I'm going to see CRY-BABY!!!!!

At the Marquis Theatre tonight!!!! Eeeeee! I always had a feeling I might be a theatre geek. I guess I'll find out tonight. 

But yeah, Shira's friend and OH buddy Teresa had an extra ticket and Shira's in class tonight. So I got the invite. Super exciting. Now let's see how I feel at the end of the night (hiking a few blocks from Teresa's job to dinner to the theatre...)

So...the subways...

Those suckers are a bit confusing. To get to work, I have to take the N train to 34th st/Herald Square and transfer to the F train southbound to Brooklyn. But when I got to Herald Square and went to find the F train, I must have gone the wrong direction. Every F train that came was going northbound, but I didn't figure this out till I rode one a few stops down. Hah...

So hopefully, today I can figure out how much time it actually takes to get from home to work without screwing up! I did find Indigo Handloom, but that was fun too. I somehow missed my original stop and got out at Jay St and Borough Hall (or something). I was in the 400s block of Jay St and had to go to 68 Jay St. Ehehe, that included walking under the Manhattan Bridge and figuring out that Jay St. ended at one spot and picked back up around the corner.

BUT if I had gotten off on the right stop, it's only a block from Indigo Handloom. So, I took the F train back to 34th st/Herald Square. Either that or the 42nd St/Bryant Park are the closest to the Garment District. I wandered around the world's largest Macy's (because, oh yeah, the strap to my bag broke in Brooklyn). Everything was too pricy there, so I wandered through H&M and Forever 21. I finally settled on a bag, but it's pretty meh. I'd like to have one a bit smaller than this one, bigger than the purse I have. Whatever.

I hung out in one of the little squares between the roads at Herald Square where there were bistro tables and lots of people. I had my greek yogurt and blueberries. :) Then I walked down um maybe Sixth Avenue? No, that probably wasn't it, but whatever. I ended up on 33rd st, at Madison Square Garden. Wandered through the Borders there and found some NYC guide books and a book of panoramic postcards. Settled on a small pocket guide with maps and my postcard book, and chilled out.

I learned that the Sketchers I wore the day before for the trip to Astoria Park Shira and I made blistered my heel, and thusly my Nikes got SUPER uncomfortable. I really wanted to walk up to Times Square, but I decided to come back to Astoria and attempt to switch shoes. I had to meet Shira at Whole Foods at Union Square at 7pm, so I left and got over there around 6:15ish. Looked through a small shoe store, then just chilled outside of Whole Foods and people-watched. That was FUN.

Trip to Whole Foods for YUMMY, expensive icelandic yogurt, Siggis. Then walked down to Trader Joe's. It was my first trip to TJ's and I loved it. Crazy busy but awesome. We hung out in Union Square for a bit after that and got home after dark last night.

Right now, I've made lunch and I'm trying to motivate myself to get in the shower so I can get moving again for the day. :)

I'm in NEW YORK!

Yesterday afternoon, I arrived in New York City! I am sooo excited!

I am staying with my loverly buddy and soon-to-be partner in crime Shira. I have to say, OH is a wonderful thing. I've met a lot of friends on there, and without it, I honestly don't know if I would have come this far post-op.

I had a feeling things would be good between me and Shira, but they've really clicked even better than expected. Yeah, it's only 24 hours into it (literally... I got to her apartment at like 12:15pm Sunday), but I'm feeling good about things.

The city is amazing (and I haven't barely seen ANY of it). It's definitely big and daunting, but I LOVE the convenience factor and just allllllllllll the options of stores and things to do. Weeeee! I'm very excited. Hopefully, today will be a bit more of learning about the subway and the buses, so I can figure stuff out on my own.

Yesterday, I bought my Metrocard and we rode the subway. (My first time...cherry is popped!) We went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and spent way too much money on me (well, Shira spent way too much money on me. Because she's sweet like that). We got a rolling storage/closet thing for all my clothes and shoes and stuff, and kitcheny stuff (yay popsicle molds!) and just a lot of general stuff. And then we went to Food Emporium, a very nice grocery store where we picked up some foods.

