Free Makeup...Pricey Schnitzel

So yesterday was my last day at Rachael Ray.  =(

...well, I'll use "last day" loosely, because I'm going back on Tuesday for the holiday potluck. They'll never be able to get rid of me!

All kinds of awesomeness have been happening up here for me. Besides my job (yaaay), I scored tons of super-cool loot at the RR beauty department sale last week. I'm not even kidding, I scored about $600 worth of crap for $37. A-maze-ing.

Twice a year, the beauty editors empty the closet and sell everything in it for a buck piece and donate all the proceeds to charity. They make a thousand-something dollars, so it's a good deal. Another intern and I came in early to help set up and got to shop first as a reward. 

Totally cool, except for all of the editors and freelancers lined up outside the doors watching us score all the good stuff first - awwwkward.

I got a great send off yesterday though...everyone toasted me with wine and wished me luck at TONYK. I blushed like a fool, of course, but it was nice to be appreciated. Interns can be treated pretty crappy in some places, but luckily I've never really dealt with that.

It was off to Zum Schneider after work with my RR faves (Amanda, of course, and some of the kitchen kids - Caroline, Laura and Mian). We feasted on bratwurst and schnitzel and other delicious German goodies. And Caroline got hit on by some boys from Holland, so a good time was had by all.  

Lauren comes up to visit this Thursday and I'm so excited! I can't remember the last time we legitimately hung out together for an extended period of time, so we have lots of catching up to do. Things we are definitely doing while she's here: Alice's Tea Cup, bar hopping with Justin, eating tons of expensive food and seeing Daniel Radcliffe naked.

That's right, fools. I got Equus tickets. Dan's no Rupert, but he'll do in a pinch.  ;)

And on Christmas Eve, I'm taking a train to DC for CHRISTMAS. Beyond excited to see my family and friends for the holidays! And, you know, presents are cool too.

Anyhow, my roommate is a regular Betty Crocker and in hyper-baking mode, so I'll be peacing out now to enjoy some of her chocolate crinkle cookies. 

So say it one (last) time with me, people...Yum-O!

Peachy Deen

So picture an obscene amount of butter, chocolate chips, M&Ms and sugar. Add a swanky car service, catered lunch, an upscale bakery and a handful of Food Network employees. Toss in a bag of free swag and an autographed cookbook and you have my Wednesday afternoon.

EDWRR sent me and another intern, Amanda, along with two of their kitchen employees, Laura and Caroline, over to the Milk and Cookies Bakery downtown for a special lunch with the Deen brothers, Jamie and Bobby.

If you haven't heard of them, surely you've heard of their mama, Paula Deen. If you haven't, look up "heart attack inducing foods" in the dictionary, and you'll see her picture. Yummy.

Let me just say the for two guys I could have cared less about before the meeting, I couldn't love them anymore if I tried now. ADORABLE. Southern boys are keepers, ya'll.

So Laura, Caroline, Amanda and I felt bad having two cars come pick up the four of us, but whatever. The arrangements were made and it just meant we had more room in the car to spread out and relax. Of course, Amanda and I, being the way we are, had a momentary freak out and thought we were in the wrong car. The number on the door didn't match up with the number we had in an email, so we mouthed silently to each other in the back and mildly freaked out, but didn't actually do anything to verify we were in the right car because neither of us wanted to speak up. We had no idea what the address was anyways, so we wouldn't have been a help if we did.

Luckily, we did end up at the right spot. And btw, this is the neighborhood I want to live in. I think it was Chelsea, but whatever it was, it was beautiful and quaint and there were things besides Dominican grocery stores and laundromats. Loved it.

So we get out of the car and some photographer snaps our picture a bazillion times as we come towards the steps. Awkward. Awkward and AWESOME. He holds the door open for us and we go inside this super-cute bakery with flower arrangements made out of muffins (delish) and a little table all set up for lunch.

Besides the four of us RR people, there was a lady from Sandra Lee's magazine, a lady from Parade magazine and a bunch of PR people who organized the whole shindig. And the Deen boys, of course.

