Lookin' Down on Creation

Sundays are really the worst day of the week for apartment hunting in the City. So, I decided to use today as my one day of pleasure this week in discovering my new hometown. I explored Rockefeller Plaza and the home of our favorite sketch comedy show of all time (SNL), the NBC studios. I played tourist today by taking tours of the entire grounds, learning about John D. Rockefeller's vision for the park, exploring the many different art deco pieces, and finally touring the NBC studios at 30 Rock.

I ended the afternoon with a ride to the top of 30 Rock, allowing an obstructed 360 degree view of Manhattan from 80 floors up. I felt like I was on top of the world; it was really fun!

A Pad to call my own . . .

Good news! I have found a fantastic studio on the Upper West Side on 86th St. It's really beautiful and definitely a steal compared to some of the other dumps I looked at! Plus, I will only be two blocks from Central Park! I am excited to have a home of my own and I promise to provide photos soon. . .

But, in the meantime, I'm sure you'll be drooling with this news: I have to report that I bumped into Ricky Lizalde tonight in Hell's Kitchen. He was walking along 9th Ave. with his boyfriend. It looked like they had been shopping. Perhaps he's seeking new inspiration for his latest designs?! Either way, it was fabulous seeing him on the streets of New York on this gorgeous evening!

Tagged! I guess I'm it . . .

So, one of my moms (Colorado Mimi) sent me this list of questions to answer in an effort for us all to share our hopes and fears with you readers out there. I hope you enjoy and here goes:

Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random/surprising facts. Then, tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Joy #1: Spoiling my nieces and nephews--Niko, Nicole, Kyle, Alison, and Hudson--madly. (OK, so that was a given . . .)
Joy #2: A job well done.
Joy #3: Making my mom proud of me.
Fear #1: Not saving enough for retirement. (man, that one is a really dark cloud over my head. . .)
Fear #2: A slow, painful death. (If asked how I would commit suicide, I would opt for the pills . . .)
Fear #3: Settling for less. (I have this overlying fear in many different facets of my life.)
Goal #1: Replenish "my NYC-move" induced depletion of my savings account.
Goal #2: Make new friends in my new hometown.
Goal #3: Become a professor of marketing and build a vacation slush fund!
Obsession #1: Making sure all the text in my PowerPoint presentations is perfectly aligned. (It's a disease, really. . .)
Obsession #2: Washing my face every night before bed without fail. (I swear it keeps me looking younger than my age.)
Obsession #3: Getting a decent night's sleep, damnit! (maybe if I was a little less obsessed, it might actually happen . . .)
Surprise #1: I would like to become a docent at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.
Surprise #2: I secretly long to be a superhero.
Surprise #3: As much as I love my career, I really wish I didn't have to have one.

It's Like a Heatwave . . .

Well, that's exactly what it is. We reached a high of 79 today with bright, clear skies. It was gorgeous, darling, just gorgeous! But, it's being shortlived . . . we're expecting rain again on Sunday and highs of 59. I'll be out apartment hunting all day tomorrow; I am hoping that will give me some time to enjoy the sunshine. Wish me luck!

P.S. 152 We Love You!

Viacommunity Day

April 16, 2008

Today I got to experience my first community service day with Viacom (MTV Networks' Papa Company). I and the 200 other volunteers enjoyed working with all the third graders from P.S. 152 in the Bronx helping them to decorate quilts and pillows for sick children in NYC hospitals with life threatening illnesses. It was a joy to watch the kids get excited about helping other children their age by painting words of hope, drawing colorful rainbows, and writing personalized notes to each of them. The program was founded by Soaring Words and has affected the lives of not only its recipients, but also all the volunteers involved. Nearly all the kids at P.S. 152 qualify for the Federal Lunch program and never get the chance to experience a field trip off-campus. The annual event, which also included a picnic lunch and a "dance jam" in the courtyard, is their annual "field trip" that they look forward to each year. I was overwhelmed with joy when I arrived home that night knowing that I helped such a great cause!

And, Happy Birthday to Ali! We've loved having you with us a whole decade now!

