Oh the Places You Might Go

The wind was blowing through my jacket as I crossed the street. Being so close to Manhattan’s icy water was not aiding my efforts toward remaining less than frigid, but I needed to stay focused on the mission at hand.

I was in the Chelsea neighborhood, headed towards the Hudson and the many renovated warehouses that line the island’s edge.

20 minutes early.

Despite the bitter air, I could felt a cold sweat beginning to take hold. Glancing around my surroundings one last time, I pulled myself together and stepped into 601 West 26^th Street.

15 minutes early.

The warm air from the building offered some solace and I walked over to the reception desk. “Ah, so you’re going to the 9^th floor miss. Right this way, and over to these elevators,” the man said, pointing through a security checkpoint.

Ding, ding. The metal doors slid open to an all white lobby, surrounded by glass doors and windows. The view of New Jersey and the Hudson was unable to be ignored as the winter afternoon light shown through the clouds, illuminating the office.

I was there. 9^th floor. 10 minutes early. That was perfect for an interview. After signing in and taking a seat in the waiting area, I continued observing the sparse vicinity.

And then… I saw her. She was being broadcast on the large, flat screen television mounted on a wall to my right. The woman I could possibly have as a boss was stirring something, smiling, and speaking softly at the camera.

You know her name.

You know her story.

And you know you're a little bit intrigued.

Yes, there was Martha Stewart. Smiling and stirring; smiling and stirring.

Can you believe it!? No, neither could I.

Martha Stewart Living magazine was looking for an Editorial Intern for the spring semester, and I was determined to prove why I was a worthy candidate. Of course this is a notable publication and I couldn’t help but simply be happy that I had been granted an interview.

Now skip forward to yesterday at around 11pm. Some friends and I had just gotten back to the apartment and were about to relax by my little Christmas tree for the rest of the evening. I grabbed my computer and checked the email inbox one last time, only to find a letter asking for me to accept the position.

Um. YES!

So look out publishing world. I have a feeling that magazine is going to whip me into shape. And after this 15 week marathon? I’ll be ready for you. Or at least I can pretend to be ;)

And the Book Is...

Updates, updates, updates. Three things...

First: All of the navigation bar links are officially done! Hopefully you will find that this gives my blog a little more depth. Click around; see what you find.

Second: Over 40 of you voted to pick the book you would represent as an editor in a poll about two weeks ago. The project is done so I now I can finally tell you my picks. The top two that would make my lists were…

The Alice and Wonderland book and The Sleepless Sleuth book (numbers 9 and 10).

Why these? Alice is a classic… who hasn’t heard of the girl? And of course I find the real-life Alice Liddell intriguing. Was her relationship with Lewis Carroll innocent? Or was there something more sinister at work…

For those of you who voted for this particular story, “Alice I Have Been” is in fact a actual novel, mixing biography with a fictional twist. Melanie Benjamin wrote this revamp, and the paperback version comes out next week.

Cover of the new paperback release.

The Sleepless Sleuth book I initially liked because the storyline reminded me of “The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo” series. But the more I read about it, the less it seemed my type of book – even still, I thought it had good marketability.

Ultimately for my project, I presented about why “Alice I Have Been” was a decent book with an interesting author and why the Bodybuilding book should never be published (editorial mistakes, small audience, saturated field, etc.). For anyone who likes books I hate, this one was titled “You Are Your Own Gym.”

Yikes.

All of the books on the poll were actual deals and signings that have taken place in the last several months. So keep a look out… the book you voted for may be the next “Best Seller.”

Third: It’s snowing!

Thursday's Things New Yorkers Say

Sorry guys; it was kind of a headphones week with exams and such, but I did catch a few things. Here is what I saw and heard on the streets of NYC this week…

Woman near Bryant Park on 42^nd street, standing in the middle of the road.

