Monday, February 28, 2005 01:38 p.m.
The past several days have been crap. Cold and gray... not much happening on the job front... I haven't felt very inspired creatively... just blah. And my cat caught and killed a mouse on Saturday morning. Yes, that's right: caught and killed a mouse. In the apartment. We have mice. Imagine my joy.
This week has nowhere to go but up.
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Monday, February 21, 2005 07:55 p.m.
After several days of deliberation, I have decided not to take the job I was offered with this Internet marketing company. I know I'm making the right decision, but it feels weird to be turning down work at a time when I could really use the money. On the bright side, I have another interview lined up for tomorrow afternoon with a completely different type of place. Wish me luck.
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Sunday, February 20, 2005 05:25 p.m.
I was offered a job on Friday. Finally! I am now trying to decide whether or not to take it - more info to come once I have sorted everything out.
In the meantime, here's a photo I took while walking through Washington Park earlier today:
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Thursday, February 17, 2005 10:23 a.m.
My Yahoo! stock options expire today, and I just sold them all at a pretty shitty rate since I am about to go out of the house for a large chunk of the day. I doubt I will end up losing out on much... Yahoo! stock hasn't been doing too well lately and I should have sold everything weeks ago.
The end of an era...
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Wednesday, February 16, 2005 08:34 a.m.
It has been nearly 3 months since I have worked. Finding a job is turning out to be a very slow process, and I'm frustrated. I would love to be making some money at this point, to be contributing to our savings instead of feeling like a dead weight. At the same time, I can't deny it: I'm really enjoying all of the free time that being unemployed affords me. I feel more relaxed than I have in years. I have been able to research our business venture, go to the gym and explore Albany on a daily basis. And it's been great spending lots of time with my family and catching up with old friends.
This past weekend was fantastic. I saw my friend Burr play on Friday night in Mt. Kisco, NY. On Saturday, I drove into NYC and reunited with 3 old friends: Gil (my health guru), Amanda (my high school roommate) and Joyce (my ex-boyfriend's sister). Joyce's fiancé Ken recently opened a little music room in the East Village, where I hung out for several wine-and-tune-filled hours. I drove back to the suburbs on Sunday morning, after a leisurely breakfast at Zabar's (delicious coffee). I lovelovelove New York City. I can spend an afternoon doing nothing but aimlessly walking the streets and come away feeling refreshed, motivated and creatively inspired. I can't wait to go back, hopefully with more money next time. Too bad it is so damn expensive to live there (just to give you an idea: Amanda is currently paying over 00 per month for a tiny, one-person studio).
Here are a few pictures taken during the past few days for your viewing pleasure:
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Thursday, February 10, 2005 03:26 p.m.
Yesterday, as I was on my way home from running errands, I saw an old man sprawled out on the sidewalk a few feet from the entrance to our apartment building. I hurried over to him and asked, "Sir, are you OK?" He stared at me with glazed-over eyes, mumbled something inaudible, and reached out to me with a dirty glove. My natural instinct was to grab his hand, but something ... I know not what ... stopped me. "I'm going to call for help," I told him, then hauled ass upstairs and dialed 911. And then I sat at the window and watched as the ambulance arrived and four burly paramedics asked him some questions, took his vital signs, and strapped him to a gurney.
I think the guy was a drunken bum. Still, I am disappointed in myself for backing away when he reached out to me. Was it fear that caused my reaction? Street smarts? Snobbery? He ultimately got the help he needed, but I can't help but feel as though I failed some unknown test by not taking his hand.
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Wednesday, February 9, 2005 07:32 a.m
As you have likely noticed, I added a "Comments" section to this page (thanks to Amber for the behind-the-scenes assistance). I am having problems with the code, though, so it may be a while before this feature is fully functional.
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Tuesday, February 8, 2005 08:41 a.m.
I haven't much felt like writing lately, not sure why, but I figured it would be good to check in briefly anyway.
I'm still looking for a job. Unfortunately, even after an excellent phone interview, the situation I mentioned a few posts back did not end up working out. Back to square one. I've had to rock the abhorred suit/pantyhose/heels combo three times during the past week in my quest for employment... I get depressed every time I dress up like that because it is in strict opposition to my anti-sellout credo. I keep telling myself that a corporate office job is just a temporary stepping stone that will allow me and T to eventually achieve our larger goals... he is currently making the same sacrifice, after all. Still, resigning myself to an Office Space-esque lifestyle ain't easy... temporary or not. To ease the pain, I've begun earnestly working on our coffeehouse plan... at least the research aspect of the plan, which is HUGE. I've got so much to do (and so much to learn) in order to pull it off. I am determined to do it, though. Albany is the perfect spot for our venture. I am even more convinced of that now that I live here.
We've been doing a lot of entertaining these past few weeks. T's brother recently came over for a big, homecooked meal (prepared by yours truly), my mother spent a weekend here, and my father came for a pre-Super Bowl visit on Sunday. We're still unpacking, still hanging stuff on the walls, still wiring our complex computer/music network together... I haven't wanted to take any pictures of the place since it is in such a state of flux. I'll try to post a few soon.
Otherwise, I've been maintaining a somewhat boring, housewifely existence... working out at the YMCA almost every day, taking walks in the park and around the neighborhood (the temperature has been in the high 30ies lately, quite warm for February in NY), taking care of business at the bank, the DMV, etc., working the occasional shift at the food coop... stuff like that. Unemployed life is good, but it's not very exciting to write or talk about.
I've got a fun trip to NYC planned for this upcoming weekend. I'll be reuniting with Amanda, my long-lost boarding school roommate, and stopping by Rockwood Music Hall, a new East Village music venue recently opened by my friend Joyce's fiancé... among other things. Will try to get some photos of my city adventures as well.
And that's about it for now....
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