:002010-06-13T21:20:35.044-07:00It's happening again.... <br /><br />It always happens so slowly that it sneaks up on me..and it's usually something that never attracted me in the beginning. But I guess that's what they say love is, right? <br /><br />New York is seducing me. I don't know how these cities keep slowly stealing my heart when, each time I land in a new one, I never think there is any room to love another. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/TBWt8ymKWQI/AAAAAAAAAa8/6-XpXct1fKA/s1600/IMG_1871-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/TBWt8ymKWQI/AAAAAAAAAa8/6-XpXct1fKA/s400/IMG_1871-1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482479381279037698" /></a><br /><br />I just returned from a late night walk through the city, and it has never looked more beautiful to me than it did tonight. Seeing the New York Life building's clock tower reflected in the glass panes of an apartment building on Madison Avenue; listening to the conversations around me as I sat in Madison Square Park; and walking around the oh-so-quiet, yet quaint Gramercy Park all almost brought me to tears tonight. <br /><br />The tears because I finally see the potential in this city and yet I feel as if the city never responded to my advances in quite the way I wanted it to. But that's the thing about love, you only get a say in one side of it. <br /><br />I immediately called a friend and confessed these feelings to her. She told me she was startled by my admission, and I could only respond with, "No more than I."Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-49900664348456332662010-06-04T17:55:00.000-07:002010-06-04T18:02:17.547-07:00<span style="font-style:italic;">"Torn between wanting to stay & wanting to go & worried it will be the wrong decision either way"</span> - Story People<br /><br />As some of you know, I've been struggling lately with the decision to stay in NYC or move somewhere else. I always thought when it was time to leave New York I would be able to leave without feeling the same sadness that always seems to descend when leaving someplace you've called home. <br /><br />I never thought I would get attached to a city so large, so lonely, and so loud. I never thought that the restlessness of the city would seep into my being. I never thought that above all else here, the city would be the one thing that eventually ends up keeping me sane. <br /><br />The thing about New York is that it's all about the small moments. I've written a bit about this in a previous post, but it seems as if every day there are small things that I discover I love about this city. <br /><br />It's the way the ground shakes when the Subway goes rushing underneath you. It's the way you can find takeout at 3 am. It's the way I feel when I am hurtling down Central Park West on a night bus. It's the fact that I recognize my fellow bus riders each morning. It's the way you can pack a picnic and spend an entire day laying in Central Park. <br /><br />So as I come ever closer to the reality that I need to leave by the time my lease ends, I also come ever closer to realizing that I have become attached to this crazy, sweet catastrophe of a city. <br /><br />New York, you could have been great. I just don't think I'm strong enough to be patient enough to give you anymore.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-47858793777695261382010-05-16T20:28:00.000-07:002010-05-16T21:09:59.089-07:00Tom Selleck Saved My Baby and Other Reasons I Love the East SideAs I've stated in previous posts, I love walking. I love The City in the summer because it means weekend days are nice enough to indulge my desire to explore the city on foot. <br /><br />This morning a friend and I stepped out with no real destination. We started by walking through the street fair on 3rd Avenue. We soon realized we were close enough to the East Village that we could do lunch at the arepas bar that is always busy on weeknights. Since it was a bit early for lunch we decided to leisurely explore the East Village a bit first. <br /><br />We wandered up and down the streets and avenues, turning as things caught our eye. We discovered a Ukranian street festival, complete with church ladies selling cabbage rolls and borscht. We wandered in and out of tiny boutiques and stopped to look at a few flea markets - NYC's version of a garage sale :) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C9314ke0I/AAAAAAAAAaA/i1kqeoRbsPQ/s1600/downsized_0516001318.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C9314ke0I/AAAAAAAAAaA/i1kqeoRbsPQ/s320/downsized_0516001318.