We meet everyone and hang out by the food table (duh) before the guys give us their whole spiel about baking and cooking with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (the product the event was promoting). They had us bake cookies with them to show us that we couldn't taste a difference in the finished products - even if this wasn't true, it wouldn't matter. The Deen's are so nice, they could convince you of almost anything, I'm pretty positive.

...so you say spiders make meatloaf tasier, boys? Sure, I'll try!

Case in point...I baked cookies with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter this weekend. I'm so gullible.

Anyways, we broke into teams to bake the cookies so Amanda and I split up and cooked with the kitchen pros...we have no business in a kitchen unless it involves taste testing. I went with Caroline and we hung out Jamie Deen (the hot one, in my opinion) and Amanda and Laura got Bobby (the hot one, in their opinion). So it all worked out.

Except my hot one was married with a kid, but whatever. Story of my life.

Caroline and I embarrased ourselves like whoa...Rachael Ray would never admit we were her employees. I broke a measuring cup using some brown sugar, Caroline didn't stir the mix right, and we both made uber-small cookies. Jamie took over after making fun of us for about 10 minutes.

Our cookies were chocolate chip with nuts and M&Ms (tasty - thanks, Jamie!) and Amanda and Laura made white chocolate chip with cranberries - I don't know what the other magazine people made. I was too busy listening to Jamie tell Caroline and I about himself. We laughed at everything he said, of course, and probably looked like major idiots.

While the cookies were baking we sat down to lunch with the guys...guess who sat right next to Jamie and across from Bobby? Score!

One half of the table talked about something or other, while our half talked about food (obvs) and where we grew up, etc. So I had the guys to myself for quite some time...no complaints here. ;)

Lunch was delicious (a cod appetizer, a main course of chicken with mashed potatoes and then brownie rasberry tortes for dessert). And THEN we ate all the cookies we had made earlier and made fun of Bobby because he forgot to put sugar in his...not yum-o at all. But to be fair, this was their third session of the day so I suppose after baking two batches of cookies one might slip and forget a crucial ingredient.

We took tons of pictures with the guys afterwards and they auographed copies of their new cookbook (Ya'll Come Eat - I would have bought it for the title alone). The PR people gave us swag bags with a bunch of recipes from the dishes served at lunch and lots of nice cooking stuff...hello, Crate and Barrel cake pan!

Then, (boo) we left. But our fancy car service was back to take us to work, so it was ok! I tell you, it was a huge disappointment to take the subway again the next day. Once you have a car service, you should never have to go back.

Seriously, the best day ever. Good people, good food, good times. I probably gained about 10 pounds, but it was worth it.

And I discovered that I would like to be a Mrs. Deen at some point in my life (either guy will do). So now I have a goal for the future. I have a feeling it'd be easier than writing for a living...and the food will be better. ;)

Gotta go. I need to tell Paula to expect me for Thanksgiving next year.

Bye, Bye Internships

I have a job!!!

After four months of looking, I got super lucky and landed a real live, actual job...I am now the editorial assistant at Time Out New York Kids magazine. I have a salary and everything!

With magazines not doing well at all right now and the economy the way it is, this is a major big deal for me (and my incredibly relieved parents). I'm super-bummed to be leaving Rachael Ray (and my buddy Amanda!) but I'm only leaving a week earlier than I would have if I didn't get the job...not bad.

You know what is bad? I'm working Christmas Eve. =(

Buuut, I get Christmas Day through Jan. 4 off, so any of you kids that'll be in NOVA for the holidays better clear your schedule to see me. I miss having a social life!

Also, today was the best day ever because I had lunch with Paula Deen's sons, ya'll. Yup, we bonded. I'll devote a whole separate post to that, that's how much fun it was. Right now, there's a shower to be had and food to be eaten, so I'm out for now.

I hope everyone else's holiday season is off to a great start as well! =)

There's No Place Like Home (Page)

You look vaguely familiar...and you do too. And you, and you, and you! You were all here before!

Don't you just love reunions?

I know it's been ages since I last posted here, and for that I apologize. I also realize that this apology means nothing because this is how I begin every post. But you can’t be too mad at me since you're reading this right now. ;)

I have been the definition of busy lately – I'm a workaholic. But not by choice.

