Anything can happen here...

If you have ever paid attention to movies and tv shows that are filmed/set in New York City, you'll notice that there is a reoccurring theme - the idea that anything can happen. While I haven't exactly reached my "happy ending" there are some very strange things that have happened to me and experiences that I have pulled in that make a lot of my stories sound trite and made up. I've often been told by friends and family alike that the situations I get myself into are just "unreal".

Here's an example: On Friday afternoon, I got a G-chat message from an old college roommate (and awesome friend) saying that she was going to be in the city this weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday. Since I hadn't seen her since... I really don't remember --- graduation?? ... I was really excited to spend some time with her. I met her and her friends at a place called the "Frying Pan". It is an old boat/pier that has been turned into a really awesome outdoor space for eating and drinking. I didn't really know anybody else there, but that's kind of how it is no matter where I go, so I just casually chatted with everybody there.

"Just so you know, you're sitting next to a Calvin Klein model..." Nancy leaned in and whispered to me.
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah, he just walked the Calvin Klein show in Milan."
"Well, hot damn."

So, I was sitting next to a guy that models in his underwear. Love it! He got up a few minutes later to get a bottle of wine to split with friends and as he came back, he stepped over a grate that was covering a port-hole on the deck. The grate gave way and he went crashing down into the rusty boat. He caught himself on a table and as he pulled his leg out of the port hole, there was a gaping wound and a large amount of blood streaming down his leg. Though he brushed it off, I couldn't deny the first-aid deliverer in me.. I had to do something (not because he looks hot in his underwear, but because it would have driven me crazy to have his bloody leg next to me and my instincts wouldn't let me let it go, of course!) So I offered up my services to at least clean the wound and bandage it the best way I could.

Picture this: we are in the hull of a rocking ship, he's sprawled out on a couch (this sounds a lot sexier than it was, I assure you) while I'm running around looking for a first aid kit, there's not one there, so I have to MacGyver a bandage out of crappy paper towels. Long story short, the bleeding stops, we all keep drinking, and I throw out a couple "I saved your leg, when you're famous, I should totes get some credit" comments :)

Yes, that would be him there in the picture.

Sometimes my life is so very boring - but then sometimes I get a really good story out of a typical Saturday outing. That's the beauty of New York City, really. Anything can happen.

Resolution check:

Since it is now July (where the hell is 2009 going??) it's time to check in with the New Year's Resolutions - let's see how I'm doing.

For reference, these resolutions were posted back in January.

Resolution number 1: Family - keep in contact and make sure they all know how much they mean to me.
I'd like to think that I've done pretty well with this resolution. I make sure to speak to my parents almost every other day (if not every day) and call or email a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin once a week. Of course, with Facebook and Myspace, it has become easier to keep tabs on my cousins and to be involved in their lives. Success.

Resolution number 2: Independence - "I need to understand that independence doesn't come just from moving to a new place or getting your first job - that it's a process and a journey and it's okay to ask for help or receive help without asking for it. There's nothing wrong with getting a little help."
While I still have problems asking people for help, I think I definitely have become more independent in the past few months (or at least I've gotten a better idea of what that means). Verdict: getting there.

Resolution number 3: Friends - Foster relationships with the people that mean the most to me. Make sure I stay up to date and continue to be involved in their lives.
I could not do this without G-chat. Thank you, Google, for your wonderful invention. Not only am I able to stay in the loop on what is going on, but I would go crazy if I didn't have Anna to talk to all day long! Now, if I could just get more of my friends to start blogging..... hmm... Status: Check!

Resolution number 4: Make new friends in the city.
While I haven't found life-long friends yet, I definitely have met new people and have hung out with other people more than once. Also, I've become more comfortable with interacting with strangers - I've found that there are a lot of people in this city that are just looking for companionship like me. Still, I'm not very good at the initial interaction. Verdict: iffy.

Resolution number 5: Start dating.
Well, I've definitely started doing that! You can read more about that soon. Verdict: mmm hmm... :)

Resolution number 6: Professional - "..find a new job that allows me to experience the industry for which I spent years studying. Also, to increase my salary in order to save a bit of money (or at least to be able to buy legitimate groceries) and to get some sort of health insurance."
Well, this is my worst category. I'm still in the same job, still can't get sick, and still skimp on groceries. But, it's a work in progress, I guess. Hm... fail.