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472082314309958466" /><br /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Found on a trash can outside the flea market:</span></center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C8-wS7IyI/AAAAAAAAAZo/E74BJpw1-sc/s1600/edited1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C8-wS7IyI/AAAAAAAAAZo/E74BJpw1-sc/s320/edited1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472081333557338914" /></a><br /><br />After lunch, we spent an hour sitting in Thompson Square Park watching a group of children run races with each other, people walking their dogs, and a group of people wrestling in the park. We decided to continue on through Alphabet City and walked all the way over to Avenue D wandering through every public garden we came upon. <br /><br /><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Found in Alphabet City:</span></center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C9NK6qY8I/AAAAAAAAAZw/359j5io9jkU/s1600/edited2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C9NK6qY8I/AAAAAAAAAZw/359j5io9jkU/s320/edited2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472081581221503938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C9fPRmNDI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/vK8GH_dEE10/s1600/0516001708.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C9fPRmNDI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/vK8GH_dEE10/s320/0516001708.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472081891629085746" /></a><br />We made our way back up through the Lower East Side and the end of this walking adventure found us in a cozy, small Irish pub watching a live session of two acoustic acts.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C_H37oexI/AAAAAAAAAaI/tl_iYuZdoVY/s1600/jamband.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S_C_H37oexI/AAAAAAAAAaI/tl_iYuZdoVY/s320/jamband.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472083689249209106" /></a><br />It's days like these that make me realize I really will miss NYC when I leave.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-79318450066931671402010-05-10T20:00:00.000-07:002010-05-10T20:24:47.285-07:00There's a Reason Why People Suffer through Iowa WintersEach year, as summer approaches I get more and more nostalgic about Iowa summers. There is something so spectacularly wonderful about an Iowa summer that I’m struggling to find the words to completely capture the essence of what I love about it. This is my third attempt at writing this entry, and I think only those of you who have also experienced an Iowa summer will truly appreciate this post. <br /><br />****************************************************************************<br /><br />The heat begins to roll in around mid-June, but the stifling humidity usually doesn’t set in until July if you are lucky. Once it does, you know it will be sticking around until at least September, so you really appreciate the brief period of beautiful warm weather and the cool nights where you can leave the windows open and fall asleep listening to the sounds of leaves rustling outside or a gentle rain falling. <br /><br />These early summer evenings are made for grilling. You sit on the patio with friends eating, drinking and talking as the sun sets. Burgers, sweet corn bought from a roadside stand, and fresh fruit afterwards. A cool breeze carries with it the scent of freshly cut grass as twilight falls and fireflies begin to appear. Soon twilight gives way to a deep blue sky pierced with millions of stars. Off in the distance the cicadas’ song mixes in with the deep croaking of frogs.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S-jNFSFuHNI/AAAAAAAAAZg/VgAmglnWjc4/s1600/usa_-_summer_04.1091210220.foggy_morning_iowa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S-jNFSFuHNI/AAAAAAAAAZg/VgAmglnWjc4/s320/usa_-_summer_04.1091210220.foggy_morning_iowa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469847238080339154" /></a><br /><br /><br />The air begins to cloud with haze and as you walk in flip flops through the grass back to your car at the end of the night, your feet become wet with dew. A slight breeze blows through and you shiver, but it’s that weird feeling of being cold and yet hot at the same time, similar to the way you feel after an intense workout in the winter. <br /><br />*********************************************************************<br /><br />On the days that come later in the season it’s sometimes so hot by the time you wake up that you know taking a shower is essentially pointless. You watch the morning sun come up and gradually burn off the haze of humidity that has fallen overnight. <br /><br />Everything is so green and lush as you drive to work. Wild roses and tall prairie grasses line the ditches of the highway. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S-jKqRhnnCI/AAAAAAAAAZY/rjQ3L1nr96I/s1600/summertime_ia.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bdbyzKTFGs8/S-jKqRhnnCI/AAAAAAAAAZY/rjQ3L1nr96I/s320/summertime_ia.