Back to New England

This weekend I made my first trip back to New England since being in New York City. I went back to school for some College Democrats events, but also to visit my friends who hadn't gone away for the semester. It was a bit weird being back after living "city" life for the past month, but it was really nice to see everyone. Despite the long travel (I left my house in NYC at 7:15am on Friday and made it to school at 3:00pm) it was definitely worth it to go away for the weekend. On Friday night, the College Democrats and I went to a dinner at Tufts University to meet Governor Patrick of MA. We had the honor of attending as we placed in second during a voter registration competition in the fall. The only downfall to the evening was the traffic- it took us two hours to make a 45 minute drive! Nonetheless, it was great to be recognized for all of the hard work that our chapter does throughout the year, and to meet the Governor. Here is a picture of us with him: Saturday it was brutally cold outside (thanks, Massachusetts!!) but my friends and I decided to do some shopping at the Wrentham Outlets. Despite the cold, we each found some great deals.  I got a new Guess peacoat valued at $200 for only $43! My friends each got a pair of boots for great prices as well. To top off our purchases, we stopped by the candy store and got some chocolates. Who could pass up 4 bags of Lindt truffles for a total of $10?! Then, back at school we had one of my favorite meals "pastabilities" and went back to our (or, I suppose, "their") dorm for a girls movie night complete with our favorite dessert- fro-yo. I tried a new flavor, York Mint with chocolate. It was delicious! For movies we chose Valentine's Day (very cute!) and the Italian Job. I unfortunately fell asleep during the middle of the Italian Job, as my sleep schedule is now opposite the average college student's. I'm not used to staying up past 10 or 11 anymore! Today, Sunday, we went to the cafeteria for brunch, and before I knew it again I was hopping on the shuttle so I could catch the bus back to NYC, where I'm actually writing this from! I was lucky enough to catch the 1:30 bus even though I payed for a 2:30 ticket. That way I won't be getting back to the house too late tonight. Tomorrow I have the day off from work, and I don't even have to go to class because it's President's Day (although I have to go on Tuesday night instead). I'm looking forward to relaxing and working on some publicity stuff for one of my internships. I also have to do some grocery shopping as I haven't gone in a while thanks to the large amount of food my parents mailed to me. I also want to thank the lovely ladies of Suite 103 (and Kathleen, of course!) for housing me and letting me use their HillCards, since mine is currently frozen. Hopefully you'll be able to visit me in New York sometime soon!

Lesson 3: Keep Calm and Carry On

Let's be honest, things are going to happen that we're not all so happy about. If you're me, you are used to freaking out and getting pissed off at a lot of little things. When living in the fast-paced city of New York, there is no time for freaking out no matter what happens. I've noticed during my morning commute that a lot of things tend to go the opposite of how I would like them to. It begins with the small annoyances, like the computerized "Ladies and Gentleman, we are delayed because of train traffic ahead of us. Please be patient." I hear these words almost every morning (sometimes multiple times!) but there's nothing I can do about it. I have to sit (if I'm lucky enough to get a seat) there and wait for the train to keep moving. 

Then there are those things which for me at least are a pretty big deal. The first occurred a few weeks ago. The guy standing next to me on the subway started throwing up on the people sitting down in front of him. For any of you that know me, I do NOT deal with vomit! I don't even want to know when other people have a stomach ache! But what was I to do? The train was moving, we were underground, all I could do was put as much distance between him and me as possible- and believe me I did! I pushed my way through everyone to the other end of the car, took some deep breaths, and tried not to freak out. For the next few days, I was so afraid that someone was going to puke on me on the train. Of course, it can happen at any time, but there's no use worrying about it.

And then today, a bird decided to poop in my hair just as I was getting on the train. The funny thing is, I had just taken a shower and thought to myself "Hey, my hair looks good today." Not for long! When I felt that "plop" I just knew what happened. It was too late to go back home to wash my hair again, so I took the tissues out of my purse and wiped it the best I could. After the hour ride on the subway to work, I went straight to the bathroom and used a combination of paper towels, soap, and water to wash my hair the best I could. The smell was still there a little (and oh GOD did it reek), but I moved on with my day until I could get home and take another shower. Fun, fun. 

Lesson 3: Things that you don't like are going to happen to you. There's nothing you can do about it, so do your best to hold your composure and move on with your life. 

Korean Food: The Experience

Tonight I was lucky enough to meet up with one of my good friends from high school, Fay. She and her friend Lilly had interviews in the city, and we got dinner together. They brought me to K-town (Korean Town) and we went to an amazing restaurant. I ordered chicken with fried rice off of the menu (safe choice for this first time eating Korean), and imagine my surprise to all of the appetizers we got! In Korean restaurants, they bring out little bowls of a bunch of different appetizers for you. There were vegetables, potatoes, even some egg soup type of thing. It was really cool! I was proud of myself and tried everything but this one dish that was really spicy. 

Then it came time for my actual meal (that also came with miso soup!). It was huge, and so delicious. When I thought fried rice, I was expecting something you can get at the mall. Not here! It was more of flavored rice, with vegetables, egg, and the chicken. I was glad it was a lot healthier than I thought it was going to be. I was even so full that I took half of it home. Another day of not cooking for me!