“NO!!! NO! NO!,” she screams at a bus and then puts her hands on the glass doors. “NO, YOU’VE GOTTA LET ME IN. PLEASE LET ME IN!!!” She is probably 5’10’’ and wears a business outfit. The bus isn’t letting her in, and moves up slightly. “NO, NO, NO!” She is the definition of “frantic.” “PLEASE LET ME IN!! PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO. YOU HAVE TO.” The light changes and the bus to the ferry begins to accelerate. The woman throws both hands in the air and screams like she was actually run over by the bus, “NOOOOO!!!!!”

All this, just trying to get to school. Honestly though, I’ve never heard someone scream like that in public that wasn’t on a rollercoaster. The best part was that every pedestrian was starring at her as she ran out of the street. Then she noticed us (like she thought she was being discreet!?). We had all been rooted to the ground, and then suddenly in quite a hurry.

Subway announcer upon arriving in Queens on the 7 Train.

“Weeeelcome to Queens, Long Island City!” he says with a staccato that reminds me of a basketball announcer as we leave the tunnel connecting Manhattan and my home. “Pa-leas remember that the holiday season also meeeeeans…. Pick-pocketing season!” He now sounds like an auctioneer. “That’s right folks, keep your belonging near you at-all-times and pa-lease keep your hands in your pockets! This is the time for pick-pocketers. I repeat, keep your hands in your pockets. Once again, have a happy holiday season and know where your belongings are at-all-times! This is Queens, NY… Queensborogh Plaza, next stop.“ The man talks for about 70 seconds longer than any MTA announcer I’ve ever heard in my life.

Random homeless man: “Shut up!!”

Um, should I be offended that announcer first welcomes the train to Queens, and then immediately goes into a pick-pocking sermon? Humph.

The best sisters ever sent stocking with candy to me and my roommate. The best dad ever sent me the Carpenter's Christmas album so I could get in the spirit (because it is the ONLY true Fitzgerald Christmas CD). And the best mom ever is visiting on Tuesday ;)

The Cycle of a Late Night

7pm

Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, CNN

Check all your websites before you begin.

8pm

You’re doing fine.

Just going to have coffee instead of wine.

9pm

You’re on a roll.

Not doing too bad on the whole!

10pm

Eating, drinking, munching, munching.

Going strong with projects and number crunching.

11pm

For the first time, you feel a little stiff…

Maybe you just need a tiny lift.

12am

Now you are really quite restless,

But the first paper was completely effortless.

1am

On to project number two,

If you’re up past 4, what are you doing to do?

2am

Adrenaline starts to really kick in,

And you drink so much coffee, that your head will spin.

3am

The clock surely can’t be right?

ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO BE UP ALL NIGHT!?

4am

Doing final edits, and you’re…

almost…

done.

Come on now, wasn’t that kind of fun?

You Know You Are a Poor Student Living in New York When…

* You are a vegetarian… but not by choice. Meat’s just too expensive. Or you shop at places with skeptical meat options (yes, that’s you C-Town).

The basics. I can cook, but making a meal for 1 under $5 is a little more difficult than "boil water," or "add salt for seasoning."

* Unlimited subway passes are gold. Losing this may be worse than losing your debit card.

* You eat slowly… verrrry slowly.

* You probably live in a place where you have no control over the heat. It’s either “on” or “off” so it’s either sweltering or it’s freezing.

* Milk is a luxury.

* You still get care packages from mommy and daddy, which often include food they know you won’t buy – like Oreos. Because, once again, that is a luxury.

A care package and the ol' heater.

* You definitely don’t have cable – thank goodness for Hulu.

*Light on, light off. When one person’s home, no two lights need be on at the same time.

* Meals often include pasta, eggs, peanut butter, potatoes, or bread. And bagels, of course. No, that is not a luxury! There are differences between what you want and what you need. Bagels are a necessity.

* You have also been known to eat chickpeas out of a can because they have iron and give you energy.

Energy for less than two dollars! Side effects may include high blood pressure from sodium intake, and is sometimes fatal. See back for details.

* And since you are a student, you will probably splurge on coffee. But forget those fancy Starbucks drinks. Practice saying “Tall Pike Place please” (cheapest Starbucks drink at 1.80 something). Better yet, get hooked on Dunkin’ Doughnuts.

