Saturday, June 28, 2008

MIGUEL VARGAS FOR PRESIDENTE!

My week has been eventful yet uneventful all at the same time. I've been surviving in the city which is eventful, but I STILL don't have a job which is uneventful.
My living arrangement in the new apartment has been ok. Since neither the husband or wife that I am living with speaks English very well, communication is kept to a minimum, (like I would want to anyway, jk.) The bathroom is horribly gross and I had never seen a plastic wood grain toilet seat until now.
I have managed to make it feel a little more like my own space by putting up pics and getting new bedding. But the first day of living here I realized that my room had been looked through. I typically would never notice something like this because I'm so messy, but for some reason I did this time. Not because I am a paranoid racist but because pictures and suitcases were obviously in different places than they were when I left. But that's nothing compared to me walking into the apartment the other night only to find Mr. Jimenez (my hispanic roomie) wearing nothing and walking to the bathroom while putting on a towel. My first week here and they apparently feel very comfortable around me?! But if I sit on a certain part of my bed I pick up the internet from the next door neighbors. PTL for the idiots who can't figure out how to put a password on the wifi. They also are going to cram 2 more pieces of furniture into my room soon, I'm not sure where they are going to put it though.
Last weekend I saw WICKED! It was probably the best thing I've ever seen, I do know every word to pretty much every song but I refrained from singing along. It was sold out and I had one of the best seats in the house! But it really made me want to see every show here!
I had double duty today and did 2 interviews, neither of which went that great. The first one was a cool experience because I got to take a train out of NYC for the first time and see the area around the city (from the train of course.) The interview lasted literally 5 minutes and they didn't even ask me any questions except why I don't go by Colby. So who know what will come of that. The job was to do PR and promotions for children's organizations like DARE and Make-A-Wish. So it would be could because I always thought I would want to do non-profit work at some point. They also require that you would have a car so you can drive to events which means I would have to go back to Abilene to get it if I got the job. Which sucks because I moved here feeling relieved that I wouldn't have to drive anywhere. The other interview was at Old Navy (a slight step up from my 6 month stint at Rue 21) and they actually had me work the dressing rooms during the interview to see how I would do. Of course since I had experience doing that at Rue 21 so I rocked it, especially since there weren't any panty bins to organize. But, the manager told me that she was skeptical about hiring me because I won't be able to be as flexible with my hours. But whatev, I got a second interview for Tuesday (I didn't know clothing stores did second interviews.)
This weekend has been a lot of fun! Angela came into town from New Jersey and Molly is in town with some of her family. We all went to the M&M store together and hung out. Then today Angela and I went and took her iPod to the Apple store and then went to Chinatown. Chinatown was crazy, I had only been that one other time I went to meet my relative. We saw all sorts of nasty fish and live frogs in buckets. But we ate at a really good Vietnamese restaurant that was cheap. We followed one of the ladies selling fake purses to the back of a store and Angela bought a fake bag and I bought a hand gun.
I showed Angela the campaign sticker on our door that says, "Victor Vargas for President" on our door, but then she pointed out to me that there is a sign in the hallway across from my apartment door that says, "BE CAREFUL WHEN GOING INTO THE ELEVATOR AND STAIRS. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ATTACKED!" I wasn't worried about my safety until now.
I have two new obsessions for the week, hand sanitizer and the new Coldplay cd. I have been listening/using both quite profusely this week. I'm turning into my Dad who uses hand sanitizer in an addictive sort of way. He keeps a huge value sized Purell with a pump in his cup holder. I haven't reached that point of obsession yet though.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

COME TO MY APT...WE'LL MAKE CHURROS!