Between doing work for my two internships and applying for real jobs, I have had no time to do anything besides eat and shower when I get home…so blogging isn't exactly a priority.

And the fact that Windows Vista is crap and I never have Internet might have something to do with this barren space.

But I haven't evolved into a total hermit just yet – every weekend since Halloween has been an adventure. Highlights include visits from VA friends, movie trips, lots of bar-hopping and absolutely no recollection of Halloween night other than some dude in an egg costume. Oh, alcohol.

Syd and I went to see Mario Cantone from Sex and the City (he was Charlotte's gay friend, Anthony) this past weekend at Caroline's comedy club. Expensive like whoa, but good times. The opening act was seriously pretty and cussed like a sailor-which normally, I don't find attractive, but it worked on this dude. His smoking, however, did not. Blech. Major deal breaker for me.

...which eliminates about 75% of the male population up here. Yaaaaay.

And depression is setting in as my uber-awesome gigs are winding down. The Rachael Ray building is seriously like the office equivalent of Disney World – the happiest place on Earth. The people are nice, the food is delish (and free), and the work is fun. Is it sad if I wake up on Saturdays bummed that I don't have to go in? One of these days, the maintenance staff is going to find me in the test kitchen making brunch on a Sunday, no lie.

And no, I still haven't met RR yet. Lame, I know. You all will hear as soon as I do. So expect word...never, probably.

I'll be home for Thanksgiving, but all I want to do is sleep all four days I'm home. I'll take my turkey in bed, thanks. With a side of fresh laundry and functioning wireless.

I'm not even kidding though, my eyes rarely open all the way anymore, I probably look like I'm on something. And if coffee is a drug, then yeah, I am.

Twilight opens this weekend and I'm beyond excited! My eyes will be open for that. Seriously, it's all Amanda (a RR intern) and I talk about. R Patz is our man.

Kaelyn's dance recital is this weekend too, which I'm looking forward to. It’s a jazz/hip-hop battle, so you just know it'll be entertaining. Every time she describes it that way, I picture Miles Davis and 50 cent throwing down. Word.

And on a side note, you know who seriously needs to get beat up? Jenny, from Gossip Girl. That's right, Choi...your chick is lame. Someone needs to tell Little J that the 80s are over and Nate is gay. And Rufus is seriously lovely, so why she would run out on him to live with some chick from The OC is beyond me.

Although Kaitlin Cooper is at least a step up from Marissa...who, incidentally, J is starting to remind me of. Makes sense, with Josh Schwartz at the helm of both shows. Do us a favor, Josh, and send Jenny the way of Coop via a frightening motor accident.

Or seeing as this is NYC, she can simply be flattened by a subway. That's acceptable.

In weather news, it's fracking freezing up here. The heater isn't working in the apt, which means Kay's sleeping in about three shirts, long pants and bright red wool socks. Sexy, I know.

If anyone feels obligated to send anything in to the Keep Kay Warm fund, I'd be much obliged.

And speaking of obliged, my editors would probably prefer I get back to work. So that's what I'm going to do.

What about you kids, what are you going to do?

You're going to comment, gosh darn it. Seriously, you all suck at that.

...or I just have no readers. Like lots of other publications these days. How fitting.

Which is why you should leave me encouragement, because at the rate things are going there will be no magazines left to apply to soon.

Sadface. Go buy a mag right now and help me avoid a jobless future.

An Elle of a Busy Week

Holy crap, guess who has interviews with Elle and Esquire this week?

I'll update more later...but now I have some major prep to do. Wish me luck!

Jolly Good

Ok, so I really should be doing work right now but everyone deserves a break after five solid...minutes of slaving away.

I am absolutely in love with this band, The Courteeners, and their song "That Kiss." I'm posting their MySpace page here for people to listen to the song - it's the first video. I guarentee their awesomeness. Not only are they British, which is basically the only quality a guy needs to have to make me love him, they're quasi-emo without being annoying about it.

Hmmm...I hear London is lovely this time of year. Road (boat) trip, anybody?

http://www.myspace.com/thecourteeners

All Work, Some Play

So guess who made her modeling debut today?

That would be me! Excuse me while I go throw out all of the trans-fat in my apartment to celebrate my new job.

…or not.

