I have this problem admitting when I'm sick. I like to deny it as long as possible...I think by doing this I subconsciously I can trick my body into thinking that it's healthy. Well, last night I gave in and accepted my cold :(
Um, that's kinda all I have to talk about. I'm gonna buy a little TV today, thanks to my parents! Ok. Time to get some 'work' done. I'll write about what I did yesterday later.
I've chosen a life of travel...it's true, but it comes with consequences. Moving to England was by far the craziest thing I've ever done and people gave me the most flattering comments for it. I heard that I was brave, because they could never do something like that. I heard that I was cool for taking a chance on a place I've never been; adventurous, independent, crazy, smart... The thing was, as glamorous as it sounded (and it was a lot of the time) it was also very hard.
There's a thin line with what to tell people when you're in a new place. There I was in England, actually living in the United Kingdom and half the time I was bored, or in my room alone. People don't want to hear that though, they don't want to hear that life can still suck half way around the world! Well, there it is - the truth.
One year later I find myself in the same boat. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia, how crazy is that? I actually drove the 2,000 miles out here, found an apartment to rent and now I'm living here. Working for the magazine is an absolute dream and if there is any chance of me working for it after I graduate I will be down here in half a heartbeat. The thing is, right now I'm bored out of my bloody mind!
There are some free things going on in the city in the coming weeks which I plan on taking advantage of, but for the most part I'm in my room alone reading or watching a DVD I've already seen a billion times. You can only drive around and spend so much gas, and doing anything outside before 9PM is downright out of the question (it's been in the 90s...WITH humidity). The excitement in my life right now (besides going to work) is when my phone rings and I see that it's my mom.
Heh. Ironic because the things we've been talking about lately haven't been the best news and I usually end up crying afterwards (not your fault Mama!!!). My point is, I love traveling, I love driving around new streets and getting lost and trying out new things. But being away from my home, from New Mexico where 90% of my ENTIRE family lives, is hard.
It's hard having this, the internet, as my outlet for getting things off my chest instead of talking to a real person. There's always the phone...but it's still very impersonal. I completely realize my situation is unique because if I did actually move to a new city it would be for a job and I'd be making money, etc. All I'm saying is that right now it's tough being away and I don't see this as glamorous as some people do.
With all that said, these next two months will just be one more thing to add to the story of my life! Now, so I can still have a chance of getting credit for this internship..i'll tell you what I did today!
****Basically I helped put the paper together today! We printed out every page we had done, stapled it, double checked what we had and what had been fixed, what hadn't and put it in a folder. This whole week people are coming in to proofread and get all of the nity-grity errors fixed. I still did more fact checking, called a resort in Vegas, inquired about a fair in Pushkar, India and typed out a section that will be on the web soon. I love how the time flies there! Next week (depending on what happens back at home) I'll help out more with the web, open more mail and get ready for the next issue.
Ok. I think I'm going to get some shut eye now!!
This afternoon around 11:00 p.m. Eastern/standard time I fell in love. With Ikea. Ikea was like no place I had EVER been before and a place I will be returning to shortly. I've heard "Ikea" thrown about in different peoples conversations, but I always placed it in the category with Pier One, Crate and Barrel, Places I Can't Even Buy a Fork At, etc.
Ikea is ABSOLUTELY nothing like that. It's modern, funky, trendy and best of all it's more than reasonably priced. For example: I was at Target the other day because I need a lamp in my room. The only thing I could find, without spending over $20 for a simple tiny lamp was an industrial looking desk lamp. Well, today at my new infatuation, I found a pole lamp with two lights on it; very sleak looking in silver and white for only $15 - beat that Target!
I held back - WAY back from spending too much money. While I was there I did mentally pick out every piece of furniture needed for my new room. I even figured out how to buy it all. You see, after this next semester ends and I figure out what I'm doing with my life I'm going to sell all the furniture I do have and buy Ikea to replace it. That might sound a little crazy, but they had FULL bedroom sets for under $1,000.
While I was there I also nabbed a chair. A modern/70's/white/fake leather desk chair. It was on sale from $140 - $35...no girl in her right mind can pass up something like that. The only problem is that it's missing wheals which means it's not as high up as it should be so right now it kinda wobbles - I'll be fixing that...or asking for help soon!
I don't think I can allow myself back in that store for a very long time. I could just go crazy. I'm going to propose to Laura and my parents (yes, i know you're reading this!) that she and I move out here. This is EXACTLY the city we've been talking about wanting to live in - with the exception of living abroad again. The catch would be I'd have to get an awesome job that paid me enough to live up to the standards of Atlanta!
ok...I'm done with this happy love affair now. Time for a new, but not so happy, update...
