you know that song by The Byrds?
it's from the 70's or something, and while i'm really more of a 1950's-60's enthusiast i've always liked that song. it goes like this:
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
okay so maybe it's also from Ecclesiastes in the bible. it is quite honestly a blatant rip off but that's beside the point.
The point is this: on March 8th,2009 i got on a plane and ended up in New York City. On March 21st it was the very first day of spring. it snowed like it was winter.
Yesterday (June 21st) was the first day of summer. it rained like it was spring.
and i think that this perfectly sums up my time in the city. unexpected. there are things that you expect from the season of spring. you expect sun, and rain, and birds, and flowers in bloom, and Easter Sunday and graduation. you don't think of snow. or at least i don't.
it's the same for summer. beach, swimming, bbq, hot hot long long days. not rain. thunder and lighting. summer storm excitement. but not regular old rain that won't stop.
and that's the thing about these seasons i guess. they surprise you. new york surprised me. i was surprised by the parts of new york that i liked. the street food, and the street performances, people being out and about all the time. the parts of new york that i didn't like, the stress of being in the city all the time, how difficult it is to get to know people in the midst of all of that stress. but what has surprised me most about my time here is that i'm glad it's almost over.
i was partially prepared to come to new york and adore every second of it and want to stay. and when that didn't happen i was genuinely shocked. there was a time a few weeks ago when i thought, "when this is over in a few weeks i'll be glad to go home" and it's not that there aren't things that i'll miss because there are! i will miss the people that i intern with, and i'll miss my roomate and her family, i'll miss times square, and the Manhattan skyline, and the view of the Hudson.
i remember i used to always talk to a dear friend of mine about turns. how it always seemed like it was everyone else's turn to do something amazing but never mine. lame i know. but it's how i felt. it was always someone else who was having some life changing experience, going off on some grand exploration, enjoying some stroke of good luck, blah, blah, blah. and this friend would tell me that you have to wait your turn. that everyone always has to wait their turn.
and i knew this. i went to kindergarden. my mother teaches preschool i know all about turn- taking.
and eventhough this same friend will tell you that i was scared out of my mind about moving to New York, i am beyond excited to say that when this turn came in new york i was sane enough to take. and i do mean take, i practically had to steal this internship but that too is beside the point. but i also know that it's time to leave. and i am also beyond excited for what my next turn will bring.
I am leaving New York on Saturday June 27th 2009. exactly 111 days after i got here. 1-1-1, that has to be lucky right? when people find out that i'm leaving in a week they say, "OH NO! Why don't you stay?" and my answer is this:
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
I took my turn in New York City, and my season has ended...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
I Have A Degree
i have a degree.
a B.S.
in psychology.
from Missouri State University.
and i would describe said degree, along with a host of other professional experiences, as very broad. and at another time in American History I would have had no trouble finding work.
this however is not that time in American History.
i have managed to find a job in New York, finally. and before i tell you what it is i want to tell you that i have had more jobs than possibly anyone my age.
-Marshall's (Sales Associate, which is code for cashier)
-Deliah's (Sales Assistant, which is code for t-shirt folder)
-Southwest Missouri State Phone Campaign (Asking alumni for money)
-Campus Information ( glorified greeter)
-Telemarketer (1 day. aweful)
- United Home Craft Demonstrator (Saying: "Free Estimate? Windows? Siding? Cabinetry? Sunrooms?" To roughly 200 people a day. I lasted 3 weeks on that job, 1 person said yes.)
-Temp. (Receptionist, Data Entry, Administrative Aid, all of these are code for "copy girl".) I worked as a Temp off and on for about 4 years and the pay was great and i worked in approximately 12 different offices throughout the st.louis area.
- Waitress (and i use the term loosely. 4 whole days. i couldn't take it.)
-Intern for WHY Hunger in New York City (I intern on the National Hunger Hotline, and research different avenues for the Hotlines expansion. they pay me in peanuts.)
