Working hard for the money

The past few days have been a huge blur- I'm trying so hard to keep up with everything, but it seems like something's always coming up or I'm tired or there's just too much and I feel overwhelmed. But I'm hanging in there, not to worry.

Friday I had my first day as a temp. I worked from 9:30-6:30 at a very hip graphic design firm near the Empire State Building, and even though the office and the people were oh so cool, it was still the longest 9 hours of my whole life I think. I felt pretty awesome going to work at all considering it has been 2 months since I made a single dime, and it was neat to take the subway in the morning with all the investment bankers, lawyers, and other administrative assistants going to their fancy New York offices, and then look out the window of the trendy office (complete with a cappucino maker and the best smelling soap ever) and see the Empire State Building. However, I will have to get used to being treated like an idiot whenever I go into a temp job. It's pretty sad, and I definitely experienced some of it this summer, when I was "just a receptionist"- but now I'm "just a temp", which believe me, is a lot worse. No one talks to or really even looks at you, and they just expect you to be so so stupid. So if you make even one tiny mistake when you're learning their phone system, which is of course a little different from any other phone system (they always are), they treat you like you're even stupider. Needless to say, I survived the long day and got some reading done. And now I have $100 that I didn't have before. I was so tired at the end of the day of doing nothing though! I don't know what it's going to be like when I have to work all day and then go to class. That will be rough- but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

So over the weekend, I was supposed to do a lot of homework, but because I'm a loser I didn't do much because I was completely distracted and uninpsired. I have a lot of papers coming up, so it's a pretty bad time to be distracted and uninspired, but I guess I can't change how I already spent my time. Saturday was the coldest day we've had so far- we tried to read in the park, and sat there all bundled up trying to work on my marketing paper and just shivered and shivered. My hand looked like it belonged on a corpse, it was so blue and grey and shriveled. Gosh winter's going to be fun! Yet, I'm strangely excited. OH! I had the best apple I've ever had from the farmer's market that day too. So autumnal...

We met our friends from college Mara and Allison for dinner and drinks that night, and it was so refreshing. It's just great to know that regardless of how tough things are, or how difficult it is to make new friends, my old friends are always going to be around. And even if we don't see each other very often, when we do it will always be as special. We went to a fantastic noodle house for dinner- New York Chinese food is the best- for 4 of us it only cost $27. That's unheard of around here! We also went to a very trendy bar (aren't they all?) called Bar Nine, and I felt really out of place because I was wearing running shoes and every other woman in there was wearing her finest high heels. Bad planning I guess, but I really though we would just get some noodles!

Although I should have spent Sunday writing and researching we had to go to all you can drink brunch again (HAD to- Allison needed to experience it before she left). Fun as always, but we had a bad waitress- not as exciting as last week to be sure. We went to another bar after that and apparently made a scene without even knowing it. I guess to the bouncer Carley looked like she was about to die, although to us she seemed fine. So he kept looking at us, and the something happened when we were trying to pay, because they ahve a $25 minimum on credit cards, but for some reason decided to run ours anyway. I really have no idea, all I know is they pretty much kicked us out and I didn't even know why. I thought we were spending a lovely Sunday afternoon. We were mad anyway, they wouldn't give us water unless we paid for it. Lame lame lame.

Today I'm at a different temp assignment- this time I think it's an investment banking firm. Park Avenue, very fancy. Made a fool of myself at security, because, again, every place is a little different and I can never understand the security guards. Life is tough for me, can't you tell? Today's not quite as long, and actually not quite as boring, because I'm over in my own little corner and can just play on the internet (or write in this blog) and answer the phone every now and then. I had a horrible night though- I could not get to sleep- I've never had that much trouble. My mind was just racing- I kept imagining every thought I had was being typed on the computer in the form of a marketing exhibit (the paper I'm supposed to be working on) and then I'd freak out because I have so much to do...and on and on it went. Too much happened yesterday I guess. So I was really upset for most of the night because I was trying so hard to sleep, and then I got up at 3 and went and watched TV, and then went back to my bed at about 6, I think. And at 8 the phone rang and I had to go to work. I was very very sad- but I really really need money. So here I am.

Time for lunch! Eric's outside!