The last few days of my life have been sooo intense.  Tuesday, I started my first day of work at Fretless Productions, where I am an office assistant/personal assistant.  As soon as I sat down to work my boss (who is also the owner) dropped of some peaches and told me that she wanted those washed and brought to her at lunch time.  Neat.  Then she turned to one of the other workers and said, "Can you go get me my coffee?"  So, Tori, the other assistant from Arlington, took me to the nearest Starbucks  CHURROS and told me that our boss Andree likes a venti, decaf, with a shot of espresso.  Then you have to pour out some of the coffee and fill it up again with half and half.  At lunch I had to fetch her an $8 cheese and I learned how to make her her "juice"  You take a bottle of Poland Springs water pour out the first two inches of water into an empty bottle and store that in the refrigerator and then replace the missing water with cranberry juice, making some sort of really diluted juice/Vitamin Water looking stuff.  But I can't complain too much, she raved about how great my first day was and was super nice (and a super chain smoker.)  
Wednesday (yesterday), wasn't so good.  I was at working just sort of messing around on the computer (what I do at every job) and saw that I had an email from the lady I interviewed with at the PR firm telling me that they had decided to go with a different candidate.  I literally wanted to punch the computer screen.  It was dumb of me to get so excited about that interview.  I mean, who gets the first job they interview for right out of college?  I guess I was just super excited about the position and the company and let myself get too excited.  I had to walk into a different part of the office just to get away and think.  It really put me in a horrible mood.  But, when I came back to my computer, I had an e-mail from someone at a small PR firm that told me to give them a call when I got the e-mail.  So I gave her a call, and it was a friend of one of my roommates who knew I was looking for a job and wanted my resume and said that they were hiring.  This definitely shows that God always opens one door when he closes another.  Even if this doesn't work out, God always provides me with something to keep me from consistently being discouraged!  When I left work, I wanted to go sit, pray, read my Bible and just really think about things.  So I went downtown, and had just sat down at a table and it starts pouring down rain.  The subway was no where near where I was, so I had to walk through the rain without an umbrella.  I sorta felt like I was in some sort of crazy movie where someone is having a bad day and they walk through the rain as like some sort of symbol.  I was literally living out the saying, "When it rains it pours."  But, I was able to make it home and dry off in time to watch So You Think You Can Dance? and eat ice cream.  
Today, I knew was the day that I knew I HAD to find a new apartment.  So, I left work a little early and met with this guy who said that he could hook me up with a cheap apartment.  I get there and his office is in a pawn shop.  Red flag?  It should have been.  I'm in there with 2 other ladies who are also looking for places.  I was actually really glad they were there because I don't know that I would have gone through with anything if they hadn't convinced me that it was the real deal.  He then tells me that he gave away the apartment that I had asked for him to hold for me that was downtown.  I almost walked out.  But I asked what else he had, and he said an apartment in Sugar Hill.  I didn't know what that was but the ladies said it was nice.  So, I went and looked at it.  The neighborhood is a little nicer that what I have been used too and the apartment complex is nice too.  When I knocked on the door a Hispanic man answered the door, and he didn't speak any English.  He showed me the bedroom which was about the same size as what I have now and I have easy access to the bathroom, but no access to the kitchen...we'll see about that.  When they showed me the bathroom I noticed there were turtles swimming in the bathtub.  They told me (in their own special hard to understand way) that they aren't always in there.  They showed me that they sleep in plastic drawers, you know, the kind that you can get at Wal-Mart and it has wheels?  So, I'm sharing the bathroom with, not only an elderly Hispanic couple but 3 turtles.  The only thing that REALLY has me worried, is I don't think they have Internet.  I asked and he just looked at me.  I tried to ask in several different ways and it just ended with him showing me where all the outlets were.  If there is no Internet, I seriously don't know what will happen.  So, that's my new apartment.  I have to pay week by week, which is amazing.  That way I can bail when bigger and better things come along.  

Monday, June 16, 2008

JOEY...THIS IS ESTELLE!

Today, I got my first job in NYC.  I know, I know. But don't get too excited for me yet.  It's definitely a lot different that I had imagined it.  I'm working at Fretless Productions, a small music representation company.  This is only a part time job that will provide a little help for me until I can find a career type job.  
The lady that owns the business runs it out of an apartment that she has so wonderfully scented with cigarette smoke.  (Think of Joey's manager Estelle from Friends.)  She told me that I would be getting paid $8 an hour (I was originally promised $10) and that my duties would include being an office assistant, personal assistant, and setting up PR for her company.  She said one of the main reasons that she picked me was so that I could help create advertising for her company.  How can she expect me to create an entire PR plan for her when I'm getting paid $8 an hour and working 3 days a week?  Fortunately, I will be working with one of her "child stars" Laura, who is grown up now and trying to make it in the city.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping Laura pulls out typical child star stories about the glory days, drugs, and sexcapades.  
But at least I'm getting paid every week, but judging on how the office is run, I'll probably be paid in spare change that she found in her purse.  All I know is I'm gonna be recommending myself to sing in a commercial especially if it's something cool like McDonald's.
I didn't hear back from the place that I really wanted to work today, I'm still praying that they call.  But I'm giving up hope Wednesday at 5:00.  
So I'm back to applying at every random place I can think of.  But don't expect to see me at Subway, I'm waaay to good for that.
My mom sent me a magazine in the mail today.  To most people this wouldn't have been a big deal.  But, with me being on a tight budget, I hadn't looked at a magazine since I got here.  I've had to rely on E! online for all my celeb news.  So getting a magazine in the mail was the icing on my cake.  