* Stay away from 5^th Avenue shops if you have an itch to buy. Actually, just wear a blindfold.

* No – no taxies for you.

* Wear your tights and leggings until the die – literally. And then when you look like a cartoon character with holes in your stockings, keep waiting until Christmas to replenish.

Hum. That's just wrong.

*Also wait till Christmas to receive any expensive items. Example: coat, boots, Clinique makeup.

* Base all grocery purchases on the “2 for 1” deals, even if you don’t really love the food. Consider food stamps because some of your actor friends use them. Then un-consider food stamps because some jobs ask if you've ever used them. Possibility for extreme awkwardness.

* Know that Bryant Park has free ice-skating and that Rockefeller Center is $30+.

*Figure out innovative ways to fix broken appliances.

The coffeemaker that did not close now does with the help of my little leopard friend here. Notice it says, "I don't do morning." Got to be a favorite mug.

* Ask every business if there is a “student discount.”

* Get to know the friendly cockroaches in the neighborhood. They’ll stop by and say “hey” every now and then.

* Go to work during the day, class at night, and then see if you can throw an internship into the mix.

* Accept the fact that you live in New York City and you love it.

Thursday's Things New Yorkers Say: Holiday

I regret that it has been a few weeks since TTNYS with Thanksgiving and projects and such, but here we go again. These are a few things you might hear a New Yorker say…

Walking in the Union Square Christmas Market

“So I text him and I’m all like, ‘Hey baby’ you know, trying to be like all sexy, and then he says, ‘Hey baby. I’m so excited to see you… I’m blushing.’ Whaaat?!” She screams to her friend who is laughing so hard there are tears rolling down her face. “Whaaaat!” the woman screams again. “You’re blushing? What the heck? Were we not just talking about men never having emotions? Ha...well... maybe sometimes that’s fine.” They are both laughing so hard now, the story comes to a standstill.

I’m sure there is some sort of feminist communication studies project buried in there somewhere…

In the dress department of a store the weekend of Black Friday

Mother to daughter in extremely terse words: “Sorry I don’t care about if someone has seen a dress I’m wearing before, ON FACEBOOK.” Crazy daughter to angry mother: “Mom!” she screams, and then says in a normal tone, “I’m walking out.” Grabbing her bag she leaves the dress, and her mom follows chanting a verse that was stuck in my head all day. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare. Don’t you DARE. Don’t you dare.” Over an over again.

Yes. She would dare. But a word of advice woman… LET HER GO. She’s only going to get to about 5^th Avenue before she realizes she needs your credit card again.

After the Macy’s Day parade, near Central Park West

A mother with her kid to another woman: “We had to miss Santa Claus because so and so had to pee!”

Okay, hold up. Were you at the parade to see Santa, or did you come so that you kid could see Santa? Either way (and yes, there is a right answer to that last question), it is NOT OKAY to call your kid “so and so!” He's just sitting there, looking at you, thinking "Wow she loves Santa so much she forget my name." Kids probably shouldn't think that. I bet he's going to have a Santa complex and really relate to the song "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."

Oh people. You just make me laugh.

But Will It Sell?

Based on current pop-culture, trends, economic climate, and events from around the world, I need to come up with a book proposal for class that I think will sell, sell, sell. And you’re going to help me.

Now consider what you have seen other people reading (in the subway, on the bus, on the beach, around your school, etc.) and combine that with what you see happening in the next year across the globe. I need something trendy, profitable, and relevant.

Here is a list of a few options I can choose from:

1) Young Adult book based off of a Greek myth. She’ll probably fall in love and he’ll probably save her. Predictable… but will it sell?

2) A bodybuilding book by a semi-famous bodybuilder. Not my cup of tea, but there is certainly a niche market… would it sell?

3) A three-book deal with famous chefs who first penned “Now Eat This!” I guess the question is, how well did the first book do? And again, will these become part of a series and sell?