-Box office worker for and off-off-off Broadway Production (give people tickets, take their money)
-Research Participant for the John Jay School of Law in Manhattan (i pretended to be a juror. this wasn't so much a job, but they paid me.
and to be honest i'm probably forgetting a couple. the last 3 are all jobs that i was able to find after i had attained my degree. now of course i've heard that sometimes your degree is useless. but i thought for sure that somehow mine would mean something. to somebody.
but alas, here i am in New York City working as a petitioner for Gerry Esposito. He's running for City Council in the 34th District of Brooklyn. And he has to get about 1000 signatures to get his name on the ballot for the primaries in September. so yours truly is knocking on doors in Brooklyn collecting signatures to make a living. With all of that Bachelors level psychology in tow.
i was talking on the phone yesterday to a friend and she said to me,
"well it's kind of cool isn't it?"
she went on to say that this was life, and that we were all in the same boat. all of us recent graduates and young adults in the "real" world of work. she told me that it was a difficult time for everyone and we were all in it together. that this would be the time in our lives that we all sat around and talked about in 30 years. she said,
"it's like our own version of the '60's."
i hope that she's right. i hope that in 30 years i look back on this time fondly and with appreciation for humbling me and shaping my future.
and also hope that i still have a blog then.
a B.S.
in psychology.
from Missouri State University.
and i would describe said degree, along with a host of other professional experiences, as very broad. and at another time in American History I would have had no trouble finding work.
this however is not that time in American History.
i have managed to find a job in New York, finally. and before i tell you what it is i want to tell you that i have had more jobs than possibly anyone my age.
-Marshall's (Sales Associate, which is code for cashier)
-Deliah's (Sales Assistant, which is code for t-shirt folder)
-Southwest Missouri State Phone Campaign (Asking alumni for money)
-Campus Information ( glorified greeter)
-Telemarketer (1 day. aweful)
- United Home Craft Demonstrator (Saying: "Free Estimate? Windows? Siding? Cabinetry? Sunrooms?" To roughly 200 people a day. I lasted 3 weeks on that job, 1 person said yes.)
-Temp. (Receptionist, Data Entry, Administrative Aid, all of these are code for "copy girl".) I worked as a Temp off and on for about 4 years and the pay was great and i worked in approximately 12 different offices throughout the st.louis area.
- Waitress (and i use the term loosely. 4 whole days. i couldn't take it.)
-Intern for WHY Hunger in New York City (I intern on the National Hunger Hotline, and research different avenues for the Hotlines expansion. they pay me in peanuts.)
-Box office worker for and off-off-off Broadway Production (give people tickets, take their money)
-Research Participant for the John Jay School of Law in Manhattan (i pretended to be a juror. this wasn't so much a job, but they paid me.
and to be honest i'm probably forgetting a couple. the last 3 are all jobs that i was able to find after i had attained my degree. now of course i've heard that sometimes your degree is useless. but i thought for sure that somehow mine would mean something. to somebody.
but alas, here i am in New York City working as a petitioner for Gerry Esposito. He's running for City Council in the 34th District of Brooklyn. And he has to get about 1000 signatures to get his name on the ballot for the primaries in September. so yours truly is knocking on doors in Brooklyn collecting signatures to make a living. With all of that Bachelors level psychology in tow.
i was talking on the phone yesterday to a friend and she said to me,
"well it's kind of cool isn't it?"
she went on to say that this was life, and that we were all in the same boat. all of us recent graduates and young adults in the "real" world of work. she told me that it was a difficult time for everyone and we were all in it together. that this would be the time in our lives that we all sat around and talked about in 30 years. she said,
"it's like our own version of the '60's."
i hope that she's right. i hope that in 30 years i look back on this time fondly and with appreciation for humbling me and shaping my future.
and also hope that i still have a blog then.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I am a Rude New Yorker
First i want to let you know that you should never tell a New Yorker that they are rude. for two reasons.