Sunday, June 15, 2008

I HAVE A DEFORMED LEFT EAR

The last few days have been filled with splurging and going to the movies again, rain, Arizona Green Tea, and extreme withdrawals because I'm not able to watch So You Think You Can Dance.
Thankfully the rain has been making it less humid and causing me perspire less.  I also realized that my vice had become drinking Arizona Green Tea.  You know the kind I'm talking about, the 99 cent tall can with a geisha on the side.  I had the same sort of vice my freshman year of college too, except with a nightly red Gatorade and a bag of Funyans.  I've always liked that kind of Green Tea, but now that I'm on a budget I crave it.  Mainly because with my new CVS card I can buy 1 get one free.  So you better believed I stocked up on those bad boys and have 4 unopened cans sitting in a drawer underneath Jordan's bed, which she cleaned out for me to put clothes in.  But, I wanted it to feel more like home so instead of putting my clothes in the drawer I dumped them all in the floor.  I'm sure if Jordan (who I'm assuming is a neat freak judging by how the room looked before I moved in) would flip if she saw how "settled in" I have become.  
I've also realized something very strange about New York City.  Everything weird that happens, people reply by saying, "Only in New York,"  and use this as a cop out or way of justifying people being idiots.  Like when I went and saw the Happening, it was a packed matinee show and a lady starts screaming at the person next to her about 10 minutes in saying something like, "Shut the !@@$% up!  I'm trying to watch the movie!"  There was a lot more to it but that's the jist.  But the people sitting next to me just turned to each other and said, "Only in New York."  But last week I was walking down the sidewalk and I heard these two women (who I'm pretty sure were strangers) were yelling at each other on the sidewalk.  One women said, "Oh my gosh!  You are just ridiculous! You're crazy!"  To which to other lady said, "Welp, this is New York.  What do you expect?"
My job interviews last week went really well!  I had a really big exciting one at a PR firm called Weber Shandwick.  This would be the kind of job that I was hoping I would get when I moved to NYC.  It's a position for a Assistant Coordinator which translates to pee-on, but either way, I would love to be that company's pee-on.  The interview went well, it deals with travel and tourism which was perfect because that's all I dealt with in my internship in Abilene.  Plus, she was super impressed I brought old press releases I had written to show because that is a major part of the job.  They said they would let me know early this week if I get a second interview.  So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying hard!  But I basically rocked it, and no, I didn't make any of my strange noises or wear anything with polka dots.  
The other job that I interviewed for was a part time position at a music management company called Fretless Production.  The company is a 2 person company, the owner is only in the office 2-3 times a week and her only employee Tori, runs the office the rest of the time.  So they want me to help out and just do random stuff.  The company represents vocalists that are only interested in recording jingles, radio ads, and back up tracks.  It would sort of be a fun job (until I find a career) and I'd be able to judge, I mean listen, to all the people that she represents.  I meet with them tomorrow for a second interview, I also have a funny feeling I'm the only person they interviewed....
I've recently realized that my left ear doesn't hold in those iPod ear buds.  I've gone my whole life never realizing it.  The last portable music device I had was a red discman in the 9th grade which had real headphones.  But now my Dad gave me his old iShuffle (thanks Dad) so I've been trying to use it and my left ear is physically incapable of holding the ear bud.  What a predicament.  

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I HATE HUMIDITY!