By modeling, I mean who got to wear some heels to be photographed for the next issue of Time Out New York? Yeah, that's correct, my face won't even be in the picture. Ouch.

Oh well…even Gisele had to start somewhere, right?

As far as the real work I've been doing up here, my stuff is finally showing up in the magazines and online…yay for finally having NYC bylines! Check out what I've been up to at Time Out New York Kids at the links below. If you hate Halloween (and if you do, you're weird), you'll wanna take a pass. I've never typed the words "pumpkin" or "candy" so much in my life. The first three stories in the slide show are mine (Dance Party, Get Pickin and Halloween Week):

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/kids/

And pick up the Dec/Jan issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray when it comes out in a few weeks to check out my name in the masthead! I know none of you will actually do this, but you can just lie and say you did. It'll make my day. ;)

I've got a piece on a theater show running in Time Out's next issue, a movie review coming up on their blog (Justin and I are seeing Madagascar 2 for free with my press passes…please try to control your jealousy, folks) and my piece on baseball foods should run in Rachael Ray's March issue. They're already closing the February issue now – crazy, right? We're always working on issues three months or more ahead of time.

Aaand, guess who just got a six-month assignment for Rachael Ray? I basically get to put together their family page by selecting families to test our recipes and interviewing them for the magazine for March through September - yay for being published there for months after I leave! It's really awesome that they're letting me do this, so I'm pretty excited.

As far as other news, I went to Fburg for Homecoming this weekend, which was all kinds of awesome and weird. It was great to see everyone, but it made me a little sad that we're all separated. And I miss like classes like whoa…yes, even 8 am classes.

It's ok if you judge me for that. I judge myself a little bit.

My parents were up here last weekend for their first trip to NYC (outside of Washington Heights, aka my neighborhood that scares the crap out of them). We did all the cheesy tourist stuff, which was great because I don't actually get to do any of those things normally because I'm so busy.

Plus, my Dad paid. That could also be why it was fun.

We went to the Empire State building and went up to the observatory (brrr!), saw a show on Broadway (Link Larkin isn't as hot when he's not played by Zefron), and went to the New York City Public Library (my future midtown home – no really, I'm looking into purchasing it).

I finally got to see Kaelyn (the roommate) yesterday at lunch – she came all the way down to 34th street on my break to see me. I haven't seen her in ages, so a night out on the town is in order whenever both of our schedules allow it. Which isn't for a few weeks probably. Lame.

But Rachel is coming up to visit the weekend of the 7th, so I'm extremely excited for that because I only briefly saw her at Homecoming. It'll be another mini Wash reunion!

No other exciting news that I care to share. That's right, I don't tell you kids everything.

Always leave them wanting more, said…somebody important.

…and that's my cue to sign off. ;)

Helen Mirren Is a Man

Julie Taymor is making The Tempest with Russell Brand as Trinculo and Helen Mirren as Prospero(a)!

Freaking awesome.

...which I realize no one reading this thing will give a crap about. But the news made my day. ;)

It's Baaaack

People are just falling all over themselves to not pay me to work for them – I now have two jobs! The first, of course, with Every Day at Rachael Ray magazine. The second is with Time Out New York Kids magazine, which is just as awesome as the RR gig. Both offices are really chill (think jeans and long lunches) and the people are really nice. Plus, they both let their interns do a lot of real work, which is super-awesome.

But my newly employed status is not what's got me in a such a good mood these days – that glow that I've got going on is all thanks to a special friend of mine.

His name?

TV. Fall TV.

That's right, kids – Jim and Dwight are back at their desks, Gabby and Edie are prepped for another catfight, and Riggins is topless and ready for a game of shirts vs. skins.

Alas, Jin and Sawyer and company are still stranded at sea, but I have a feeling we'll be hearing from them come January.

All of which makes for a very happy Kay. Work, shmurk. An un-fact checked article can wait until AFTER Casey chooses between Cappie and Max.

(If you don't get one or more of these show references – congratulations! You have a life. Now why are we friends again?)

Anyhow, in the show of Kay, ratings are down thanks to a new location in Washington Heights. No one ever comes to see her – think the Friday night of weekly television. So I'm basically the Ghost Whisperer of NYC.