Resolution number 7: Be more selfish.
This is a hard one to gauge. While I have made a conscious effort to not do everything for everyone (yes, I'm learning how to say "no"), I still have that twinge of guilt that comes when I've been a little snotty to someone. A few months ago, Good Morning America featured a new author - she wrote a book about "Self Love" and one of her beginning steps was "Make one person mad each day." I know that sounds mean, but it actually makes sense. Knowing that you can't please everybody all the time and starting to change everyone's perception of what you're willing to do really helps. Hopefully, I can start to change the "pushover" image. Status: in progress.

Virginia: 4 , Resolutions: 3 (win!)

Well, overall, I think I've done pretty well in keeping with my resolutions. Of course, there is still a ton of work to be done, but I think it always helps to check back in and remind yourself of what you resoluted to back when you were feeling all nostalgic about years past. It probably helps that I actually made realistic resolutions this year. I guess I've just finally come to the realization that there will never be a time when my thighs do not touch.

So how are you doing with your resolutions? Do share!

Updates from the week ---

This week is a pivotal point in my life - I can officially say that everything that happened "wedding-wise" was "last year", not "last summer" or "this past June"... I can finally begin to put all of this behind me. Of course, I still have about 2 weeks until my "universary", but knowing that I have made it to this point is a wonderful feeling. I've spent a lot of time this week thinking about my life and where I'm headed (verses where I would have been had I actually gotten married - ew) and I'm starting to feel more confident about my life. I guess I really had to go through these things to realize what I'm capable of doing.

Of course, my life is not perfect (not by any means!) and there are many things that I need to do and change before I can really feel like I'm living the life I'm supposed to be living. But, I'm on my way - I'm getting there.

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I went to The Belmont last weekend with my roommate's family and some friends. What an amazing event! I've done so many things living in this city that I would have never been able to experience anywhere else - so unbelievable. I did bet on some horses, but I didn't win any money.. : ( It's alright, though, it was worth the money spent for the excitement.

We had an amazing view - a spot right at the fence - to watch the races... awesome.

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On Tuesday, Elon sponsored an event at the Volstead (midtown east) to kick-off their Elon In New York City event. It is a program where current Elon students get internships in the city and are provided with housing and some food (I think). It's essentially a way for students to get those coveted internships and to make it easier for them to live in the city. (Man, it would have been nice if they had that when I was there). Anyway, the event was for students to really see what "networking" is like.

Normally at these events, I am the network-ee. I'm the one harassing people trying to figure out who they work for, who they know, who knows them, and essentially, if they would recommend me for a job. But, this time, I was on the other side. Suddenly, these people wanted to talk to me! They wanted to know what my internships were, what I had on my resume, and how I got my job. It was so ironic, these students, who are just like I was - excited, optimistic, vivid - couldn't wait to get out in the "Real World". I hate to say that I was a little bit of a thunderstorm on their parade, but I wanted to be honest with them. After all, I think I would have had a better view of what life would be like if people had been completely honest with me during my job hunt. It's not easy. It's hard. It's hard moving to a new city, it's hard finding a job right out of college... and at this point, you almost HAVE to know someone that has an "in" in order to get a job. Applying for jobs online is essentially useless. And, from talking to them, I realized how much I need to be taking my own advice. I should be networking like crazy, talking to everyone I possibly can - and making sure I'm putting myself out there for people to see - employers aren't going to find me!

So, I'm going to put up an updated portfolio website. I think I'm actually going to pay for the domain space and make it as professional as possible. And, if it gets me a job, it'll be worth every penny. I'll keep you posted though.

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In keeping with tradition, June 10th sucked this year as well. It seems that 6/10 is my family's day to receive bad news. Last year, it was the news that my fiance had cancelled our wedding and this year, we learned that my father's cancer is more progressed than they thought. He'll have to begin treatment sooner than we expected (like, within a few weeks/months maybe). It sucks, really, that we got such a good report from the doctors about him being in Stage 0 and the possibility of never needing treatment because his cancer was "dormant". Now, test results have come in from RTP showing that the cancer has mutated some of the blood cells. ::sigh:: This isn't going to be easy.

After having a bone marrow scan, doctors will determine how much/how long/how strong of chemotherapy he would need to get the cancer into a remission. I'll let you know when we know more...

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Well, it's almost quittin' time and there hasn't been much to do today.. so I'm pretty certain I'm going to be kicked out in about 10 minutes. At least it's Friday! More later, dear readers.

Birthdays, Princes, and Ponies - New York is actually kinda cool.

Per usual, my life starts to get more exciting - and it looks less exciting because I've been too consumed (okay, lazy) to update the blog! So, since I've got a VERY slow morning here at work, I've decided to share some events of note.

