So this is the first Thanksgiving that I am spending away from home. It’s sucks that I don’t get to spend time with my family, eat a lot of pie, and sleep all weekend, but it is what it is.

One thing I’ve noticed is that with so many transplants here, it’s easy to get together with others and have a pseudo-family meal together. For those who aren’t so lucky, there are still a lot of restaurants open that can at least provide some hot, semi-homemade food.

Right now, the gf and I are on the train headed to the city to envelope ourselves in the madness that is Black Friday. Everyone sitting here has leftovers in hand. It’s weird to see. That is to say, it’s a new experience seeing this many people out and realizing they’re all gathered in one train car having all experienced the same thing— an overwhelming Thanksgiving Day dinner. Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s SNOWING!!!!!!

I’ve never seen falling snow— it started and then my smile started. Neither have stopped since.

I’m so sick today.  

I had to call out of work early this morning.  Went back to sleep and didn’t wake up until 2pm.  I haven’t eaten anything all day.  And I feel weaker than the weakest of all weak things.  However, I still managed to coordinate some things regarding our move— oh that’s right!  You don’t know— we found our own apartment!  Also (not sure I mentioned this) but my good friend got a job up here and he’s moving in with us, so…good thing for a guy who still hasn’t found a permanent job (me).  At least rent money won’t be an issue.  

I applied to about 12 different positions via Indeed.com in the last 2 weeks.  To be honest, I didn’t take as much time/care in applying as I have with previous applications.  Frustration has settled in and is excited about moving in…to my brain.  Well, I can’t keep a clear head long enough to type more, so I’ll catch you up later. 

Enjoy the video post— learning about the music roots of NYC…and so can you!

Life in Marvelous Times - Mos Def

Wow. I finally made it. An update, that is. Now where’d I leave off?

So, that “1-day” gig with the temp agency I said I would do has now become a 4-week gig! About 2 weeks into this “temp” job, my agency rep called and told me that I wouldn’t be able to interview for that better paying position until at least mid-September. (I’m totally calling her Monday, btdubs.) However, since I do need some kind of income, I agreed to continue with this current job and have been commuting to Brownsville every weekday since. It’s a private Managed Care/Home Health company that provides aide services to the elderly. They provide a great service, however my job with them is so far removed from the “helping people” side that I had to find something else to satisfy that part of me. 

After scouring the internet, I came across an organization called Learning Ally. They provide audio recordings of textbooks for people with visual and learning impairments. I started volunteering with them my second week here and it’s quite literally the best part of my day. Volunteer reading has allowed me to become re-accustomed with the recording process (a practice I had all but abandoned) in terms of breath control and voice inflection. Good training for a undercover, would-be voice actor. And the best part? It’s a wonderful cause that provides a service that allows others a chance to find success where they may otherwise not.

Oh— BIG news! My gf got a call back for a job as a buyer and guess what? She got it! I’m so proud of her because she really wanted the job, she put in the work and research, nailed every interview, and came away with the gold. She started 2 weeks ago and we’re both super relieved. Mostly me as I was always going about saying we would have to live in a cardboard box because neither of us had jobs when we first got here. Now, I’m only HALF stressed! I’m trying not to worry too much now, though. I’ve been finding time between temping and volunteering to apply for more permanent positions. I’ve got a few in mind, but I’ll talk about those another time.

To be honest, it’s amazing up here— especially when I go into the city (which is like every other day). The pace is Flash-fast, people are always “on,” and there’s a completely different mindset that most people have up here (more details on that complete-generalization-based-on-only-4-weeks-of-living-here later) that, at times, I get really averse to. Just let me acclimate, friends. Let me acclimate.

For now, I do still miss Florida. I miss my mom and my siblings the most. But everyday I’m here, I’m completely taken aback with the utter awe-inspiring monstrosity of the buildings, the diversity of cultures and peoples, and the fact that I can be listening to rap songs that mention street names and actually BE on those streets at the same time. That’s crazy to me. This city is crazy to me. It’s a marvel and mayhem all at once and I can’t wait to find my place in it all. More to come!

John Lennon - Working Class Hero

…when you can’t really function you’re so full of fear.

I arrived in Brooklyn this past Friday. Since arriving here it’s been a non-stop celebration for so many reasons: my welcome to NYC, my gf’s welcome back to NYC, her sister’s last night here (she left with her bf for San Fran), and my good friend’s arrival to NYC (he’s been on vacay up here for the week). I’ve only been able to start a serious job search yesterday. I gotta be honest, a guy can lose focus pretty easily in this city.

To be fair, I actually had an interview on Monday with a recruiting agency which went well. Unfortunately, the position I wanted won’t be decided until at least a week from now. The agent actually offered me another job in the interim to “keep me busy,” but the pay was super low and I kindly declined. After a few conversations with friends later, I started to regret that choice. Based on some experiences others have had, turning down an offer is equivalent to turning down an eventual better position along with a bevy of potential networking contacts. So, when I received a call from the agent this morning about another lower paying 1-day gig for tomorrow, I was quick to accept it.

I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow. For now, I just got on the train back to Brooklyn after a day of updating my “career change” resume. More on that later, though…

I’ve been meaning to post an update on my arrival to NYC but it’s been crazy- for now, here’s a video of an interesting encounter we had in Chester, VA on our road trip up to NYC.  Enjoy!

Just testing this— first video post on the road to NYC.