Just because no one watches me doesn't mean I'm not doing my hardest to advertise my dramedy. I consistently make it over to the east side or midtown to visit Dean and/or Justin. And Sydney and I have been pretty good at trying restaurants in various locations around the city.

As for my roommate, I never see her. Kaelyn and I pretty much have opposite schedules since she works nights and I work days. She has off Wednesdays and Sundays, so I'll at least see her twice a week! We have plans this Saturday to do (what else?) brunch.

Dean is up again on Sunday, so the gang will reconvene then. I swear, that kid is here more than I am what with all his fancy job offers!

Alyssa came to visit a few weekends ago and fun was had by all. She brought me an adorable "congrats on the job!" goodie bag with a book for keeping business cards and lots of chocolate bars. In the words of my new boss, Yum-O!

We headed out to Brooklyn, which was a first for me. Alyssa wanted to check out some Georgian restaurant – we walk in and everyone is from Georgia, they only have one menu in English and they're looking at us like "Ugh, Americans."

Then Alyssa says something in Georgian and – no kidding – everyone in there loves us! The food was delicious and mostly up to par with Alyssa, who is lucky enough to have actually tried authentic Georgian food in Georgia.

The restaurant is literally the last stop in Brooklyn – Brighton Beach. I knew the name of the stop, but I didn't think about the fact that Brighton Beach would be…well, a beach.

It was great beach weather though – still warm, but not humid or really hot. And it was later in the day so there was nobody really there except for your occasional Russian man in a Speedo.

Hotness.

In all seriousness, it was a great weekend and it was capped by watching the Emmy's on Sunday. The only positive thing I have to say about that mess is that Brooke Shield's dress was lovely.

No, really, that was the only good thing about the night besides the awesomeness that is Kathryn Joosten.

In other news, I went home last weekend for the Obama rally at Mary Wash – good times. But whoever organized the event should have realized that the Porta-Potties that were placed all along the edges of Ball circle blocked people's view of him. I was so bummed! I heard him, but I didn't actually get to see him live.

And it rained, which further made me feel like the whole experience would have been nicer (and less smelly) from the comfort of home.

Oh well…now I can say I've been a part of history! I just never knew history smelled like Tide-E-Bowl. Hmmm.

Upcoming events include my parents coming up to NYC for the first time ever that doesn't include moving me into an apartment and/or dropping me off. We have a full slate of parent-approved things to do when they come up – a show in Times Square, seeing Yankee Stadium before it's torn down, Central Park, and lots of food. And my dad wants to eat at some French tavern on Broad St. really badly.

…I never question free food.

I'll end this by apologizing for being horrible about updating – but I'm not actually that sorry because my lack of posts can no longer be attributed to laziness or procrastination. I now actually have a reason for not updating as often as I would like.

Two reasons, actually. Thanks EDWRR and TONYK!

Well, three if I count TV. Because I'm not going to lie…Gossip Girl's updates come before mine.

You know you love me.

XOXO, Kay

Job City

I got hiiired!

My new boss is Rachael Ray, no lie. I will be working at Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine!

It's an unpaid internship, unfortunately, but it sounds like I need at least one NYC magazine job under my belt to be competitive for paying positions.

And the job sounds super awesome...I get to taste recipes and test new products, and I might even get to write. So excited!

I also have interviews with Bridal Guide magazine and Eats.com this week, so I'm hoping to land one of those and do those two days a week and be at Rachael Ray three days a week. So keep your fingers crossed for me!

No time to write more because I have to call everyone I know and be thrilled that I'm finally employed after all these months. Hope everyone else's week is off to a great start too!

Book Her - Or, Visitation Rights

No worries, the title of this post is not some veiled reference to a weekend spent in the slammer. Which I'm sure disappoints some of you, but hey...we can't all be bad girls.

I am actually desperately trying to come up with a good book idea that goes beyond an initial concept - you know, something I can make into a novel, not a child's first chapter book. I'm still unemployed, so I might as well make the best of my free time and do what I love most - write.

Alas, visitors, job applications and writer's block keep getting in the way. While the visitors are a welcome distraction, the fruitless job hunting and brain shortages are not.