So, let me first quickly delve into life since the last post: I went home for Memorial Day weekend and had a wonderful time being with family and friends. It's always refreshing to go home, but always a reminder that I'm doing the right thing. Sometimes, I walk around this city wishing for an open yard and a swing on a porch. On those days, I'd give anything to move back home and get back to where things are comfortable, where people know who I am and what I'm capable of, and where I am respected, not chastised, for the way I act or speak.

On the other hand, when I am at home, I am reminded that I made the right decision to move. While living in North Carolina is calm, peaceful, and familiar, it's also a place where I am not tested and therefore would not grow.

I think, really, I have the best of both worlds at my fingertips. I live in the hustle and bustle of the big city. I am exposed to ambitious people that will do (and are doing) great things and I have all the resources to really make a difference in my life. And, when I feel the need, I can always go home again; for that little bit of perspective - to remind me that I am capable of so many things - and to know that my family and friends will always be there when I need to come back.

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On Wednesday, I officially added an extra candle to the birthday cake. For me, birthdays have never really been that big of a deal. I've always had shared celebrations with family members and I guess I never really got into the habit of really celebrating my "day of birth". I did receive cards and gifts from family and friends and I had a birthday dinner with my roommate - plenty of celebration for me. I guess it's kind of funny, each year, we get more and more introspective about our lives and how we're living it. So, I thought about the last year. Birthday to birthday. And, I came to the decision that I'm proud of me! There, I said it. I'm proud of myself! Because it was my birthday, I'm allowed to take a moment and be vain. On May 27th of last year, I was not in the best mood. I graduated from college 3 days prior, and while I should have been the happiest at that time, I was upset because my "fiance" didn't come to see me graduate. I had argued and fought with him at the time, because he had promised that "no matter what" he would be there - knowing that it was important to me. Let's file that one in, "I shoulda known". Anyway, with the reeling of the recent disappointment, and the sadness of leaving my friends, I also had to move out of my apartment that Tuesday. There's nothing sadder than seeing the blank walls and empty space of a place you called home. Still, I had things to look forward to. I was getting married in a month, and the next few weeks were to be spent tying ribbons, folding papers, and spending time with the people I love most.

Let's fast-forward to this year. This year will probably go down in (my personal) history as one of the hardest years of my life. I know everyone has personal battles that they deal with, but for me, it seemed that I kept getting knocked down. One blow after the other, day after day, month after month. To the point where other people began to see saying "geez, Virginia, this year sucks for you!". And, it did. This year sucked. But, (here's the silver lining, ready for it?) I can look back now at my journey and it's like looking over the ledge after climbing up the mountain. I can see where I started, and I can see the point where I slid down. I know the exact time and place that I hit rock bottom, and I know the exact time and place that I started to climb back up. Am I at the top? Absolutely not. But I am in motion - and this year has been pivotal for me in understanding who I am, what I'm capable of, and what I want to be. This year, I became an adult.

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Okay, now that I've had my weekly, "self pep-talk", I can divulge into some fun things. This past weekend, Govenors Island was re-opened for public use. And, in honor of the island's now open gates, a polo match was held on the grounds (Apparently, they used to play Polo a lot on Governors Island) It's a small island, just south of the Island of Manhattan - just a short ferry ride away. So, Carrie, Ryan, and I went to the polo match that was a fundraiser for Prince Harry's newest project "Sentabale". (Website Here) While ticket prices ranged from $500.00 to $50,000.00, we joined the "free crowd" to watch the match. Since I had never been to a polo match before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I will say that I loved it! We were close enough to the pitch (field) to see all of the action and it was a really good game!

The game was sponsored by Veuve Clicquot Champagne so there were many famous people in attendance. Of course, I was a little "star struck" by all of the celebrities there. Prince Harry was playing, as well as Nacho Figueras (he's the guy in the Ralph Lauren ads. ( Hotness Here ) I also spotted LL Cool J. Kate Hudson, Chloe Sevigny, and Madonna were also in attendance - as I'm sure many others. There are photos on Facebook, go check them out - Here's one of my favorite shots - you can really see the faces of the players. I'm actually surprised I got so many good shots since I wasn't really paying attention to what was being seen through my camera.

Prince Harry (1) and Nacho Figureas (4)

Governors Island is such an amazing place. It's small, very green, and it's basically set up like a college campus. It has amazing views of the harbor and downtown Manhattan, and it's quiet enough to make it feel like you're far, far away from the city. I think Governors Island will be a place I will frequent this summer.

View of Lady Liberty in the Harbor from Picnic Point, Governors Island

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So far, the summer season has shown me the potential New York City has. It's actually quite nice. This weekend, I'll be going with friends to The Belmont (a horse race) - should be pretty exciting. Updates to come!