4) A blog turned book about how a baby looks when sleeping. Yeah… no, not for me either. But the pictures are good, and she has a large blog following. Plus mother’s seem to stick together… so would this book sell?

5) A well known and award winning author/professor pens a novel about the West and werewolves. Vampires have already come and gone, so this may be a smart move on his part… so will it sell?

6) A family medical drama from a well-known author… not a lot on this one, except for I assume that both previous books have sold well…so will this one?

7) Book about a southern belle who moves to NYC and charms her way to the top. Despite the obvious connections to this novel, it has the potential to be real cheese… but will people buy cheese? Usually.

8) A Russian war novel that seems very Cold Mountain… but hey, that did well. So will this story?

9) A novel about Alice in Wonderland, except more grownup. This author is previously published, and this book would be another historical fiction… but how will it sell?

10) A psychological suspense about a murder investigation and interesting, insomniac sleuth… will the book be a sleeper or a success?

Which do YOU like and which do you hate? Vote in the poll below and feel free to leave a comment about why one book would beat out another. If you are a bit indecisive, you can vote for your top two choices.

*Editor’s Note: I already know which book I’m leaning towards… and that will be revealed at a later date! But I want to know the mass opinion to see which audience I am geared towards… or if I’m just way off ;) *

A New York Thanksgiving

We were walking down a road on the Upper West Side towards breakfast.

“Ah the warm glow of the ever-open Dunkin’ Doughnuts…” I said to Ivy, a friend from school and fellow Pub Club member. Suddenly a woman interrupts me, looking slightly scared and waving her hands franticly.

“The baker didn’t show up! We closed!” she continued with hesitation, like I might take a whack at her face (which may or may not have been considered…).

“Closed?!” we both say back to the poor girl who was working the 5am shift on Thanksgiving.

“Yeah, there no doughnuts. We can’t open!”

“But what about the coffee fairy?” I asked, still slightly delusional at this unheard of hour in the morning. There was always coffee, right? I mean, black, steamy deliciousness usually just magically appeared each time I walked into a Dunkin' Doughnuts. There were mountains of coffee beans in the store room - that I was sure of - unless... Could the baker possibly and stolen the blessed beans? That is a crime punishable by death.

She sort of laughed at me, probably relieved to know that I wasn’t going to hit her. But now there really was a dilemma: we needed caffeine – and fast – because we had woken up at a ridiculous hour to attend the annual Macy’s Day Parade. And the crowds had to be beat.

After searching a few street corners and locating a random deli, Ivy and I partook in a healthy meal of muffins and soda, only costing us about $3 each. Oh to be graduate students in the city! Quite a glamorous lifestyle, my friends.

But it was fabulous to line up along Central Park West and watch the floats pass by us in real life, not just on television. It was crowded, but we had our tactics to finding the ideal location.

“Pardon me, excuse me,” we said to strange individuals who stopped at the most bizarre viewing points. I assume they didn’t realize more space was available ahead, but to get through to breathing room we had to squeeze by some pleasant and some not-so-pleasant people.

“Dad… dad wait up!” Ivy repeated this phrase several times to the large man who was in front of us, clearing a path. We didn’t know him in the slightest, but no one was going to yell at the two daughters of a 350-pound man.

Haha... sneaky.

“Dad, where’s mom?” I ask. “Dad, I’ve got Jimmy’s balloon.” “Dad, it’s so hard to get through the crowd.”

Dad, Dad, Dad. Thank goodness the man never turned around or looked at us curiously. We would have just laughed, and possibly said something along the lines of “Hey Dad (wink wink)… keep going!”

Finally we reached a spot with less people and a stoop where we could stand to better view the parade. It was an ideal location and right beside the Dakota, where John Lennon was shot and Yoko Ono lives to this day. Occasionally we would look for her through the top floor windows, but of course the main events were Tom the Turkey, Snoopy, Kanye West, and Santa.

So Happy Belated Turkey Day, and check #56 off “The List.”

The man of the hour, Mr. Santa Claus

Kanye West

Joan Rivers

Jessica Simpson