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469844575049194530" /></a><br /><br />You spend the day working in an extremely air conditioned office and, for a few minutes, the blast of heat that hits you as you walk out of the building to the parking lot at the end of the day feels good. You can hardly breathe in the thick air and you can feel the heat radiating up off the pavement in waves. You get into your overheated car and immediately crank on the AC and roll down the windows. <br /><br />You know a day like this is going to bring in violent weather and you watch the sky change as you pull out of the parking lot and onto the highway. Gray clouds swirl about as the sun begins to disappear. By the time you get home, the sunshine is a distant memory. It’s now as black as midnight and you hear the faint rumble of thunder in the distance. The sky lights up as bright as day when a bolt of lighting streaks across the sky. A few sprinkles fall on your windshield. You briefly consider rushing into the house before the sky opens up completely, but you wait, because you know that getting wet on the walk from the car into the house will feel refreshing. <br /><br />***********************************************************************<br /><br />And, in these moments, you are once again reminded of why people put up with Iowa winters.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-35065602426031353262010-05-05T18:53:00.000-07:002010-05-05T19:16:49.581-07:00New York is Full of Un-New YorkersI realize most of my posts about NYC lately haven't been all that uplifting so I thought I would share a little something I have noticed and do enjoy about this city. <br /><br />Last Friday night a friend and I were walking home from dinner when we passed a group of five friends taking pictures outside a restaurant. One of them was trying to take a photo of the other four and my friend stopped them and asked if they would like a picture that included all of them. They seemed a bit surprised and excited that someone had offered to do so. <br /><br />"That's very un-New Yorker of you," they replied as my friend handed back the camera and we wished them a good night. <br /><br />We looked at each other and laughed as we walked away. The truth is, in most of my experiences here, it really wasn't all that un-New York. <br /><br />As I tell people all the time, New Yorkers are generally a pretty helpful and pleasant group of people. I've often seen them offer directions, hold open doors, and help old ladies on and off buses. I've been wished a good morning many times by random strangers walking past me on my way to work. I've seen many commuters thank their bus driver as they get off at their stop. <br /><br />I think we realize that somewhere within the hardships of city life that we cannot change, we can make the experience better for each other in small ways. There are good days and bad days, but you can empathize in almost any situation which makes you want to help if you can. <br /><br />In general I've experienced far more good from New Yorkers. And, in my opinion, it's usually the tourists acting the most "New Yorkish".<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~Plato</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521743141862264138.post-33455040047798806532010-04-13T09:50:00.001-07:002010-04-13T16:33:37.241-07:00Technology is Not Social, People AreI came across this statement online a few weeks ago and have been thinking about it ever since. It's so true and recently I've been reading a lot about how most people believe the opposite. True, technology can make you feel more social, but just because you have 800+ friends on Facebook, you might not really be all that social. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I love technology. I work on a Web site so I can't lie and say that technology is a bad thing. Social networking has allowed me to keep in touch with friends from home, this blog has given me an outlet for my thoughts, and technology has allowed us to be much more efficient. But sometimes I wonder if we are actually losing the art of being social. Lately I feel that it's harder and harder for people to live in the "offline" world. <br /><br />Just today, Mashable.com posted an article summarizing the results of a survey they gave to professionals which found that smartphones and intimate relationships tied at 40% for the number one thing respondents can’t live without.<br /><br />Yesterday, I read an article in the Des Moines Register where the head of my undergrad university's journalism school said, "Cell phones convey one message and one only, whether calling, texting or watching a movie, and it's that something somewhere else is more important than the person we are with."<br /><br />Everyday I watch my fellow commuters immersed in their Blackberries all the way to work. I come home and watch my roommates chat online and send and receive emails all night. Walk into a bar and everyone sitting there will have a phone out in front of them. Customers in stores often talk on their phones through their entire interaction with the sales clerk.<br /><br />Life is busy and I admit that I am guilty of doing the same things from time to time but I hope that I never lose that desire to interact with the real world. It makes me sad that all of this technology now means that it can be rare to even have a conversation where both parties are fully present and sometimes I just long for old school face-to-face interaction.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03656252543252505887noreply@blogger.com1