July 12, 2009
I’m just giving current subtotals since my stay’s been extended and the daily notes are unwieldy:
Food: $68
Transportation: $74
Clothing: $101.15
Makeup: $62
Misc (Kinko’s printing, tp, foot protection): $20
Subtotal: 325.15
Many friends have been ever-so-generous in covering meals for me, and it’s making it a tad difficult to repay them for their hospitality by taking them out to dinner. Not all of them are footing bills, but those who have have each covered a meal more than once in the past several days. The meals weren’t prohibitive, I would most certainly do the same for them if they were unemployed and job hunting, but I still can’t shake a bit of guilt at allowing them to pay for me when they live in one of the most expensive cities. This trip was my choice to make and if I couldn’t afford to feed myself, I shouldn’t have come. I’ll have to think of another way to thank them.
On the food front, I’ve had my street vendor chicken and rice, hot dog, pretzel, and a slice of authentic NY cheese pizza. And at a dollar a slice, I should have had three!
The clothing and makeup were totally unplanned. 6 days of leisure before the interviews was a terrible idea and that was brought firmly home when my skin’s unevenness was made ever so much more evident due to all the sun I was getting. Imagine, I’ve gotten more sun in NY this past week than the last 4 years back in Southern California! Chew on that for a while.
Originally, I planned not to shop because I’d promised to bring a moving friend’s clothing back from NY – instead I discovered that he’d managed to stuff his entire suitcase full and that I had another round of interviews with the same company on Wednesday with nary a decent top to wear.
Off shopping we went! We found a cute dusty rose cropped cardigan at H&M which I paired with a borrowed white tank and the suit skirt. Worked quite well, actually. Yesterday, we turned up a surprisingly comfortable pair of skinny jeans at Forever 21 for a mere $12.50, and made up for the two bargains with the purchase of a very pricey undergarment. For what it’s worth, this is the first such item that actually fits well. One or two more pieces, later, will round out the collection.
With two more days to go, I’m still not sure if I could live here. I’ve enjoyed my time here, but is that just because I’ve experienced a pretty tourist/resident-light version of the city? I’m told that my trip coincides with a fairly quiet time for the city. At least I know that I can get around without getting too hopelessly lost, riding the subway just about everywhere for a dozen days will garner you at least that much ability, the rest will follow if I get an offer.
Now, to decide what sounds good for dinner tonight ….
**Note: I don’t think that NYC is actually affordable, or anything, don’t get me wrong. That cocktails average $13, that burgers are nearly $10, or that a regular pizza is in the neighborhood of $30 is pretty much insane to me. That doesn’t even start to touch the costs of living here. Yikes!
July 10, 2009
What day is this? Is it Saturday? Again? Everyday would seem like Saturday if my friends weren’t mostly working during the day.
Update update update ….. My gamut of interviews is over for now and now we wait and we see. I won’t hear back until August about the most-wanted job but I’ve had good meetings with senior folks in the company and am now being totally Zen about this. If this is meant to be, it’ll happen.
I had a wonderful walk in Central Park with MoneyMateKate, and a lovely dinner with another friend I was meeting for the first time today! Funny how this trip has turned into an opportunity to meet so many new friends or old acquaintances.
My tour of a friend’s workplace turned up another set of informational interviews, and my resume is winging its way through another set of connections. It never fails to amaze me that people are willing to make that sort of recommendation based on knowing me for about five or ten minutes. Not that I’m not worth it! 😉
Oh, and I did extend my trip, at least until Tuesday. If the last round of meetings bears interview fruit, I have the freedom to extend again until just before Comic Con. Get this: my free ticket voucher from getting bumped from a flight allows me to change the dates of travel at will, for free.
And now, a little food porn to hold y’all over:
July 3, 2009
Hey all!
I’ve got my feet up right now, sitting in my absent friend’s living room watching NCIS. I still can’t decide who I like best, other than Mark Harmon. Anyway, it’s only been two days and I’ve about walked my hips off. Wednesday was spent wandering around Chinatown and Battery Park, yesterday was Midtown along the lower border of Central Park.
