Looks Like We're Starting Something

Today was my first day as the Marketing and Publicity Intern at Carol Fox and Associates. Before I get into how the day went, a little background is necessary. I got a phone call from my boss, Nick, last week informing me that the office was undergoing some changes and they were curious if I would be willing to take on the marketing internship as well as the publicity one so that they didn't have to hire another intern. This means that it would become a full-time position. I eventually decided that it would be a great opportunity to learn the marketing side of things so I accepted.

I got to the internship today and discovered that, not only was I going to be the marketing intern, I would be taking on the task of two people in the marketing department who are leaving soon. That's right, I'm doing the work of two full-time employees as an intern. Needless to say, that part-time job I was looking for seems very impossible. On my first day today, I was in the office for 8 hours and had already attended two client meetings, as well as been brought up to date on how these projects were going. Daunting. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my day and hope that this means I have a better chance at a full-time position starting in August. Makes sense, right? I don't think that they would have an intern do all this work just to hire someone else to do the same job a few months down the line. That's my thought process anyways.

This past weekend my bro-ha, BN came down to visit B and I. It was a pretty chill time. He really only spent one full day here, but we went to Millenium Park and the Field Museum for Memorial Day. Actually, we only went to the Field Museum because it was sweltering out, but got to see the Whale exhibit which we were all pretty excited about. We ended the day with a game of Monopoly. The game didn't go well.

Three final things for today:
1) My mom went in for hip surgery today. She had to have her whole left hip replaced because apparently it was just bone on bone. Papa K says she's doing well, but I'm going to try to go up to visit and help out next week.

We're pretty much twins.

2) Today is also my dad's 45th birthday. Happy birthday Dad!

3) Today is B's last day in Chicago until the middle of July :-(

It's a good thing we don't like each other.

Genius

The Gap which is a half a block away from our apartment is hiring. Is that a sign or what? Although I realized I may look like I'm trying too hard as literally every nice piece of clothing I own (except for suits) is from the Gap. Oops. Plan for now: Work the full-time internship at Carol Fox and work at the Gap in the evenings. Sounds perfect.

This outfit? All from the Gap

Forgot to mention that during the past semester B and I went to see the Scissor Sisters!! It was so epic. Words can't describe how amazing it was.

Nor can this picture.

Pondering

So my boss at Carol Fox called me today saying that things at the company got rearranged and they would like me to work at the internship full-time in both the PR and the Marketing department. The job at Pearson didn't work out (grr...) so I'm seriously considering taking their offer. Thoughts?

Also, officially bought Harry Potter tickets! I am soooo excited for HP 7.2!! We bought tickets for a theater downtown in the VIP balcony. That's right, prime seating for the cinematic experience of our lifetime.

No excuses, everyone and their mother must see this movie.

Catching Up

So yes, I realize it has been a mighty long time since I last updated this thing and I've had a few requests to keep blogging, so here it goes. (Thanks Lil B for linking me so I have to get back on it...) :-)

A lot has happened since March, and not so much has happened at the same time. We got our apartment settled and paid for. As I mentioned earlier, Mrs. R was kind enough to co-sign for us so we could get the apartment. It is in an awesome neighborhood in Lakeview, right above a hat shop. Who knew those even existed any more??

In April, I had the awesome opportunity of performing at Hunter College in NYC for the Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebration. I was a little sad that I didn't get to spend this awesome weekend with some of my closest dancer friends (ie, R, N, M, S, etc.) but it was still an awesome experience nonetheless.  Our picture was in the New York Times, and, that's right, I am the thumbnail for the online version. Awesome possum. Awesome Alwin. I also made great friends with some of the other dancers including I, K, and D, my awesome roommates.

The cast of Temple in NYC

 
About a week after NYC was our Young Performer's Concert. This was actually the first time I didn't perform in Young Performers since I started dancing at Tulane, but I had a great piece dedicated to my friend Katie with some of my favorite people dancing for me. I can't upload it on this blog because the file is too big, but hopefully it will work if you go here.

That was at the very end of the semester. Then we had finals. Granted, I only had one test and one reflection paper to write since I only had two classes and an internship that I spent all of my time at. However, I was kept busy with PACKING. That's right, we were getting all set to move once graduation was done. Stressful.

Even though we were busy packing, we still had time for all of our friends. I was so happy that C came back for our graduation (and the entire week before). That was a great end to the semester, bringing the whole group back together again. We went tubing and accidentally got on the 4 hour bus and since the river was so slow, we ended up being on it for 7 hours. Waaaay too long. On the way back we had an awesome feast at IHOP, though which completely made up for the length.

Then finally, the big day. GRADUATION!!!! We had an awesome ceremony with Thomas Friedman as our speaker and Stevie Wonder receiving an honorary degree. Pretty much the entire commencement was about Stevie Wonder, but I'm not complaining! I actually just looked at my transcript yesterday and discovered that I graduated cum laude. Woot! It was great seeing all of our hard work pay off, and great that Tulane gave us such an amazing send off.

Our group at graduation. So proud of all of us!

