Find The Beat Again

Finding the beat again. That's what I'm trying to do. As you all know I started a new job last week. While everyone has been amazing, supportive and patient ... it has been a bit overwhelming. There were times last week where I found myself a little dazed and confused! BUT ... I think I may be finding the beat again thanks to a lot of cheerleaders and my co-workers. 

New jobs are always challenging at first but this job is pretty new to me in terms of it not being for a live newscast. So, finding the beat has been a bit challenging sometimes. At times I'm waltzing along. Then, there are times I turn into that spastic dancer you see dancing all alone and you're thinking to yourself, "Oh my lord. What in the world?!" Sometimes I forget the steps to a dance, but then my co-workers show them to me again. Sometimes they have to show me a few more times because well ... I forget them. The good news is I know I'll find the beat again.

So, as I took the train home from work today, my iPod shuffled to Sugarland's "Find The Beat Again." I found myself tapping my toes and bobbing my head as some loud people at the other end of the car debated Caribbean food. 

So if you are having a tough time or a tough day and things just aren't going your way remember ...

Hey! (Hey!)

Things are lookin' better now

Hey! (Hey!)

Nothin' lasts forever if you open up your heart and let it in ...

You'll find the beat again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCKTGVyCho

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg6vc66foXE

I made it through my first day of work! While it was overwhelming (and am sure will be for the next month as I learn my new job), it was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious first day! Wow, that is a long word.  I don't think I could have asked for anything more from a first day ... minus the normal computer/human resources glitches that usually come with your first day at a new company. It'll all take care of itself in time. Plus, I'm sure it doesn't help that most people are on vacation for the holiday!

Anyway, it was truly a great day! My co-workers have been really awesome and so was everyone else I met throughout the day or talked to on the phone. I learned some new things about the company as well, and am very excited to learn this new job and conquer the challenges that come with it.

My friends and family also made this day very special. I couldn't check email or texts very often, but when I did there was always a friendly "Good luck" email or "Thinking of you" text. Then I came home to an early Birthday present that brought tears to my eyes. I also had a nice, but quick chat with my parents and bestie.

While it has been a great day it's been an exhausting one too. So ... I'm off to bed to get some zzz's before I head back for Day 2 tomorrow morning.

And remember ... don't forget to wish upon a star tonight ...


Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires 
Will come to you

First Impressions

So it's Sunday night and I'm getting ready for my first day of work. It always feels like the first day of school. You have to pack your backpack. In my case, it's my work bag. I've made sure I have pens, paper, my earbuds (in case I need to listen to some audio), my Social Security card, Passport, and my paperwork I was asked to fill out for orientation. I should probably pack some snacks too, but I'm not bringing my lunch bag AND (okay former co-workers who may be reading this) my Lysol wipes. You tend to share desks, computers and phones in newsrooms so I always have brought Lysol wipes to wipe down everything with! So back to the "backpack." It's packed.


Now to the more important thing: What to wear. OMG it's soooo hard to figure out what to wear. I mean how dressy do you get? You don't want to look too casual and you don't want to look like you are going to cocktail hour! Anyway, my best friend helped pick an outfit for my "first day of school." I like it. Well, I liked it today. We'll see if I like it tomorrow. If I don't,  I have another option that's a little less dressy. I know the whole 'what to wear' dilemma seems superficial, but if you don't feel good about yourself and confident it will show. 


So those two things are all taken care of. Now you just worry about making a good impression ... which happens by just being you. Will I forget co-workers names tomorrow. Sure. I'm horrible with names. Will I be nervous at orientation and maybe say some silly things. Sure, but that's me. Will I worry about whether my co-workers will like me and if I'll like them? Sure. That's totally natural. However, I basically can get along with anyone. Will I ask too many questions? I may, but that's okay. But as I walk in the front doors tomorrow ... excited and nervous ... I will remember something my parents have told me since I was a little girl. "Jess. Just be yourself and do your best. That's all anyone can ask."

ABCDQ123 .. the MTA

So ... I've been in NY for less then two weeks and am really enjoying using the MTA. Now, to be honest ... I wasn't a big CTA fan. Chicago is built differently than NY. I like New York's grid. I find the subway in New York is a ton easier to use. However, I have learned a few things:


1. I can't read on the Subway like everyone else.
2. I think half the people who try to swindle money from you on the train are lying about why they need the money.
3. Wear layers. It's easy to take off a scarf and coat. A sweater ... a bit harder when you are packed like a sardine on the 2 Train.
4. Love the musicians that play their instruments or sing for you on the platforms. They are AWESOME! I mean who doesn't like some salsa music at 9am!? 
5. People-watching on the subway is super fun. I forgot how much fun it is!
6. I am now used to the message about "Look out for suspicious packages and report them..." 




Bottom line ... so far I'm enjoying the subway and am not missing my car ... yet. I feel more free. Ask me how I feel about being without a car in three months. I'll let you know if my opinion changes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGFqSkNjHk

Vroom! Vroom! Off To The DMV

Oh The Department of Motor Vehicles. We all have to go to the DMV at some point in our lives. Today, I ventured to the one in Brooklyn. I was prepared to wait and be annoyed like I usually am at the DMV. Plus, it didn't help that everyone I spoke to in the morning were like, "OOOH! Have fun at the DMV. It's like no DMV you've ever seen before." Ummm... it sounded like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz was going to greet me at the door or something and then I'd melt away while she cackled at the fact that she wasn't the one turning into a puddle on the floor!!!!