But at least my visitors are proving to be fun. ;)

Dean came up this weekend for law firm interviews (at least one of us is landing them!) and was able to join Justin, Michelle and I for dinner. We went to Onigashima, a Japanese noodle place that was quite appealing due to the fact that it was pouring down rain outside and they offered hot broth and tea.

We attempted to get dessert at Serendipity (yes, again - I can't help it. I have a chocolate addiction), but it was too busy. We ended up at some place by Justin's apartment where I had a divine chocolate turtle crunch cake and Dean had a less than stellar Grand Marnier mousse cake. If you can't taste the marnier, then something ain't right, that's all I'm saying.

Pre-bonding time, however, was not quite as fun. My Friday was pretty hectic.

I did have an informational interview over at Hearst Magazines, however, with a really nice lady who gave me some great advice - I definitely plan to follow up on her leads, so cross your fingers that they work out for me.

The bummer was that my meeting was on the west side and I had to hoof it over to the east side for a meeting with a temp agency right afterward.

...in the rain. In heels. For those of you who know me, I don't do heels gracefully.

I only tripped once and a lady who saw it was kind enough to keep her amusement to a controlled smirk. The homeless guy I passed did not extend me the same courtesy - I believe he called me a darn fool for wearing those "honkin' heels."

They were only four inches, which in heel world isn't much. I know, I'm an amateur. I'll be taking lessons from Stephanie soon, I swear.

I believe Alyssa and Lauren are my next visitors up here, so hopefully this rain spell we've been having will be gone. I'm planning a fabulous trips which include park time, brunches galore and plenty of alcoholic beverages. It'll be swell, I'm sure.

Rachel will follow in November, ensuring that my apartment is never empty, which will make Antigone happy. I've never met a kitten that likes people so much. She's still adorable and Satan, for all those who are still wondering.

Quite the combination.

If anyone else wants to join the visitors queue (I'm feeling rather British today, hence all the quite's and queues), let me know. I'm happy to play hostess - but be warned. My apartment is not cute a la Kay, Amy, Rachel and Stephanie's place circa 2007. But the surrounding city is unbeatable!

Sign up below!

...and yes, this entire post was basically just a plea for comments. Make a girl's day, why don't you?

It's Raining BOREDOM

Hello, Hanna.

...tropical storm Hanna, that is.

Heavy rains and strong winds have kept this city girl from venturing outside today. Taebo inside with Billy Blanks is a good enough workout for me, thanks.

But Billy can only keep a girl occupied for so long before she's forced to do things like watch her season one DVD of Gossip Girl for hours on end.

Hence, this blog post - a break from the catty schoolgirls and their Brooklyn boy toys.

So, fun stuff that I've been up to since I last updated (ages ago, I know, but due to the very minimal amount of people who read this thing...I don't feel too guilty):

- Dinner at Serendipity with Kaleyn. It was tres fabulous, take my word for it. Or don't, and try the Forbidden Broadway Sundae and Frozen Hot Chocolate for yourself. You'll thank me. ;)

- Viewing the Project Runway dresses made from Hershey's candy material last season. I wanted to steal Christian's Reese's Peanut Butter Cup dress, but alas. That candy store has some damn fine security.

- Bar-hopping with Justin down in Greenwich Village. Let's just say it involved incredibly strong margaritas and someone falling out of their chair at the last stop of the night. Let's also say that person was not me.

- Brunch with various people for various occasions. Seriously, I think brunch is the only meal New Yorkers regularly eat. The rest of their consumption seems to remain within the family of a substance called alcohol. And nicotine. And caffeine.

- Meeting up with Casey, yet another Mary Washer to hit up the city for fun times. We lamented over the fact that everyone we know is either married and/or having kids. Not necessarily in that order.

- Discovering the joys of shopping at markets down in the west 100s. Seriously, Garden of Eden. Go. Eat. Enjoy.

- Dying of heat in a mostly un-air conditioned apartment. My hair has not been looking hot as of late.

And that's about it, aside from applying for every job under the sun that somehow pertains to the publishing industry. Seriously, mediabistro and I are best buds. Word.