My new Chair!
The new Lamp
.....SO much more I want from there!!!
Ok, I promise (maybe) after this I'll stop writing for the day! So I just went around my neighborhood...again...because I needed to find a store to return something. I found it just up the street in a little shopping center called "Plaza Fiesta."
- have I mentioned I live in a very diverse area? Heh, well I walked into Plaza Fiesta and it felt like I was walking the streets of Juarez; it even smelled like Mexico, no joke. Who knew Atlanta had such a high Mexican population. In fact, I bet I could persuade the language department at NMSU to give me Spanish credit if I worked at one of the stores there!!
Also in Plaza Fiesta is "Atlanta's Farmer's Market" - "Sweet," I was thinking, "I can get fresh food there!" Well, yes, that's true. Along with fresh veggies they had FRESH meat and fish. By fresh I mean they were still alive (the fish for the most part). Anyone who knows me knows I was pretty taken back by this; I hate seeing that. This Market was a combination of Asian and Mexican food. Fresh food. It smelled not so good. I've never seen so much fish in packages with their beady little eyes staring back at me. Eeeww. If I go back I'm just going back for the veggies.
Right, so continue on with me as I drive back to my apartment. I realize I need gas, so I get gas. While I'm getting gas I look around me and notice how many Mexicans there are! I seriously just can't get over it. The cool thing was that since they were talking pretty loud I was able to hear them and I actually understood some of what they were talking about.
This is such a fun place to be! I'm being careful and watching my surroundings, but I just think it's interesting how literally just up the road from me are cultures merging together and then going down the road the opposite way it's the 'rich' area with gated apartment complexes and homes I've only seen in movies. Crazy.
I'm going to attempt to apply for a job at Hollywood Video and then start another book! Take care...and comment...I wanna know I'm not talking to myself...
When life gives you lemons do you ever feel like taking them and squeezing them over paper cuts??? That's kinda how I feel right now: angry, sad, upset, frustrated, mad - an array of emotions for something I have absolutely no control over.
It seems that whenever I leave home there's a family emergency. My grandma is not doing so well and I may be flying home for a few days very soon to be with the family. The thing that really hurts me is that my parents had to cancel their European vacation.
...Now I don't want you to get the wrong impression about me or my family - Family comes before everything, including vacations...but if you only knew!
When I was studying in England my parents had plans to come out and see me. Not just plans, but EVERYTHING reserved and ready to go. And then my dad was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer stopped him from seeing another country. Cancer stopped them from going on a trip together. Cancer stopped him from everything. And then after too many chemotherapy treatments the oncologist gave him the 'all clear' talk - he was in remission. As soon as we heard that my parents started planning their other trip - this one a Mediterranian cruise with a few extra days in Spain and England.
So here it is Sunday, just three days before they're supposed to leave for paradise and they had to call and cancel their trip.
Simply put, the timiming absolutely sucks. They're already re-re-schedualing it for September but I mean, geez, now I have to put up with four more months of my dad asking me where he can get his London hat - I've told him the place about a million times already!
As for my Nana, I was thinking about this last night before I went to bed. She doesn't really talk to anyone anymore, she just listens all the time, so I kinda stepped back and tried to put myself in her shoes. If I were her I wouldn't have any hesitation for dying. When she gets to heaven there are going to be so many people waiting for her - close family members I've never met because they died before I was born! She'll get to be with her Mama and Papa again, her husband - my grandfather whom I never met, her brother, her son and two of her grandchildren! Obviously that's just off the top of my head, there are hundreds more but how cool is that??!!!!
Well, I think I've officially run out of things to say. I'm gonna go return a lamp.
:( I have a canker sore that is seriously hurting right now. On top of that my throat is hurting a little...I'm going to have to stay on top of these things and keep healthy. On a lighter note - I finished my second day of work today. I don't really have an excuse for not writing yesterday...
So far I've done a lot of fact checking for the next issue. It is SO COOL to see the magazine being put together. I'm calling all sorts of different resorts, in the US and outside of the country, checking websites and reading over pages and pages of text. I've even contributed to the issue. First of all, a picture of my ipod will be there and I came up with the blurbs for the pictures on the Contents page! Along with that I've been doing some editing and catching mistakes here and there!!! Next week - the week we go to press - everyone proofreads everything to catch even more mistakes. Today, along with fact checking, I opened a lot of mail - some as far back as 2 years ago. The mail was incredible: resorts, cruises, freebies; all these companies just wanting a mention in the magazine!