I’m resting up now in anticipation of touring lower Central Park later today. They were NOT kidding about those thunderstorms! I got caught out in about four of them, once without my umbrella because I lent it to another friend for an errand. Some guy actually laughed at me when I pulled in under an overhang, sopping wet, to rebag my tote bag. Can’t say I blame him since I looked like a drowned rat and was laughing at myself.
It turns out, though, my flats from Target aren’t in good shape after that torrential downpour. They were so waterlogged that I almost lost them running down the street a few times. Hehe. That was pretty funny, too. It turns out I should just have bought a cheap pair of flip flops instead of searching for the perfect pair of walking flats. Easily remedied with a short trip to Old Navy. It’s just up the street!
Most of my meals are being photographed, so I’ll share those pictures when I get back.
July 1, 2009
As much a lightly-packing ninja I fancy myself, there are always some fantastic tips out in the blogworld that are worth repeating:
From the Unclutterer:
Plan your wardrobe around a limited color scheme and choose your neutral first. I typically choose EITHER black or brown, and then plan the rest of my clothing around two other colors such as blue and tan. This way I can mix, match, layer and create a bunch of different outfits without needing a ton of items.
Use your shoes as containers. I can get three pairs of socks and my sports bra into my sneakers! Mens’ dress shoes are roomy too, as are some ladies shoes. Plus when your shoes are stuffed it keeps them from getting crushed. Bonus!
From Ms. Minimalist herself, FB:
Pack properly
Put your liquids, gels and aerosols ALREADY stuffed into that tiny little plastic bag (you can reuse them, they don’t care how new they look), and put it in the FRONT sections of your carry-on so you can easily grab them out and throw them into the bin before going through.
I have this down to an art now.
I also put my laptop in a section where it’s easy to pull out and throw into the bin as well.
My main rules about packing are:
1. Bring only what you NEED. Only one “just-in-case” top is allowed, because I have been known to muss myself.
2. Bring only what you can carry. I’m pretty darned small, and can’t expect to be helped by strangers, so if I can’t bench it, I can’t bring it.
For this nine-day trip, I’m going with browns/blues: two day dresses, two skirts, five tops. Also, two black dresses in case we go out or I go dancin’, business suit, and pajamas. A towel is stuffed into my most lightweight purse that I’ll use during the day, and the pair get packed into the carry-on suitcase, while the laptop goes into the backpack.
Five tops seems excessive, but I’ve been told to pack for hot and humid. I’d like to be a fresh smelling tourist, and I’ve got room to spare. As for shoes, I’ve got sneakers, the new pair of brown walking flats [pleaseplease be kind to my feet in NYC!], and one pair of sandals to go with the business suit and evening dresses. It’s all pretty flexible, but not as minimalist as I would like.
Since my experience with packing tends to be business-oriented, we’ll see how my business +vacation packing skills hold up.
June 16, 2009
As previously alluded to, my future state of employment remains uncertain, the couple few things in the hopper remain hopping.
In the meantime, I’ve blocked off two chunks of time in July for travel: New York City and San Diego!
New York, for a week: This is a completely spontaneous trip spawned of determination (details later) and a need to have plans. It’s completely unbudgeted but I’m using a free flight voucher and crashing with friends to keep costs down to food and more food. Maybe even drinks!
I’ve got potential flights picked out and some consideration was given to staying in a hotel for a couple of nights because my friends with whom I’m bunking for most of the stay are way down south, far away from city action. Thus far, this has not panned out as my Hilton Honors points are nigh on useless in New York, a Category 5 and 6 hotel town, for more than a single night’s stay. I’ve been collecting those dratted points since 2001 and still haven’t accumulated enough for a respectable stay in the Big Apple. No go on the Marriot and Starwood fronts, either, I haven’t concentrated on accumulating points from them.
Oh well, I might try to grab a cheapie hotel deal for somewhere in the neighborhood of $80/night, or I might just suck it up and not spend on a hotel at all.
