Omgz tired

OMGz. Xmas and the past week and weekend have been insane. I don't really even know where to start. I last posted on Dec. 19, which was also my last day at my internship. I cleaned out mah cube and peaced out. I have lunch with the people from my department tomorrow, so I can't say I was sad to leave. It will be sad to say goodbye tomorrow, but that Friday, I was just so ready to be out of there and prepping for New York. Which is what I've been doing since.

I turned in my edit test last Tuesday. No word back yet, but that was also the day before Xmas Eve, and I assume the person I've been in contact with took a few days off for the holiday. I anticipate her being back in the office tomorrow, and I hope to hear back either tomorrow or Tuesday. Fingers crossed! I still appreciate any positive thoughts y'all are willing to vibe my way.

Since then, I have: visited family in ATL for Xmas, got in a huge fight with A, made up with A, had a really good time with A (he's in town visiting family as well), had a last supper with my Birmingham friends, and, at long last, started packing. Here is the evidence:

From bottom left, clockwise: Suitcase, pile of shoes, vacuum, vacuum storage bag

I'm not quite finished - I still have jewelry to pack, technological stuff, a hair dryer, toiletries, last minute clothes, etc. But right now that suitcase contains a vacuum-sealed storage bag filled with work clothes (dresses, tops, etc.) eight pairs of shoes (only three pairs of heels, gasp) and then more sensitive clothing stacked individually on top of that: a suit, silk top, cashmere sweater, etc etc. Basically I packed all my clothes in these suction bags because they save a ton of space - except for really delicate stuff, which I left out and placed gingerly on top.

There is also this bag:

I can has army duffle plz?

Sorry for the shitty picture quality. My dad is in the national guard, so he has all this random army ish laying around, and he suggested using one of these heavy-duty army duffles as my second checked bag instead of the smaller of my two suitcases. Turns out, like most of his ideas, it was a great one - the full bag you are looking at, which weighs more than 50 pounds (I'm sure of it), contains the following:

• One full-size down comforter
• One pillow
• One set of twin sheets
• One bath towel, one hand towel
• A loofa
• Three scarves
• Two hats
• Underwear, stockings, exercise clothes
  
• A collection of sweaters, coats, and other winter clothes

All of this ish is contained within two of the vacuum storage bags, except for the tiny, pliable items, with we rolled up and stuck in the crevices around the plastic bags. I have to give A credit here; he is mostly responsible for packing things into this duffle. He has really long arms, so he was good for it. I have to give props where props are due.

One thing I've always heard you need in NYC is a big tote to carry around with you. Wimpy little purses won't do for everyday happenings, because you leave your apartment in the morning, go to work, go work out, go hang out with friends, go to dinner or happy hour, whatever it is you do all day - you have to have a big bag for all your daily ish. So I went to Target and got one on clearance for like $27. It's big and black and has three compartments. Twss?

All I have left to pack is last minute stuff: toothbrush, razor, computer, chargers, etc. It's crazy to think that in less than 48 hours I will be a New Yorker in the making.

Majorly yours.

Quick NYC update, minus the sigh

I don't really have time today for a deep, thoughtful post (sorry, I know y'all are used to those), but I wanted to update everyone really quick about some major happenings in preparation for NYC.

I applied to an assistant editor position at a national magazine in NYC, kind of on a whim. It's actually a step above entry-level; the order is (generally) editorial intern-->editorial assistant-->assistant editor-->associate editor-->editor. I didn't really expect to hear anything back, but the job sounded amazing, so I was like, why not. Well, they e-mailed me back yesterday and wanted me to come in for an interview! I was like oh noez I can't, I'm in Birmingham. But they were open to doing a phone interview. So it's this afternoon at 5 EST/4 CST. As I drove home from work yesterday, it suddenly dawned on me: this is my first-ever interview for a real job. Not an internship, not a college job. A real, 401K, benefits, and salary job. OMG amazing.

Also, A and I are officially going to Obama's inauguration. He got us tickets. It's the day before my birthday: January 20, 2009. Best b'day present ever. <3 Big Jackie O sunglasses might be required.

Back to work. I need y'all's help. Please be thinking of me this afternoon/early evening when I have my interview. I really believe in the power of positive thought.

Majorly yours.

I get the beat from maestro

Sometimes I listen to Weezy at work on mah iPod. It's so gritty and so offensive and so ghetto and I love it.

Today marks two weeks. Two weeks until I move to NYC. Two weeks. I can't believe that it's real. I still haven't packed a damn thing. I'm too busy contacting people in NYC, setting up informationals, talking to potential roommates, and applying for jobs. I haven't really been posting about it but that's what I do every day.

Basically I just find these contacts through people at work--some of them are former interns at my current place of work. I send them a brief e-mail that includes something along the lines of the following:

I'm currently interning in the --- department at ----- in Birmingham. I've been here since July, and my internship ends this Friday. I'm moving up to NYC Dec. 30, and ------ gave me your contact information. Where did you intern at ---- and what do you do now? How do you like the city? I would love to talk to you some time soon, just to get some advice about going from Birmingham to NYC. It would be great to have a network of Southerners when I get up there! Let me know when would be good for you. I have attached my cover letter, resume, and clips just for your reference. Thanks!