3 days after graduation, B and I hit the road to Chi-Town! On the way, B lost his wallet, we stayed in Mississippi, drove through the Mississippi River and managed to maneuver a Penske truck through a Wal-Mart parking lot. It was rough because we had two vehicles so we were both driving the entire time, but we finally made it. Unpacking was stressful as there is literally no street parking around our apartment so we didn't have anywhere to keep the truck and car. That meant that we had to unload EVERYTHING that night so that we could return the truck. Ugh. We got everything moved in though and LOVE our apartment and our neighborhood. We are about 3 blocks off the lake, less than a block away from the Gap and Caribou and a block away from our gym. We're about a 10 minute walk to the L (a little long in the winter, but great right now) and a 15 minute walk to Wrigley Field. I don't have  any pictures of the place yet (because it keeps getting messy) but once it's clean I will post pictures.

Check out how high the water was leaving New Orleans!

Once in Chi, we've hung out with Q-Baby and Lil B, but mostly done a TON of exploring. Our adventures have been kind of limited since B lost his ID, but he got it back yesterday, so expect a ton more news!!

On the job front, it's still been kind of a struggle. I had another interview last week, but it's for another unpaid internship, so I'm not that concerned. I start my internship at Carol Fox next week, which I'm really excited for, but I've still been applying elsewhere. I'm waiting to hear back from Lil B's company (which would be awesome), but I'm just hoping that Carol Fox likes me enough that they will hire me once the internship is completed. Fingers crossed!

Also, once A-Tems and JerBear get here we're going to be starting a new blog called "Nat and Alan take Chicago" where we will be reviewing all of the major attractions including tourist stops, restaurants, bars, stores, etc. with special appearances by B and JerBear as the sports commentator.

Slowing Down

So today I got the official offer for Carol Fox and Associates. They offered me a part-time internship so that I can make money doing another job and keep up the job search. Very nice of them. I'm still hoping that one of the other places I applied to will come through, but we'll see what happens. At least I have something lined up that I can get experience and connections from. And I know for sure that I can work at Pearson doing test proctoring like I do now.

Other news, there are officially 6 weeks until graduation. I'm both very relieved and very nervous. Relieved because I can finally get things rolling with the move and job, etc. and nervous because I still don't have a real job (one that I want in my career field) lined up.

Today I met with one of my favorite dance teachers, John Allen, and got some pictures from our most recent dance show.  

We also talked about planning our dance department tubing trip. At the end of every year, the dance department goes to the other side of the lake and go tubing down a river. This year we're doing it before finals, since we have such a long break over Easter. After tubing, R and I have been talking about doing a girl's weekend at the beach, so we'll see how that pans out.

One Step At a Time

So the apartment is officially officially ours. We have been approved for it and everything, so now all we have to do is move in in May! Huge thanks to Mrs. R for co-signing for us so that we could be approved.

I had my interview yesterday and it went awesome. He said he was very impressed with me. The issue that I'm running into now is that it is an unpaid internship and their company is so small that it's very rare that they hire interns past the summer unless there's immediate hiring needs. He completely understood that I need some type of income, but did say that it may effect my eligibility, because they don't want me leaving halfway through the internship. So after my interview I sent him a note saying thank you and that since the internship is so perfect for me, if it were offered to me I would consider putting my job search on hold until the end of the summer. I think this is a good move, mainly because I don't have anything else on the table right now. This way, if they reeeeally like me, there's a chance they may create a position, but if not, I will have gained experience, plus more contacts, because the people I work with are guaranteed to know other people in the industry.

All in all, a rough interview just for the money fact, but I hope something else (paying) comes up so that I don't have to stress about money so much.

Also, Tulane was just the answer to a question on Cash Cab. nbd.

Retract

I realized today was not ironic at all. Because I was so stressed, I applied everywhere and one of those places is where I have the interview. I also looked for apartments and found this unit, which would not have happened if I weren't stressed.

You're welcome, B.

Ironic

Ironic how the day after I have a terrible day everything starts to look up.

First off, B and I signed an application for the apartment we both really wanted initially. When we first contacted them it had just been rented, but a new unit opened up and we got it!  Refresher.

Secondly, out of the ten billion places I've applied to, one of the ones I applied to yesterday asked for a phone interview with me tomorrow! It's called Carol Fox and Associates and specializes in performing arts organizations. Perfect for me, right? This is the first time in this entire process that I feel like I normally do, that things will always work out. I have a really good feeling about getting this position because #1 I'm a college grad which means that they have the opportunity to train me how they want to #2 I have an extensive background in performing arts and #3 why would they have asked me for an interview so soon if they didn't want me? Downside, it is not a paying position, at least for the first 3 months. I'm not terribly concerned though, because the position is so perfect for me :-)

Anyways, my interview is at 3 tomorrow, so wish me luck!

Logic=0

Aaaaand of course, our awesome apartment didn't work out. I'm not too broken up about it though. M said it was kind of small. The main reason we didn't get it is because we wouldn't have been approved because of our lack of full-time job experience prior to moving.

So, once again, we return to the search.