I might just be in the 'honeymoon stage' for this 'job' but I'm loving it so far! As soon as this issue goes to press they start right up on the issue after that - so I'll get to see it all from the beginning.
I am so glad I"m out here. Despite the fact that i'm stuck in my room right now and my only option is to watch a movie or go to sleep - I can't drive around anymore...already spent money on coffee and lunch. I did apply for two jobs, I'm not expecting anything though. OH! This girl I work with, Mia (the graphic designer), said she'd call me this weekend. Apparently there's a jazz festival in one of the parks.
No clue what I'm doing this weekend - might window shop at Ikea, rumor has it they're having a 50% off sale, and they hardly ever have sales! time for a movie.
Started out the morning with a full tank of gas.
Slept in late
Stopped by travelgirl - ridiculously nice people. Tiny building. They use MACs to make the magazine
Had lunch at The Varsity - "The best onion rings ever," said Chris.
Took Chris to the airport
Got lost downtown
Went to the Atlanta Aquarium - saw whales, penguins, nemo, jelly fish, octopus, petted sting rays, a shark, starfish and shrimp.
Got lost downtown again
Finally asked for directions
Got lost again
Sat in traffic on the freeway - note to self, avoid the highway as much as possible
Made it back to my area
Drove in circles around my neighborhood.
Bought a lamp. Forgot lightbulbs - it's dark in my room now.
Bought sheets for my bed
Drove some more trying to figure this place out.
Got lost around my neighborhood some more
Found my way back home
Took a nap.
Went out again for a lightbulb, but got sidetracked by looking for coffee.
FINALLY found coffee.
Picked up application to Barnes and Noble
Found my apartment on the first try coming back....HALF a tank later
Watched the series finally of Alias.
Cried.
Now I am going to sleep.
...The last time I was in NYC I decided it was too busy for me to live there; the people were too impersonal and the city literally never slept, but I also ruled out wanting to live in Las Cruces; too low key for me and I got/get bored very easily. Albuquerque fits me like a glove - but sometimes it's a little too snug and I need to get out of there (sorry for that analogy - it sucked, i know). Atlanta seems to be the mix I've been looking for. It's a cross between big metropolitan city and suburbia.
I still realize I've only been here a day and a half, but the weird thing is that I can see myself here (once I figure out these damn streets!!!) in the future. Maybe not forever, but definitely for more than two months and with a job that actually pays me! Speaking of jobs...I go in tomorrow for my first day. Wish me luck.
I'm very tired so I'll make this kinda short. Today was good, I'm officially moved into my new place. It's ridiculously white and empty - but it'll more than do.
Chris and I got some bad news this morning that my Nana was admitted into the hospital, from what I hear, she's not doing well. I hate being away from family during crises - this makes two so far. I feel guilty for not being there, but I know there's nothing I can do if I were there.
tomorrow before chris leaves we're gonna tour the CNN Headquarters place... i'm tired and my thoughts aren't coherent even to myself. i'm not even thinking about spelling.
night
Atlanta: Smells like green! Seriously, everywhere we went tonight smelled like the lawn was just mowed - it was wonderful!
After over 20 hours of driving Chris and I made it to Atlanta. The area, I have to admit, is A LOT nicer than I thought it would be. We checked into our hotel and then made the short drive to check out a room I found online...
No more stressing because tomorrow I'm taking my security deposit to her - I got the room! The girl, Laura's her name, just graduated from Georgia Tech and lives in a very nice condo. It's a gated commuinity and my room is pretty spacious - it's a shame I don't have anything to fill it with! The best part is that the location is PERFECT! It's about 10 minutes from where I'll be working and only a few minutes from shopping centers and a mall I'll have to refrain from because I'm pretty skimp on money this summer.
My new roommate (how ironic that her name is Laura!) seems really nice. I'm already crossing my fingers she'll introduce me to people, I don't want to be that annoying girl who doesn't have friends and is kinda just a tag-along, but I kinda get the impression she might invite me to hang out with her sometimes...cross your fingers with me!
Chris and I drove around tonight and I have to say - I already love this city. It's eclectic, trendy, young and I felt an awesome vibe while we were riding around. I think I'm going to attempt to get a part-time job; I'll just have to lie and say I'm moving here.