1.) they don't like it, it offends them
2.) they are in denial
now anyone who knows me knows that i hate rudeness. it is one thing that gets me truly angry. of course being in New York has taught me that something like rudeness is relative. i never knew that. i think i always thought it was one of those things that was the same across the board. but not so. if you are from a place, the Midwest for instance, where the people in your opinion are nice. not as hospitable as the south, but still in your area of the Midwest people try. try to be nice. try to be polite. try not to be rude.
in New York it's different. New Yorkers don't have time...to try. They are very busy. They walk very fast. and they don't have time to try not to be rude.
so instead of categorizing them as rude, i'll call them "direct". even the way they say 'excuse me' (if they say "excuse me") is done in such a hurried and semi-annoyed way that it makes you question whether or not they even really mean it. but what i realized on the subway is that the way i would say "excuse me" to someone i was trying to get past is altogether different than how a New Yorker would say it. I would take time to make sure that i was nice about it.
or at least i would have 3 months ago.
What I've realized during this the beginning of my 13th week in New York is that it takes approximately 8 weeks to adopt this "directness" as we'll call it. i'll give a few examples:
1.) My first week here when i would here people speaking different languages i would think it was so interesting and cool and i loved being able to witness such vast diversity in one place.
- Now when ever i hear people speaking a different language (which is all the time) i think, I wish they'd shut the hell up.
2.) The same thing goes for the first time i saw a group of rabbis walking down the street. i thought it was so funny, it looked like the beginning of a joke. but it was great because you don't see that everyday where i'm from.
-Now recently when i saw a group of about 14 rabbis walking around midtown at lunchtime i thought, Why don't you fucking rabbis walk a little faster so that i can cross the fucking street!
3.) Which brings me to this: New Yorkers use the f-word. a lot. and now suddenly so do i . i used to think that only on shows like Sex&The City did characters like Samantha say it all the time. not so. Everyone in New York says it in real life like it's going out of style.
4.) Before i came to New York i never had a problem with people looking at me. you know what i mean? like when you're in a public place and there are plenty of people around and your eyes just wander. i mean, i have eyes, i look at people all the time. so when someone looks at me i'm never offended by it.
-Now this is when i knew i was becoming a New Yorker. I was leaving for work one morning a few weeks ago and as i walked up the steps to the platform to get the train i disticntly saw a woman look me up and down. i don't know why, but the thought that instantly entered my head was, What the FUCK is she LOOKING at?! I don't know where this came from. I'm not that person. that person who cops an attitude at all, let alone just because someone looked at me. Missouri Myra just thinks, oh, perhaps she likes my outfit. or maybe i look familiar to her. i should smile. but for whatever reason New York Myra gets pissed.
5.) Finally this example is very recent. as recent as about 9am this morning. When i got off the train in midtown to go to my internship i decided to buy myself an "everything" bagel with cream cheese (my new favorite) from a street vendor before heading into the building. my usual bagel guy is on 33rd street in his cart between the fruit guy and the post office. he's very nice and polite. he always smiles and i always tip him. but because i was already running late (imagine that) i decided to stop at the one a block closer on 34th st (yes, where the miracle happened). The bagel always cost me $1 (and i tip my usual nice bagle guy a quarter) thinking that certainly there would be no difference within only one block i asked 34th st bagel guy: "Can I have an everything bagel with cream cheese please?"
he goes to grab it and i say, "$1 right?" and he says to me, "$1.25" I give him a dirty look and reached in my pocket for change and then he says,
"it's okay, if you don't have the quarter it's fine." he says it in that New York direct half-annoyed way that make me feel like he's not really doing me a favor.
I hope that you know that the bagel most likely did NOT cost $1.25. he was going to charge me extra because i asked him so he assumed i didn't know. as i took my bagel (i only paid $1) i walked away thinking,
I'll bet it is okay, because it's only one fucking dollar anyway. you goddamned asshole.
i don't know what's happening to me.