These last few days have been eventful yet uneventful at the same time.  It's hard to think of stories and events that have happened because I do everything by myself.  I'm not sure what is more sad about that...the fact that I don't have any friends yet or that I broadcast on the Internet that I'm a loner in a city of millions.  
Have I ever mentioned that I HATE humidity?  I have always hated it and been thoroughly annoyed by any place that is humid.  I knew New York was going hot, but of course when I get here the temperatures are record breaking and there have been light showers at night making it humid during the day.  Most people wouldn't care, but I have the tendency to get extremely sweaty.  Yesterday, I went to go meet with a lady who was going to give me some pointers about finding a job, so I get dressed up because this is one of my first big New York meetings.  I barely make it there and I start sweating hardcore style.  So, I do a sweat check before I go in and I think, "Okay, I'm not that bad."  Later when I went to bathroom I noticed I had a really classy back sweat stain all over my back.  Yessss.   So, it's been like that for the last few days, I walk any where and I end up looking like I ran a freakin' 5K. 
I spent a portion of the weekend not feeling well and the other just taking a break and relaxing and trying not to worry about finding a job and trying to enjoy being in New York.  I am finally understanding the subways system a lot better!   This week has been going really great for me, I had meeting with different people today and yesterday all providing great advice for me in looking for a job.  The meeting I went to today was with a Staffing Agency and I thought he was going to have an interview set up for me, but didn't.  I became really frustrated, and for the first time really doubted me being here and what exactly God's direction was.  Then, later in the afternoon I got a call for an interview at a really large public relations firm here in New York.  God is so good and definitely provided me reassurance.

Friday, June 6, 2008

I MOVED TO NYC FOR THE CELEBRITIES...

After spending a whole semester in Digital Portfolio creating a resume, my parents tell me that my resume isn't very good and that I should have someone on Monster.com re-write it.  So for about $100 you can send Monster your resume and they will change it and make it freakin' good.  There is no way I could have every written any of that.  Deceiving to my future employer?  Probably, but I'm desperate.  But I don't have a printer, so I went to Kinko's and accidently printed off 10 copies of the wrong resume and didn't realize until like an hour later.  Awesome.  But because my life as an unemployed post-grad is majorly chaotic, I went to Chinatown to goof around for a few hours until I was supposed to have dinner with one of my relatives.  So I wander around Chinatown for a while and decide that I really want to try Bubble Tea.  That crap is everywhere in Chinatown,  sooo many people were walking around drinking it.  So I realize that I have time to kill so I go into this coffeeshop and order a strawberry Bubble Tea.  I had no idea it was like little jello balls.  They sorta looked like chocolate chips, I knew they weren't, but I figured if they look like chocolate chips they should be good.  Bad logic.  
So after I chewed my tea, I decided it was time for more wandering around so I wander outside of Chinatown and find myself in a nice business district on the Lower East Side near the Brooklyn bridge.  So I looked around for a while and I decide that I wanted to go sit at this small park that was really shaded and had a fountain.  I sit down and a man comes up to me and says, "Are you in the cast?"  I look at him funny and say no.  He then tells me that I have to move to a different bench because they are about to start filming there.  So I'm like Ok.  So I move to a different bench.  Within minutes of me moving, I see Josh Duhamel in the exact spot that I was just in!  So for the next 30 minutes I sat and watched them shoot the same scene over and over of Josh Duhamel walking down the sidewalk talking on the phone and then he runs into a tree.  I figured out that the movie is called "When in Rome" with Kristen Bell, John Heder and Danny DeVito.  I was super pumped that my first New York celebrity citing was also while they were shooting a movie.  I kept waiting for other celebs to show up (hopefully Fergie) but no one ever did.  
I later met up with my relative at the Peking Duck Restaurant in Chinatown and it was really nice and the food was great.  It was me and a lot of adults talking about business, which I had no idea what they were talking about.  But I didn't really get any job leads from the dinner which was my whole intention of going but oh well.   I got to take home everyones leftovers! Whoop!  I'm excited about spending my first weekend here. I don't know what I'll do, but hopefully it involves more celebrities! 

I MOVED TO NYC FOR THE CELEBRITIES...