So, I got to the DMV prepared to do battle. Honestly, I thought they'd reject me. First of all ... reading the DMV website was just annoying. It's like just give me the list of what I need! Don't have me click on this link and that link to know what to bring! Oye! Anyhoo, I thought for sure I was missing a document. So I walk in and I think, "Who is going to reject me first? Okay. Three rooms. I'm guessing the one with the line is where I start." Ding Ding! I win the door prize for figuring that out. Anyway, to make a long story short I wasn't rejected! I spent a whopping one hour and maybe 15 minutes at the DMV. Everyone was super nice. Nobody was rude. Even the people waiting for their number to light up on the screen were chill. Speaking of numbers ... I kept thinking of Bingo! When they finally called my first number I wanted to jump up and yell "BINGO!" I didn't though. I figured everyone would look at me like I was a crazy person.


Lesson here. Don't be afraid of your DMV. I walked out of mine with a smile and a temporary drivers license. And for those of you wondering .... I have zero clue if I took a good picture. I'll let you know.

Welcome To Brooklyn

It's a Sunday night here in Brooklyn NY and it's been a long week full of excitement, sadness and happiness. I left Chicago Tuesday to begin a new chapter of my life in the Big Apple. As exciting of a time this is, it was bittersweet to hug my parents goodbye at O'hare Airport. I know it wasn't really "goodbye" because I'll be back in Chicago to visit ... but I found myself a little teary as I hugged my dad and walked though the sliding doors and watched my parents drive off. I'm sure they didn't notice I stood there and waved at them as they drove off. I think they just wanted to get the heck out of there! 


Fast forward a couple of days and I've juggled my luggage into my new home. A picturesque brownstone owned by a lovely family. I looked around the empty apartment ... (wait, do I call a floor of a brownstone an apartment?) and had forgotten how big some areas were. When the movers came hours later some of the "stuff" I talked about in my earlier blog, I forgot I even had some of the stuff they unloaded! While I moaned and groaned about where to put my beautiful liquor cabinet that I forgot I decided to take with me ... I texted pics of suggested spots where it could go to my mom. In the end my "stuff" found places and I began to unpack.


But, it's not the unpacking that I'll remember of my first few days of the Brooklyn neighborhood in which I know live. It's the people, the sights, the sounds and the smells. Okay ... they are all good smells! I mean the smell of pizza being cooked in a wood burning oven! YUMMO! The people have all been really nice. Even the homeless person who stands outside Key Foods wishing everyone a, "Happy Holidays! By the way can you spare some change on your way out?" seems nice. But it's the sights that have gotten to me. The Christmas trees being sold on every corner ... walking down the brownstone-lined streets seeing families decorating their stoops for the holidays ... the group of people singing carols down 7th Avenue ... the kids all excited as they leave school ... the shops and restaurants all inviting and different in their own ways. There is a book store that reminds me of the store Meg Ryan's character owned in "You've Got Mail" near me. The huge park near me is also amazing. I can't wait to explore it! Really, though it's the brownstones and walking down the streets and peaking through the windows at the people inside that's been really fun. I guess now I'm one of those people.


I live on a ground floor and my shades are usually pulled up during the day. As I was putting away kitchen utensils the other day a number of kids walking to school with their parents stopped to look in at this new person living in the browstone. I waved at these cute kids. A couple waved back, while others just went on their way to school. But it's something I wouldn't be able to experience on the 26th floor of the condo building in Chicago I used to live in. I also wouldn't be able to smell the yummy food my landlords cook every night above me ... the scents filtering through the vents into my place. 


So, as I drink a glass of wine and watch "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" on my first Sunday night in New York ... I am thankful and excited and nervous about my new adventure in this new city ... I am settling in nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R45yoW4wxU&feature=related

**Love the above song. It just happens to be titled "Brooklyn"

Home

"When the boxes are gone and you've cleaned up the mess
You'll make a home of the house that was just an address"


That's what I was thinking as movers spent two days packing and loading my belongings onto a truck for its journey to New York. Now, I know I didn't take all my furniture and donated and sold a bunch of clothes ... but I still feel like I have a lot of "stuff." I'm thankful to have stuff, but I took out the drawing my new landlord made for me of my new place and have been trying to figure out what will go where. Let's just say I'll have to figure it out when I get there. I think in the end my folks and I determined it will all fit and that the bedroom will probably be a little tight.


As the movers unpack my stuff later this week at my new casa in New York I'll look at all my "stuff" and remember all the good memories that comes with what I've accumulated over the years. I'll remember the dozens of books that will line my bookshelf and how each one holds a special place in my heart. I'll see my artwork and remember the arguments had over some of the pieces and one piece that always makes me smile. I'll take out my kitchen tools and remember the guacamole I made when I lived in New Mexico.


I'll look around and also notice some of my old "stuff" will look a little new. The matress is the same matress I've had since my journey to New York began in Green Bay. This time though, the matress will be dressed up in a new duvet, new sheets and new pillows. My lovely red couch will be short a piece as to make it small enough to fit my new place. My candles that I burned in Chicago and filled my apartment with the smell of "wood burning fireplaces" will be replaced with red candles that smell like ... umm ... I don't remember!! They smell good though!


Old mixed with new will be my new home in New York. I know that when all the boxes are gone and I've started cleaning up the mess... my new address will start to feel like a home ... thanks to my friends, family and the belongings that will make that tree and brownstone lined block my new home. What will be the most important, though, are the new memories that will be made in that new home and that I know I always have a home to go home to in Chicago.