Anyhow, upcoming plans include seeing Dean as he interviews with law firms up here over the next few weeks. Rachel and Lauren also have plans to come up relatively soon. And the most exciting plan of all...Mary Wash for Homecoming! Yaaaay!

It's kind of sad how excited I am to be the old alumnus in the stadium drinking beer and saying things like, "When I went to school here..." Any and all former (or current) M-Dubbers should join in on the fun. It's sometime in October. I'm not sure of the date, but check the website for details. I'm far too lazy to check it myself.

...But I'm not too lazy to peruse weather.com. A quick trip to the site has informed me that I will be enjoying non-rainy, slightly cooler (low eighties) weather tomorrow. This calls for a trip to the park!

After brunch, of course. ;)

Suburban Shock

DC is a ghost town.

...at least in comparison to NYC. I'm back in the 'ville for my birthday (!) and I took the Bolt Bus from the city in. The bus was great, but the guy who slept on my shoulder all four hours was not. So much for taking a nap of my own.

But seriously, pulling into the capital was ridiculous. My mother was like, "Is New York traffic this bad?!?" as maybe five cars drove past her at 35 mph.

No, Mom, it's worse. Trust me.

Anyhow, suburbia is a welcome change and something of a bore all at the same time. It's good to be home, but it's reassuring to know that I will actually be able to head back up north without feeling super-homesick next week.

Oh, and having a kitten is horrible for your perception of other cats by the way. Lily and Lucky look HUGE in comparison to Antigone. Like, mountain lion ginormous.

...or maybe they've been eating more to console themselves following my traumatic move. Awwww.

Doubtful.

Before coming down here though, I hit up a silent rave in Union Square Park with Justin (who else?) one night. Very interesting...think lots of ravers dancing wildly, but with headphones so you can't actually hear the music they're moving spastically to. The quiet didn't last long though...some homeless rally started up right next to us with the leader yelling obscenities at the ravers, telling them they're going to hell for dancing while others suffer.

The raver's repsonse? More dancing.

Awesome!

The city's bright lights, culture, and quirkiness aside, I do miss my close friends (heck, I just miss friends period) a lot. Steph and Katie had me over for dinner my first night back and they cooked for me. So delicious! Pasta, salad and meatballs, oh my!

My poor mother. We're driving back and she offers to pick me up anything I want - KFC, Wendy's, McDonalds, distance be damned. Then I have to tell her Steph is cooking for me while my own mother hasn't done that in quite some time.

But hey, no one arranges a KFC bucket quite like Nancy B. Word.

Plus, she took me to the outlets today and bought me lots of clothes. So I won't complain.

John peaced out to Tech today and Marg hits up Mary Wash on Saturday or Sunday. I'm going with her, which may be a a horrible idea. I'm afraid I'm going to break down in tears...I miss that place like whoa!

Seriously, I went with Rachel to Mason to visit Katie at her big girl job and buy school books and I almost lost it in the English section. They had my Shakespeare anthology! =(

...I swear I'm not as lame as I sound. Except I am.

I'll be around for about another week celebrating various family member's bdays along with my own. So hit me up if you want to hang and/or wish to be bored to death hearing me recount everything I've posted on this page!

I'm off to watch Friday Night Lights (first official TV promotion moment on this site!) before bed. You can watch season 1 and 2 on hulu.com for free at good quality.

Excellent show. Beautiful boys.

I'll leave it up to you all to decide which is the reason I'm tuning in. ;)

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

Good afternoon, Upper West Siders - this is Gossip Girl checking in.

It seems K was spotted out and about at the Hair opening in Central Park last Thursday night. She then went to the after party at Belvedere Castle and proceeded to enjoy free drinks and fabulous company.

Last night, both K's were seen at the 70th Street pier enjoying movie night by the water. The pair noshed on watermelon and tortilla chips before watching Primary Colors under the stars.

Today, you can spy K down on 105th where she'll be dining at her roommate's restaurant for the first time. That's right - she's bypassing the bar and actually trying the food!

...and I will now drop the GG shtick for those of you who don't watch/don't like the show. =)

But as you can tell, I'm beginning to feel like a bona fide New Yorker! It's wonderful to know where I'm going (for the most part) and not have to bust out a map every five blocks. Woo-hoo for small victories!