After spending a whole semester in Digital Portfolio creating a resume, my parents tell me that my resume isn't very good and that I should have someone on Monster.com re-write it.  So for about $100 you can send Monster your resume and they will change it and make it freakin' good.  There is no way I could have every written any of that.  Deceiving to my future employer?  Probably, but I'm desperate.  But I don't have a printer, so I went to Kinko's and accidently printed off 10 copies of the wrong resume and didn't realize until like an hour later.  Awesome.  But because my life as an unemployed post-grad is majorly chaotic, I went to Chinatown to goof around for a few hours until I was supposed to have dinner with one of my relatives.  So I wander around Chinatown for a while and decide that I really want to try Bubble Tea.  That crap is everywhere in Chinatown,  sooo many people were walking around drinking it.  So I realize that I have time to kill so I go into this coffeeshop and order a strawberry Bubble Tea.  I had no idea it was like little jello balls.  They sorta looked like chocolate chips, I knew they weren't, but I figured if they look like chocolate chips they should be good.  Bad logic.  
So after I chewed my tea, I decided it was time for more wandering around so I wander outside of Chinatown and find myself in a nice business district on the Lower East Side near the Brooklyn bridge.  So I looked around for a while and I decide that I wanted to go sit at this small park that was really shaded and had a fountain.  I sit down and a man comes up to me and says, "Are you in the cast?"  I look at him funny and say no.  He then tells me that I have to move to a different bench because they are about to start filming there.  So I'm like Ok.  So I move to a different bench.  Within minutes of me moving, I see Josh Duhamel in the exact spot that I was just in!  So for the next 30 minutes I sat and watched them shoot the same scene over and over of Josh Duhamel walking down the sidewalk talking on the phone and then he runs into a tree.  I figured out that the movie is called "When in Rome" with Kristen Bell, John Heder and Danny DeVito.  I was super pumped that my first New York celebrity citing was also while they were shooting a movie.  I kept waiting for other celebs to show up (hopefully Fergie) but no one ever did.  
I later met up with my relative at the Peking Duck Restaurant in Chinatown and it was really nice and the food was great.  It was me and a lot of adults talking about business, which I had no idea what they were talking about.  But I didn't really get any job leads from the dinner which was my whole intention of going but oh well.   I got to take home everyones leftovers! Whoop!  I'm excited about spending my first weekend here. I don't know what I'll do, but hopefully it involves more celebrities! 

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Today, I had an interview at Starbucks.  I had always wondered why people with degrees worked at places like that, now I know.  It's hard to find a job and you need money.  But I had a really good feeling about the interview.  I saw one of the craziest things I have ever seen in my whole life today.  I was walking down the street in Harlem and all of a sudden people start screaming, so I look around and I notice water hitting the ground in random spots along the sidewalk.  I was really confused because it wasn't raining.  I then see 2 men look up and say, "Oh my gosh, that guy is pissing out his window!"  It was sooo nuts!  I also stepped in vomit coming out of the subway today, I was trying to dodge the woman sitting eating chips, but while I was starring at her and her Air Jordan t-shirt, I stepped in her vomit.  Awesome.  Well, I'm assuming it was hers anyway.  Yesterday, I ran out of places to visit and drop my resume off at so I decided to go see a movie.  This was a huge deal for me because I wasn't sure I could ever go by myself and I did!  It was nice to be able to sit in a nice movie theatre and just relax.   I saw "The Strangers" and it cost me $12.  Needless to say that's the last time I'm going to the movies while I'm unemployed.   

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

Today was the first day that God has really given me assurance that this is where I need to be at this point in my life.  Today was also the first day I had ever been to Dunkin' Dounuts, and I was throughly disappointed.  
I walked around today hoping to find amazing places that would see that raw working skills (such as stealing from workrooms, checking my facebook, and talking non-stop about celebrities) and and hire me instantly.  When this didn't happen I was greatly discouraged.  I then realized that I was put in this exact place in my life for a reason and God has control over when things are going to happen.  
Not having a single clue about where I want to go to church I visited a Tuesday night service at Times Square Church.  I pray no one can Google "Times Square Church" and this pops up.  Oh well.  But I went early for their prayer service and I thought, "This is going to be so good, this is exactly what I need."  As soon as I walked in someone started waving to me like they knew me.  I thought, "I know they are not waving at me, I don't know a soul in this city."  Turns out it was an elderly man that was a little slow.  He proceeded to talk to me for the majority of the prayer service.  I zoned out for most of it, but my favorite part was how no one should listen to Mariah Carey or Annie Lennox (whom he thought was a boy) because they're lyrics are deceiving and sometimes sound spiritual.  My second favorite part was when he fell asleep and started snoring, but woke up to scratch himself occasionally.  Yessss, NY is awesome.  
So here's my day in a nutshell-H&M didn't hire me, I didn't see Rachael Ray at Dunkin' Donuts,  You shouldn't listen to Annie Lennox his lyrics are bad, and I really want to work at the NYC Visitors Center.  