Shockingly (or not), I don’t plan to do any shopping. Just a lot of sightseeing, eating, and walking around getting to know New York. I should have some freelance work on the boil by then, and if so, I’ll take my lappy to Central Park for a nice day of work or two.
Couple hundred dollars should do it, right? Depends, if I can meet up with a longtime friend on the East Coast, I might need to take a train ride and spend a little more. It’ll be worth it, though.
San Diego: Comic Con, of course! And this year, I’m giving myself a whole day off before and after the 4.5 day pilgrimage. Ahhh, such luxury!
California, misc: At some point, I need to spend some more time with my dragon-nephew before he gets too big for me to tote around.
June 15, 2009
Overspending at the pump: $50. Oww-www!! Gas was $2.95-2.97 this weekend, up about 20-25 cents from 10 days ago. True to form, I didn’t need my car, or to fill up, until after it made the stag-like leap to nearly-unaffordable heights. C’mon folks, about to be unemployed here, can the rising prices be abated even just a little??
I did bring it upon myself, though, making myself available to chaffeur out of towner friends and then visiting Housebound Friend on Crutches 50 miles away all in the same weekend. And there was the bach’ette party that I completely skipped since it both required much more spending on the drinks and clubs, and was located in the desert, 60 miles in the opposite direction. Honestly, I was so tired by Sunday night that I couldn’t remember what day it was, never mind when and where the party was!
Saving at the (Red)box: In an almost laughable attempt to save money, we skipped renting from Blockbuster and the local shop, opting for the Redbox at the grocery store and a free rental coupon emailed to my phone. Savings? $1.08.
Microscopic savings led to more spending: Tricksy! Those Redboxes are inside grocery stores! And they had those Walker shortbread cookies I so love on sale for less than $4 a box. Mmhmm, ten dollars of groceries later, the brilliance of grocery store + Redbox’s marketing plan was another little thorn in my side. Grawr!
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In other news, this LA Times “
Girls’ Guide to Comic Con 2009” is simultaneously patronizing and frou-frou Entertainment Weekly Lite. Wait, those are the same.
I’m not a rabid fan, but I am a fan and reader enough of comics to see that the reviews of possible reasons for “female fandemonium” are based on Hollywoodisms. For example, why girls might swoon over the upcoming Whiteout?
Alex O’Loughlin for ‘Whiteout’
What more do you need than the hunkiest Aussie to ever play the undead … alive and in the flesh? And as long as he uses his real accent, he can talk all about this murder mystery set in Antarctica. Male lead Gabriel Macht isn’t too shabby either.
Really? Aussie Alex and Gorgeous Gabe?? That’s why gals should be intrigued by Whiteout?
Lemme tell you a little something about Whiteout, the comic. It’s a great cop story written by Greg Rucka, illustrated by Steve Lieber, about a woman named Carrie Stetko. She’s the protagonist of the tale, a U.S. Marshal deeply troubled by her past, who has been exiled to Antarctica and become a rare female year-round resident. The story opens as the peace of her retreat is shattered by murders, and a deeper mystery, which she has to investigate amidst suspicions that there is far more to these murders than simple homicide.
Can’t speak for the movie, or the acting, but I can say that the original story is an excellent read, and, if they actually write the script well, a strong, intelligent, complex female lead would be a great reason to be excited about seeing the promotion for this at Con.
NOT because of two possibly passibly pretty faces.
And, how webcomics facilitate learning. Or making of connections: Today’s Questionable Content is both funny, and led me to research the Bechdel Test. Which led me to this post about women in film that totally reflects the attitude I ranted about above.
March 5, 2009
Planning
~
What’s your Plan B? asks Free Money Finance. I continue to job hunt, though I’m taking breaks in between resumes now. Going gangbusters is good for staying in motion, but it’s also quite exhausting on top of stressful work and family environments.
~ Play my “How long can you go?” version of limbo: continue to save every penny (Just found this motivational article by PT Money about Saving Like a Madman. I don’t need the extra incentive, but it’s funny.)
~ Use my free plane ticket to treat myself to a short break for the sake of sanity. Anyone want me to come visit? 🙂 I think it has to be within the 48 contiguous.