We cabbed it back home since our BB&B stuff was big and heavy. We started putting the closet thing together...that was a trip. Why do we need instructions when we can figure it out ourselves? Oh, that's right, because we'll take it apart and have to put it back together a number of different times. Hahaha.

After setting that up and the Aerobed and stuff, we headed back out and just explored a bit of Astoria. Checked out the $0.99 store, walked around. We came back, and had originally planned on cooking. But after a while, carbing out was decided instead. Oh, and fatting out. We ordered some greasy diner delivery and watched History of the World Part I. I knew I loved Mel Brooks, but this was friggin hilarious. :)

Today, I think we're going to do some more exploring, past the east side. But it's been a lazy day so far. Wish me luck, there's a LOT to learn, but I'm excited!

So.........Guess what?!

I had my interview with Indigo Handloom on Friday instead of Wednesday (a mix-up on their part). And yesterday, I got an email from my contact saying they want me as an intern!!! Woo hoo!!!

It's only two days a week, on Thursdays and Fridays, but I am super excited. Tentatively, they want me to start next week, so, yeah, craziness! I'm looking at plane (and Amtrak) tickets right now, I don't know which is best. Especially since all these airlines are charging $25-$50 per extra bag, and it's sort of difficult to pack for three months in NYC with ONE bag.

I only wish my dad had been a bit more excited/happy about the prospects. Last night, he was just sort of like "Well, if that's what you want to do...". No big "Congrats" (or more likely "Mabrook" (arabic)). So I'm definitely feeling guilty, because I know this is a big financial strain... But I don't think it would make a difference to him if I attempted to explain how much the experience will make a difference on my resume in the long run.

So, I'm happy, excited, anxious, and a bit guiltful for all of this. I have no idea how to pack for these three months - Indigo Handloom has no real 'dress code', my contact just said to dress comfortably. But still... three months in NYC? How does one prepare for that?!

Summer progress...?

I have a phone interview with Indigo Handloom tomorrow at 3:45 pm. They have a design internship available for the summer, and I'd LOVE to work there. Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff...

Ooooh and I just got an email from a company, Nimli, who would like me to come in for an interview sometime between May 27th-30th. I applied for a buying internship with them through Craigslist. I don't know if I'd specifically go up for an interview with them, but if Indigo Handloom wants me to work for them, I'd go apply at Nimli just to see. IH only needs an intern 2 days a week, so, hey, instead of 1 internship on the resume, 2 would be awesome!

But I'm getting ahead of myself... Pray/think positive/do whatever you do for me tomorrow!



P. S. Can someone, ANYONE stop my nibbles? Seriously, it's getting bad. Yet another reason I really need this summer away from home. I need to get all the crappy food choices away from me ASAP. :(

blah.

After having (or shall I be PC and say "thinking I had"?) the Vera Wang internship and then having it taken away, that whole dream of spending the summer in NYC with a fashion internship is just sorta gone. I still *REALLY* want to go, really want to get an internship, but I've been sending out resumes and cover letters like mad, with only one company responding. They're quite cool, (Indigo Handloom), but I feel like it's a total waste of money to go up to New York for a week for one interview.

And even the idea of going around, passing out resumes, seems sort of bleh. When I first thought about it, seemed pretty easy. But I'm sort of realizing that it's not so easy to just go find companies and go "door-to-door" passing out resumes, hoping for interviews.

I've always realized this industry is tough to break into, but I'm just at the point of "blah"-dom with it. I guess I'm just wanting something that takes a lot of work and I'm not putting enough work into it.

Still...blah. Advice?

Five Months (!!!)

One more month gone, and I still can't believe how fast it's going... The time and the pounds! (And inches!)

As of last Friday, April 25th, I was down to 251.8 lbs, which is 71 lbs lost since December 3rd! I'm also down another 9 inches in a month and a half.