Monday, June 2, 2008

THINGS REALLY ARE GREAT WHEN YOU'RE DOWNTOWN

Today, when I got up I had every intention of finding a job.  I was going to get my resume printed on nice paper and take it to some cool places.  This simple task was made difficult because my computer doesn't have a word processor.  After an hour of using someone else's computer and getting really frustrated.  I settled with the idea of finding a job that would possibly hire me right away.  So, since I scoped out the area surrounding my apt last night I was able to have a good idea on some jobs.  Starbucks, H&M, Old Navy, and T-Mobile were just of a few places that I visited and had a good response from...but no job yet.  But I know that God works in His own timing.  But, I was able to talk to a relative of mine who is coming to Manhattan for a board meeting invited me to out to eat at a place in Chinatown to meet some New York business people.  Free food and business talk ? Heck yes.    

Later in the day, I decided that I needed to go and get the proper software that way I could easily work on my resume whenever.  So I decided the best place to go would be the Apple store on 5th Avenue.  It was crazy nice.  But it was also good to get out of Harlem, window shop at the designer store at all sorts of crap I can't afford, and be in a part of the city where the subways don't smell as weird.  I really felt important today because 3 people asked me for directions!  I only helped two people though, and one was some girl that couldn't really speak English and she was looking for the Apple store....and it was definitely right across the street.  Either way full day number two was way easier I'm starting to understand the subways better now.  Huge, I know, but I can't really read a map so this is earth shattering for me.  I don't have any crazy embarrassing story or funny one-liner from today. Except I totally wish that some of you could see some of the crazies that roam the streets down here, all over not just in Harlem!  Yeah, I'll admit...I thought about buying the pirated "Made of Honor" from the blind man outside of Dunkin' Donuts.  But I didn't.  But only because I was really scared.  

Sunday, June 1, 2008

COFFEE CREAMER COMMUNION

My first full day in the city was interesting to say the least.  I got up early to visit a church and because I'm new at the subway system I gave myself a whole hour to get there.  I left the apt at 9:30 hoping to make it by 10:30....nope, definitely 12:30.  Fortunately, they had a 1:15 service (and I thought only Beltway had a super late service?!)  So I walk in and there is only about 40-50 people there.  The church sorta made me think of Crosspoint in Abilene, it was a lot of young people.  But as soon as I walked in someone offered me communion....that was in a coffee creamer cup...you know the kind that they have at restaurants where you peel back the foil lid?  There was also a very chewy wafer attached to the top.  I'm convinced it was partially made of paper but whatev.  The people were all very friendly, I met so many passionate Christians and the worship was great.  Until....the preacher got up and started speaking tongues like literally ever 10 minutes.  Now, I have always said that I believe in speaking in tongues, but I had also never been around it.  I really thought I was going to start laughing!  It was so unusual, so I had a really hard time with that just because I had never dealt with anything like that in a service before.  THEN, the pastor says, "Someone in here has knees that are hurting."  A guy raises his hand and I turn around and he grabs his knee and his leg starts shaking and he said, "I don't know what it's doing."  The pastor comes over and the guys says he just had knee surgery 2 months ago and then the guy pulled his leg behind him and said he couldn't have done that earlier in the day.  I firmly believe in healing and God can do anything, it was just so much for me to handle for one service.  
The pastor had also talked a lot about being prideful (which is a huge problem for me) and how we have to rely and seek God in all we do.  So it was perfect for the situation I was in!  But the more I thought about it later the more I realized that I TRULY need God to have control of my life because everything is so unclear.  So I got a little discouraged but God is good and has given me assurance that His will will be done if I just seek Him first.  
After it took me like 2 hours to get home after the service I was totally wiped (the subways run different on weekends, which really helps my cause) so I went home and took a nap and figured out a plan of action for looking for a job tomorrow.
Later I went out and decided that I wanted to see what is all around the Harlem area, plus I hadn't eaten all day.  So I'm walking and low and behold there was an H&M literally like 2 blocks from the apt I'm in!  My day went from okay to uh-mazing.  Then I went to a Starbucks (also close to my apt) and asked for an application (because I'm in total need of cash flow.)  They said they were out but I should come by and get one tomorrow at 11 and meet the manager because most of the people who apply aren't qualified to work there.  Score. I knew my degree would come in handy.  So keep praying for me!