Sometimes I leave that last part out, if I'm just sending a casual hello e-mail. And if I'm cold e-mailing someone who isn't from the South and didn't work at my current company, I leave out all the stuff about Southerners and the South, obvs. I just introduce myself, give a brief bio of my work experience, and tell them I would love to speak with them about their move to NYC and their career path. I've been doing this every day for weeks now, and I've found that most people write back. Of course there are several e-mails I sent and never heard back from, but that is to be expected. People iz busy, nomesayin? But for the most part, people are cooperative and want to help.

Every time I get a response from someone, I print the e-mail and put it in a green folder labeled "NEW YORK." Yes, I am just that cheesy and organized. I actually started doing this because I was sending and receiving a lot of these e-mails from my work address, and after this Friday I won't have access to them. So the folder is filled with invaluable information: schedules for informational interviews, contact info, people I've e-mailed about potentially rooming together, HR forms, etc.

Green is for GRNY

Two weeks. So many questions still loom. How many bags will I try to take up with me? Two or three? Will I take my laptop with me on the plane or try to pack it securely? Will it be snowing or something horrible when I arrive? Will I have a roommate lined up? Should I use a broker to find my apartment? Most importantly: What shoes will I take? DAMN IT. I fear I will have to leave behind some tried and true favorites.

Majorly yours.

Missing the relationship gene

I can safely say I've never been in happy, healthy, normal, adult relationship with a guy. At least for no extended period of time. I was definitely in love with J, my first boyfriend, in high school, and we dated for 5+ years. It was young love, infatuation, stupid. We were never right for each other, which is why it ended and I haven't spoken to him in months. Oh, and he's married now.

The next guy I dated, D, was a bundle of issues I didn't want to deal with. We dated off and on for six months, and it ended worse than my first relationship. We no longer speak. The last words I said to him were "fucking shitbag," if that tells you anything. He is also dating someone seriously now.

And now I've entered into a long distance relationship (LDR) with A, without really knowing what I'm doing. We started talking in July, and I honestly never thought it would go anywhere serious, and I basically told him that when it was time for me to move to NYC, it would also be time to end the relationship. He didn't like this, of course, but we kept talking, and eventually I got to the point where I didn't want to break up with him. And I don't now, I don't think.

I just wonder what my deal is. Why can't I meet a nice, smart, funny, honest, sane guy who lives in the same ZIP code as me? I hate LDRs, and I'm also pretty bad at them. So why do I keep getting sucked in? I did it with J and now I'm doing it with A. Why? Why do I keep doing this? Is there something wrong with me?

I know this isn't an original thought, because Carrie talked about it on SATC when she was reconsidering her acceptance of Aidan's proposal -- but maybe I'm missing the relationship gene. Maybe some people just aren't cut out for serious relationships. Maybe the reason I can't meet someone who I want to date, who is a good guy, and who lives in the same city as me is because I repel relationships, like the negative ends of two magnets. No matter how hard you try to get them to touch, they just won't, and it's really annoying.

Then again, I think I'm way too young to be worrying about this bullshit. So what if I'm kind of bad at relationships? I'm 22. Maybe I'm supposed to be bad at them for a while. Maybe that's how you learn to be good at them.

I just wonder how long A will put up with it. He says he wants to be with me, and he's willing to work through our difficulties because he thinks I'm worth it. But for how long? When I get to NYC, we will be entering into a new stage of our relationship, yes, but it will still be an LDR. So how much different will it be, really? I will be physically closer to him, but we still won't really be sharing our lives. How well can you really know someone if you only see him once every week, or two weeks, or three weeks?

When you're about to embark on the adventure of your life, these are the questions you're forced to ask yourself. It sucks because it hurts, both yourself and others. But it's better to ask beforehand and be prepared than to enter into something blindly just because it's easier.

Majorly yours.

Checkity check check

Checking things off a list of things to do is like the most satisfying thing ever. This morning after the gym and on my way to work I dropped my dress off at the dry cleaners. I guess when I don't have a physical list to check off, I feel compelled to say it out loud so I feel like I accomplished something, because as I drove away I said, "Check!" out loud to myself while listening to NPR. It's the little things, really.

Also it's been a productive Getting Ready for New York (GRNY) day. I have e-mailed and talked on the phone with several people up there, and I got a response to an internship application! I am very excited about this. I have to answer some questions for them and send them responses by tomorrow. They are making final decisions by the end of the week. Without an in-person interview, I'm not getting my hopes up too much. But fingers crossed, nonetheless.

Also, for all you Southern readers who also dream of NYC, there is a large community of Southerners from SEC schools who regularly meet for happy hours, etc. in the city. Here is the link with contact info for the Ole Miss group in NYC. For other schools, just Google "greater New York (insert school here) alumni association" or something like that. I am really excited about this because I am cheesy and can't wait to watch Ole Miss football in a Manhattan bar filled with other Ole Miss fans. Oh, and $4 well dranks don't hurt either, nomesayin?

Majorly yours.