Life has been crazy, I think, this month. And I've definitely been letting too much sugar creep back into my life. Fuck temptation, and honestly, I cannot WAIT till I'm not at home. I mean, I know temptation is EVERYWHERE, but when your brother makes two cakes and a chocolate tart in about a 3 week timespan, I want to just get out of the house. For good. April was my father's birthday and the Orthodox easter, so that explains one cake and the tart. The other cake was made the week before my dad's birthday, because he wanted to make it (and forgot dad's birthday was coming up).

So, even though the weight has been melting off, I still worry like hell that when the "honeymoon phase" is over (8-9 months, I think? or maybe it's anywhere between 6-8 months), I'll be screwed like hell. >.< I mean, I know that "in general", I'm doing well with my eating. But I snack too much and let things creep in. Blah.

Oh, and a few wows. So those pink pants, that I posted about at one point? They're my "Before and After" pants, and before surgery, I could get them on, yes. But it was not very comfortable. About two weeks ago, I tried them on, and WOW.

Those suckers are HUGE on me! You know, I was hoping to possibly wear these comfortably for the summer (pre-op). But now, they're only going to be my before/after pants. Because they're way too big to be worn. :-D And then last night, going through my closet, I tried on a suit jacket I bought in April 2007 (for an internship interview). It's from Avenue, size 32, only worn once, and I tell you, I felt like a kid in his father's suit jacket! I was honestly shocked at how BIG that jacket was. And it felt soooooooo good!

In other news...searching for a summer internship. Lots of fun there! So, this'll be a long story, but oh well. I am looking at some internships, especially in NYC. I have housing there already (yay for friends), and my family can sorta afford it. Well, it depends, but anyway.

So my brother's friend met a girl last summer at an internship in NJ. She now works in Human Resources at Vera Wang, and he told me this. He said she was in charge of hiring Production interns (a bit like product development), and gave me her email. I emailed her in March, she responded, gave me some more info, etc. I followed up in April (MorLove stuff consumed my time otherwise). She told me that she would "love to bring me on". She sent me an application they needed, and I filled it out and sent it back. This was on a Monday. On Wednesday, we talked on the phone - it was confirmed. She said there was no need to come up for an interview because I was so far away. She claimed she had talked to the Production teams, both RTW and Bridal, and that they could use another intern. We discussed definite dates, and she told me if I wanted to come up the week before it started, to come down to the VW office, just for me to let her know. And she told me she needed a transcript (unofficial or official, it didn't matter).

(Senior Vice Pres, I think...) and she would get back to me. So later that afternoon, my brother's friend called me and said he had just gotten a text from his friend (they still talk and such) saying something to the degree of "I just got majorly chewed out by my boss for hiring someone without an interview." So I was nervous, but slowly accepted the fact that I might have to go up for an interview. But then Thursday, I got an email from her basically saying that she 'hired' me without really knowing if they needed me. (That they may not need another intern...WTF?) She said she would have to talk to a higher up in Production Well, a week went by without a word from her. I called her (probably too much, but c'mon!!!). She has never actually called me - the one time I talked to her on the phone, I called her. Otherwise, I've only heard from her via email. Anyway, I finally got something from her on Tuesday, a week and a half after her last email. Basically, the person she needs to talk to has been in China, but she's "pretty sure" they're not hiring another intern. But she offered to forward my resume to a HR manager she knows at Aeropostale, and encouraged me to keep looking for stuff, etc.

So. Yeah. I'm still pissed about the whole situation. But I don't really know if I have any "recourse". Anyway, I've been emailing out my resume and cover letter to a lot of companies, I've heard back from one or two (but NOTHING like VW), we shall see. I'm trying to go up to NYC next week, like May 10th-17th or something, and just schlep around and pass out my resume and stuff. Maybe that would work? It's frustrating...BLAH.

Yeah, that's been my life for the past 2-3 weeks. <3 y'all that actually care. :)