1.) they don't like it, it offends them
2.) they are in denial
now anyone who knows me knows that i hate rudeness. it is one thing that gets me truly angry. of course being in New York has taught me that something like rudeness is relative. i never knew that. i think i always thought it was one of those things that was the same across the board. but not so. if you are from a place, the Midwest for instance, where the people in your opinion are nice. not as hospitable as the south, but still in your area of the Midwest people try. try to be nice. try to be polite. try not to be rude.
in New York it's different. New Yorkers don't have time...to try. They are very busy. They walk very fast. and they don't have time to try not to be rude.
so instead of categorizing them as rude, i'll call them "direct". even the way they say 'excuse me' (if they say "excuse me") is done in such a hurried and semi-annoyed way that it makes you question whether or not they even really mean it. but what i realized on the subway is that the way i would say "excuse me" to someone i was trying to get past is altogether different than how a New Yorker would say it. I would take time to make sure that i was nice about it.
or at least i would have 3 months ago.
What I've realized during this the beginning of my 13th week in New York is that it takes approximately 8 weeks to adopt this "directness" as we'll call it. i'll give a few examples:
1.) My first week here when i would here people speaking different languages i would think it was so interesting and cool and i loved being able to witness such vast diversity in one place.
- Now when ever i hear people speaking a different language (which is all the time) i think, I wish they'd shut the hell up.
2.) The same thing goes for the first time i saw a group of rabbis walking down the street. i thought it was so funny, it looked like the beginning of a joke. but it was great because you don't see that everyday where i'm from.
-Now recently when i saw a group of about 14 rabbis walking around midtown at lunchtime i thought, Why don't you fucking rabbis walk a little faster so that i can cross the fucking street!
3.) Which brings me to this: New Yorkers use the f-word. a lot. and now suddenly so do i . i used to think that only on shows like Sex&The City did characters like Samantha say it all the time. not so. Everyone in New York says it in real life like it's going out of style.
4.) Before i came to New York i never had a problem with people looking at me. you know what i mean? like when you're in a public place and there are plenty of people around and your eyes just wander. i mean, i have eyes, i look at people all the time. so when someone looks at me i'm never offended by it.
-Now this is when i knew i was becoming a New Yorker. I was leaving for work one morning a few weeks ago and as i walked up the steps to the platform to get the train i disticntly saw a woman look me up and down. i don't know why, but the thought that instantly entered my head was, What the FUCK is she LOOKING at?! I don't know where this came from. I'm not that person. that person who cops an attitude at all, let alone just because someone looked at me. Missouri Myra just thinks, oh, perhaps she likes my outfit. or maybe i look familiar to her. i should smile. but for whatever reason New York Myra gets pissed.
5.) Finally this example is very recent. as recent as about 9am this morning. When i got off the train in midtown to go to my internship i decided to buy myself an "everything" bagel with cream cheese (my new favorite) from a street vendor before heading into the building. my usual bagel guy is on 33rd street in his cart between the fruit guy and the post office. he's very nice and polite. he always smiles and i always tip him. but because i was already running late (imagine that) i decided to stop at the one a block closer on 34th st (yes, where the miracle happened). The bagel always cost me $1 (and i tip my usual nice bagle guy a quarter) thinking that certainly there would be no difference within only one block i asked 34th st bagel guy: "Can I have an everything bagel with cream cheese please?"
he goes to grab it and i say, "$1 right?" and he says to me, "$1.25" I give him a dirty look and reached in my pocket for change and then he says,
"it's okay, if you don't have the quarter it's fine." he says it in that New York direct half-annoyed way that make me feel like he's not really doing me a favor.
I hope that you know that the bagel most likely did NOT cost $1.25. he was going to charge me extra because i asked him so he assumed i didn't know. as i took my bagel (i only paid $1) i walked away thinking,
I'll bet it is okay, because it's only one fucking dollar anyway. you goddamned asshole.
i don't know what's happening to me.
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