I finally heard from a company today, informing me that I should try back at the beginning of August. This put me into major panic mode, literally all day. From 10:30 until 1:45 and then from 4 until nowish (9ish) I've been applying to everywhere I hadn't applied before, on top of following up with all of the companies I had previously applied to. I was in panic mode because if this company I heard from had already filled positions for the summer, then that must mean that all of the other companies I applied to had also filled up. Not logical, but in situations like this where nothing really seems to be working out, logic rarely wins.

Anyway, one of the original places that we really liked is back on the market. No one is free to see it until Friday though, so I'm not getting my hopes up too much.

Fingers Crossed

The awesome MP is checking out a place for us today! It's kind of expensive, but includes literally all of the amenities including HBO cable and wifi! Fingers crossed it looks as good in person as online! fingers crossed!

Last night was the last night of Starlight Racing which means I don't get to hang out with JD anymore. Sad day. I was going to ask for a picture with him, but it just felt too awkward, since I'm not a random fan approaching him nor a long-time friend who actually personally knows him. I'm in that weird in between acquaintance stage. Anyways, before I graduate I may have to take a trip to the Davenport Lounge so we can hang out more.

Other news: you know the awesome huge Mardi Gras beads that tourists pay, like, $30 for? I GOT THEM AT THE ST. PADDY'S DAY PARADE!!

Also, A got a jester hat

Now, this may not seem as huge of a deal as it is, but I have been wanting these beads for Mardi Gras all four years at school and had resigned myself to the fact that I was not going to ever get them, and then this awesome old lady in the parade gave them to me!! We had a great location for this parade. The main thing you want is flowers and A and I both made it out with at least 9 flowers each (we lost some along the way).

All in all, a pretty successful weekend, let's just hope this apartment is awesome!

B got lemons.

Bad News Bears

So apartment we were in love with got rented by someone else two days ago. That means back to the hunt. On the plus side, there are still plenty of places available for rent. We also decided to search in new neighborhoods, specifically Buena Park. We're looking here because B wants to join the Lincoln Park Rugby Club and they just so happen to have their practice field in Buena Park!

Other news, A is in town. We're currently watching Glee and will probably spend the day outside, except for when I have class and rehearsal.

Today was also Grad Fest. That was freaky, paying for announcements and cap and gown. It was also mad expensive.

Pro

So a couple of things happened today on the multiple journeys I am taking. First and foremost, I went back to dance, meaning that I took a ballet class for the first time since November. I also took yoga before that, so tomorrow I will be pretty sore...good thing I have a full day of work tomorrow.

Secondly, I spoke with one of my professors, the one who runs the Comm department's internship program, and she told me that she has a few PR contacts in Chicago that she'll get me in touch with. I got my current internship through her, so I have high hopes!

Third, L is all set up to check out an apartment for us on Friday! I'm super de duper in love with this place (at least online) so fingers crossed it looks as good in person! Future apartment love!

Sunday Funday

What I came home to today...Adorable B

Here We Go...

At work today, I talked with my boss about transferring to the Chicago testing location, as a just in case. We're getting the ball rolling on that this coming week, but hopefully I won't have to follow through with that.

More news: B and I found a building that we really like in Lakeview!

Kitchen area of (hopefully) new apartment...I love the breakfast bar

Also, I got bored yesterday so dyed my hair again...

Red. Again.

Something I realized about myself is that every time I'm undergoing a major change, I change something about my body too. Whether it's piercings, hair, weight, something physical changes when something in my life changes. That being said, the hair is just change number one. Even though I'm not religious, I've decided to practice Lent this year by getting back to my summer weight. I just felt a lot better about myself at that weight, and am finally at such a point of discontent that I really have motivation to do it. So far, I've been able to make myself workout every day and have a schedule planned out for the week!

Monday: Yoga and Ballet in the morning, then Abs and Power Circuit in the evening
Tuesday: Jazz class and Nikolai rehearsal
Wednesday: Ballet and Modern in the morning, then my senior piece rehearsal in the evening
Thursday: Yoga in the morning, Abs/ABT in the evening
Friday: Yoga in the afternoon

I also need to get my house in order because it's still a disaster from Mardi Gras and Sister A's coming to visit on Tuesday...

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I decided to start a blog as a way to document my journey through the next stage of my life. I am about to graduate from college and am trying to move to a new city, get a new job, new apartment, new pet, all while keeping my relationship with my boyfriend alive and happening.

I am so anxious thinking about all of these changes happening. I have two months until graduation and have not heard from any job prospects yet. I am a planner, and if none of my job options work out, I honestly have no idea what my next step will be. I know I can always get a job doing random things, but that's not how I want to be starting a new life. (AKA-if anyone knows of any PR internships available in Chicago, let me know!)

The apartment search is in full swing, having recruited my bff Q-Baby to pretend to be me in Chicago to check out places. That's probably the least of my worries, the actual move will be another story. I also recruited B (my boyfriend) to take control of the apartment hunt so I can focus on jobs, but knowing me, I'll probably end up taking over anyways

I'm in a really good place academically and have been ready to graduate since last semester, so thankfully (or not) I just get to focus on the next step!

I'm going to be sharing my anxieties, things that make me laugh, things that make me rant, and things that are going well for me, and hope that this blog helps me through this major shift!