Since I'm still hanging out in Jobless Junction, I've been brainstorming novel ideas. I might as well write that book I always wanted to write while I have the time! I have a few ideas I'm pretty excited about so I'll have to drag my computer down to Central Park and start typing away.

As far as reading goes, I'm halfway through Pride and Prejudice now. I've never read it before. I know, an English major who has never read Pride and Prejudice. Whoa.

I'm really enjoying it and I'm quite in love with Mr. Darcy, so there you go. I'm also reading Breaking Dawn, the last book in the Twilight series. I was kind of disappointed with the first half, but I'm liking the last bit a little better. But I'm finding myself swooning over Jacob more than Edward now - scandalous! Call it a late victory for the werewolves.

As for other New York stuff, I'm slightly ticked off that I have yet to have a major celebrity sighting. Kaleyn had Ryan Gosling come into her restaurant, and Sydney has seen multiple Project Runway contestants.

Kay has seen...some chick who vaguely looks like the little sister from Family Ties all grown up. Yeah, awesome?

Nope.

I skipped my run in Central Park today to check out Riverside's trails and guess who decides to throw an impromptu concert in the park? The Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift! While I may not be a huge Jonas follower, I have lots of friends who are and I would love to be able to brag about meeting them.

...it's nice to know NYC hasn't stripped me of my selfishness, eh?

Oh, well. It's only been a few weeks. I'm bound to see Brangelina and the babies any day now, right?

...right?

Little Girl, Big City

I made it up to the city! It only took four hours, three IKEA stops, two cars, and one set of parents to accomplish.

It was about as fun as it sounds.

My apartment is big (for New York) and definitely has potential. My room is by far my favorite room in the place, thanks to a certain Swedish furniture manufacturer. Also, it's the only room in the apt with AC. Yeah, I only leave it when absolutely necessary.

I'm becoming somewhat familiar with the subway lines. I just have to stop letting the DC girl in me show by calling the different lines by colors.

Me: "I take the red line to 42nd, right?"
Unfriendly Passerby: "The what?"
Me: "The red line...from 157th?"
Unfriendly Passerby: "Ohhh. You mean the 1."

...the last statement is usually followed by a withering stare. Forgive me for calling it red...but it's red on the map! I was excellent at identifying colors in grade school. Numbers, not so much. Perhaps this is why I'm up here pursuing a job in a creative field and not something in mathematics.

Speaking of jobs, I don't have one yet. So for those of you who keep asking, no worries. You will get an email along the lines of "OMGIGOTAJOBANDITPAYSHOLYCOW" when I become gainfully employed.

My roommate Kaelyn has been pretty good at keeping me occupied up here. She had a birthday party last weekend and let's just say she enjoyed her beverages. A lot.

She's also taken me shopping for big girl clothes, so now I have plenty of pencil skirts and heels to wear to my nonexistent job. I'll be the best-dressed homeless person around in a few months.

Despite being homesick upon occasion (yes, I actually miss some of you!), I have met some cool people up here and been to some fun places. Anybody visiting me will absolutely be taken to Alice's Tea Cup for brunch. Your treat. I'm unemployed, remember?

One of the things I've learned to love/hate up here is Kaelyn's kitten, Antigone. Or as I call her, "Get off the curtains!" She looks like my cat Lilly and is adorable, but seriously has no off button. Kittens are supposed to sleep sometimes, right? Hmmm.

My exciting schedule tonight consists of watching Project Runway and hanging up pictures with Kaelyn. I know, NYC life is so glamorous.

...actually, it is sometimes. Sydney, a friend from Mary Wash, works over at the Public Theater and works on costumes for their shows. She invited me to the premiere of Hair in Central Park tomorrow, followed by an after-party. I'm actually excited about that!

I'll be home in about two weeks to celebrate my birthday with my family. I'm looking forward to leaving the city heat behind and recharging in good old suburbia before heading back up to the urban jungle again.

If any of you are ever in the city, let me know. I would love to take you out to the three or four places I know of!

Oh, and if you're wondering about my blog name, it's based on "Sex and the City." And I want to be a writer, so "Text and the City" sounded good. Get it?

Nevermind.