Tax Day--it's a real buzzkill

Well, my beautiful, doorman/elevator/laundry on-site/one-block subway stop away/overly sized bedrooms/UES dream apartment is gone. It's just gone! My would-be roommate decided today to back out of our lease agreement due to reasons that well, just aren't reasonable. Unfortunately, I can't qualify for the monthly rent by myself. So, I am back to square one in this game they call apartment hunting. I have until the end of the month to find livable and affordable conditions or else I am out on the streets of NYC.

I can't even begin to describe my stress level right now. (Thank goodness no one at work caught me in the bathroom crying today.) Anyone have any ideas, or, better yet, a home for me?

Don't you just love NY in the spring?

Well, no rain yesterday or today, despite the impending forecast. So, I took a little jaunt around Central Park today and snapped some photos of Spring blooming. Enjoy!

If a picture is worth a thousand words . . .

then I am missing 999 of them. For a week now, I have been watching the temperature outside warm up, trees bloom, tulips emerge, and grass turn greener all around the city. And, I've wanted to take photos to capture the beauty of all of it. Unfortunately, I have misplaced the memory card from my camera. So, in a "MacGyver" effort to document all the beauty around me this week, I actually took some photos using my cell phone. But, I can't actually get the photos out of the phone and onto my blog! Aarrgghh!

But, I know you are eagerly waiting to see New York in the Spring. So, I will take a walk around Central Park tomorrow morning and get some more photos . . . cross your fingers it doesn't rain!

Home Sweet Home

I can now officially call Manhattan my home! After spending the entire last weekend apartment hunting, calling realtors, booking showings, and counting on emptying half of my savings account, I have found an apartment and roommate. And, without any type of realtor's fee . . . I still can't believe my luck!

(A quick tutorial on NYC housing for those of you that live outside "the city". The majority of apartments, whether for rent or for sale, are managed and shown only by certified realtors. If a tenant is seeking a rental property, a realtor will research apartment needs in the area and show a potential tenant properties that match their needs by appointment only. For their time and effort, they usually charge a percentage of the tenant's first year of total rent. Therefore, a potential tenant can count on being required to put down the standard first month of rent and security deposit to move in along with a realtor's fee of 12 - 15% of the first twelve months of rent. That 12 - 15% in my budget would have been equal to about $2500. . . so you can sense my excitement when I say that I found something without any type of realtor's fee!)

The thought of not being homeless at the end of April is overwhelmingly wonderful! And, since I don't have to pay a realtor's fee with this new pad, I may just blow some cash and upgrade to a new leather couch!

And, I better decide soon . . . according to my boss, anyone you order a couch from in the city takes 12 weeks to deliver . . . yikes! City livin' . . . it's a totally different world.

Here I come to save the day . . . ?!

So, I arrived on the 40th floor of the MTVN building yesterday morning at 10:00am, eager to begin my first day of productivity at my desk. After making a quick loop around the building, I noticed that the halls were a little empty. After finally spotting Alicia, our marketing manager, she was able to give me a quick tour of all the VIP locations on our floor, including the ladies room, the mini fridge, ice machine, and finally my desk. (get it, I'm a VIP. . . well, you know my sense of humor.)

Alicia immediately handed me a stack of episodes to watch. So, I grabbed a big bowl of buttery movie theater popcorn, the plush chenille throw my team gave me in my welcome basket (how they knew that red is fave color, I will never know), and my pillow ready to immerse myself in the world of "The N". But, after only about 30 minutes of TV watching, Alex (our coordinator) walked over to the file cabinet sitting below the TV to grab some paperwork. And, the TV quickly tumbled onto her shoulders!

Alicia and I tried to jump to our feet as quickly as possible and were luckily able to grab the TV and move it to a safer location. Alex seemed to be OK, but I am sure she will have a bump on her head!

Today I was able to unpack and settle into my desk a little. I also ordered office supplies; I just hope that Alex can read my horrible chicken-scratch with that silly bump on her head.

On another note: everyone was complaining yesterday that it was rainy and dreary--I was just glad that it finally reached a high of 65. I can handle rain; cold is a completely different story . . . But, alas, we are back down to 40 today.