Oh, on our way over here Chris and I saw some pretty funny town names: Lotawahta, Chattanooga, "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" (I kid you not!), Oglethorpe, Bartow... just funny, or maybe they aren't funny but after you're driving for as long as we did, things just become funnier. We also saw more roadkill than I ever thought possible!
I am SO glad I'm out here right now...so excited for what's to come. I'm also really happy Chris came with me! Hopefully I'll get to stop by Travelgirl tomorrow and see what's going on there, I'd like Chris to see where I'm going to be for the summer. Then, before he leaves to go back home, we're going to drive around the city and see what else there is to do here.
Well, I"m pretty tired...not really used to this two-hour time difference yet...so i'm gonna hit the sack!
Chris and I just got to Little Rock, Arkansas. To be honest, the 14-hour drive wasn't bad at all...somewhat enjoyable actually!
I picked the hotel we're at right now for their free internet connection because I'm still trying to finda place to live AND I also need to book a hotel room tomorrow night.
I might be a little closer to finding a place to live now...I finally found an awesome listing on craigslist.org - now I'm just literally praying the girl writes back. I'm asking you to do the same, pray she calls or emails me back - I'm tired of stressing about this.
That's all. Time to get dinner and read some of my book.
"I don't know" seems to be the most over used phrase for me in the past week or so. "Where are you going to live?" I don't know. "Are you going to get another job?" I don't know. "When are you coming back?" I don't know...it goes on and on like that. What I do know is that I'm leaving tomorrow (Sunday) at 4 a.m. with my brother and the goal is to make it to Little Rock, Arkansas to sleep. Other than that - I don't know.
Since there's a possibility I might recieve credit in marketing for this internship I have to keep a journal of what I do each day and turn it in to my advisor at the beginning of the next semester. With that said, I will do my best to post daily what goes on, but what I would really like is if you guys (yes, you) would post comments. Ask me questions about what I'm doing, or anything you wanted to know about the magazine business. Once I get out there I'm putting all of my attention on learning as much as possible and the more questions I have to ask the better.
So my newest plan, actually my parents had the idea, is to just go out there and stay in a hostel or on this family friend's couch 'till I find a place. I don't really want to do that, I'd rather just go out there and have a place already.
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I sure hope this internship is really all I'm making it out to be. If not it's only a couple months, right? right.
yup, it's starting to happen...i'm getting a little nervous about leaving. My routine habits have started to appear, and I can only seem to get rid of the constant headache I have with a glass of wine or sleep.
Still no place to live. I feel like I'm getting closer, but not really. "I take one step forward and two steps back," sings Keith Urban in one of his songs and actually that's exactly how I feel right now! I'm trying to pick a place to live in a city I know nothing about except it's one of the largest populated cities in America and is considered the "Los Angeles of the South" by several tour books. It's compared to Los Angeles because the traffic is almost bumper-to-bumper basically anywhere you are in the city.
What I might do is either sleep in a hostel for a few days so I can actually see some of these places and make sure they aren't taking me for a ride with the prices they want to charge me, or crash on a distant family friend's couch.
...it's time to start packing...
I just got off the phone with Mike. I absolutely love talking to him - we somehow seem to pump each other up about our silly dreams. He makes me feel spectacular about moving to Atlanta and always boosts my confidence about guys (or lack of them). In the same respect, I get equally as excited hearing about the awesome things happening in his life. I love hearing about then new girl he's seeing and how he wants to make a good impression on her. Listening to him talk about what he wants to do in life just excites and motivates me about my life even more.
To be honest, if there was one person I thought I might lose touch with after high school, it was Mike. I made exhausting effort over the past four years, sometime feeling like giving up hope on him - but I think during the past two years our friendship has grown into something I'm proud of and more than content with.
The same can really be said about most of my friends. Now, four years after high school, I am still in contact with those whom I've chosen to stay in touch with. I think I can count them on my own two hands, and I like it like that.
I'm not as nervous or scared about moving to Atlanta as I think I should be. I realize i'm going to have culture shock as well as shock in general (due to the weather, etc), but I'm more excited than anything. I am SO excited to have this opportunity - to intern at a magazine.
I've been in classes at NMSU where we go around and say what we want to do in life. "I want to work for a travel magazine," I always say. The thing is, since I'm taking mostly journalism classes I'm not the only one to say that. Basically saying my dream out loud has always been just that - a dream. Could it be that this is the first step for making this come true? It is very very surreal and unbelievable.
So excited!!!!
.....fyi - a nervous, 'i'm freaked out beyond belief,'- what the hell am I doing moving to Atlanta blog will be on it's way later this week!
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