The best part of the meal was the drink they bring you at the end. It is a cinnamon iced tea kind of deal. Sounds weird, but it was so amazing. I wanted to buy a whole gallon of it (which you can't, of course). I guess the drink is supposed to help cleanse your palette after the meal. For me, it was a wonderful dessert treat believe it or not! Another great thing? I only spent $17 total including tax and tip. What a bargain for all of the food we got! 

Of course, it was also nice to spend time with Fay and to meet Lilly. I'm glad they took me somewhere I had never been, and introduced me to another culture. Good food, good company, wonderful evening! 

Book Signing | The Rules According to JWOWW by Jenni 'JWOWW' Farley

Today after work I headed over to the Borders at Columbus Circle to attend JWoww's book signing. It was a great experience! I got there at about 4:30 and the event was to start at 7:00. I'm so glad I got there when I did... I was near the front of the line, but some other people were NOT so lucky. While waiting, what else was I to do but begin reading the new book I just purchased. I'm actually impressed with it, too. So far The Rules According to JWoww is quite entertaining, and it's not leaving me totally brain dead. 

Of course the real reason I waited in line for 2.5 hours was to meet Jenni! She showed up only fifteen minutes late (rather good for a big name), and the frenzy began. The media was allowed to take photographs first. Then the line started moving quickly as Jenni started signing books. The guidelines were as follows: no personal messages in the book (only her signature), you could only meet her if you purchased a book, and no photos at the podium. When it was my turn to get my book signed, I was so excited. JWoww is absolutely gorgeous, and she was so nice. Definitely worth the wait! 

I tried to take some pictures, but with the fast-paced setting, most of them came out blurry. Here are a few of the good ones:

When she first came out and everyone went crazy:

She's signing away:

And, of course, the autograph signed in pink:

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Law and Order

This week I got sent on my first mission to the court house. I had to file an order (a multiple step process), deliver it to a judge in a different court house, and pick it up the next day. I was pretty intimidated at first, since first you have to go through security like you do at the airport, and then find the right room, stand in the right line, hand in the right papers, etc. Most of the people were really nice, and explained things to me as I went along. There were just a couple of people that got annoyed when I asked a simple question. Oh, the bureaucracy. 

Nonetheless, it was pretty cool to be doing these errands. The court houses are all old inside and out. In one of them the elevators are even run by operators! Here are some of the pictures I took with my phone:

This is the first court house I went into. They film Law and Order on those steps all the time:

This is the statue in the center of Foley Square, where the court houses are:

Here is another court house. I didn't have to go in here:

My Internship (So far)

This past week I began working at my internship. I'm working in a small law office. It's really laid back (be jealous, I get to wear jeans), and so far my projects have been pretty cool. My boss is really nice, and seems to trust me and the quality of my work already, which is great. I like that it is low key, but the commuting is rather tiring. I have to take a bus, a train, and another train before I get to work. The commute is about an hour each way. If I can get I seat, I pull out a book to read. On the way home, however, the trains have been really crowded. I'm sure within a week or two I'll get used to it. 

One of the great things about my job is the location. It's on Park Avenue right on the corner of 34th street. On that street there are lots of restaurants and places to shop. Ever heard of Macy's, the world's largest store? It's just a few blocks down. When I got out of work the other day, I took a walk down 34th. Since I'm on a tight budget, I only let myself buy things in Sephora, where I had a gift card. I figure if I can save most of my money for the end of the semester I can go crazy then. I also hope so see at least a few shows while I'm here, so I'm saving for those as well.

Other than that there hasn't been anything else exciting going on. The weather has been pretty bad lately (tons of snow!), so I don't feel like leaving the house unless I have to. So far it looks like this coming week is going to be sunny! I can't wait for that. Also, I would love some visitors! Just something for you all to keep in mind :) 

Lazy Days & My First Class

The past few days have been pretty boring for me. I don't start my internship until tomorrow (yay!) so I have been hanging around the house pretty much. This weekend there were only a few of us in the house. We made the best of it, though, and went to the Museum of Natural History on Saturday. It was really cool! The place is huge, and there is so much to see. It is really tiring, though. Students get in for a suggested donation of $12, but that means that if you don't want to pay anything you don't have to. You can check out the museum's website here for more information. Here are some pictures that I took:

Some "animals" from the Africa exhibit:

Wooly Mammoth fossils:

T-Rex fossils:

Blue whale (sorry about the dots, don't know why that happened):

Yesterday I had my first class at Fordham. I'm taking The US Congress. It will transfer credits over to my Political Science major. The class is just under 3 hours long since it's only once per week. My professor is a Bronx native, and a Democrat. That's always great to know! The class seems really easy so far, and the professor is really laid back. I have a few chapters to read for my next class, but most of it seems like review from a class I took freshman year. One thing I also noticed about Fordham is the diversity. My class not only had a number of students from different ethnicities, but there were some adults studying as well. I have been craving this diverse classroom setting! It should be a great semester.