shallow thoughts by csolly: February 2003

Monday, February 24, 2003

OK, now that I've calmed down, here's the scoop: I've accepted a job as editorial assistant at Beliefnet, which is located in midtown Manhattan. I'm very excited about it for a lot of reasons, the main one being that it's exactly the kind of work I want to be doing; I'm going to be writing daily newsletters and in charge of maintaining parts of the web site. They also seem excited to have me, which has been incredibly flattering. A funny coincidence is that I accepted the job offer six months to the day after I lost my last job. Strange, huh? It's been quite a trying six months, and I'm so thankful that it's over. I never could have kept my chin up without the support of my friends and especially my parents in Missouri. I'm very lucky to have all of you in my life. And, in order to celebrate with my two biggest cheerleaders, I've just decided tonight to make a trip to StL for a long weekend next weekend, before the new job starts. Just reserved my plane tickets a few minutes ago. (I got a decent fare even on such short notice.) I can't wait. I feel like I have a lot of loose ends to tie up this week, so I think I'm going to be running around like a happy little crazy lady. Hooray!

Friday, February 21, 2003

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!! Details to come later, but right now I'm busy jumping up and down, screaming and yelling. I'll get back to you when I'm done.

Thursday, February 20, 2003

Life is hard, man. Sometimes so hard that all the Advil and yoga in the world can't make it go away. Hugs might do it, but Ozzie's not much of a hugger. I know a lot of you are going through some rough stuff of your own right now, too, and my thoughts are with you. Maybe if you send me some good vibes, and I send you some good vibes, we can all come out of this on top. Sooner, rather than later. Cheesy, I know. But right now, I could really use some cheese. And wine ...

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Got back last night safe and sound. I'd try to write this better, normally, but I'm kinda pooped, so I'll just tell you what happened. I was going to DC for the weekend with Jess & her mom (purpose of trip was to pick up Jess' little sister's car which had broken down and been repaired down there). I was looking forward to the trip all week for so many reasons. I love hanging out with Jess. I was excited to get out of town to somewhere that wasn't St. Louis or Boston. I wanted to spend hours and hours going through some of the Smithsonians with Jess. And I wanted to see the missile launcher parked next to the Washington Memorial. Ride down on Saturday morning was smooth, almost no traffic. We were staying in Annapolis with Jess' aunt & uncle and cousins, all of whom are really nice. It was one of the cousins' birthday Saturday, so we all went out to dinner, had some drinks, bowled, good times. (I bowled one of the worst games ever, but it was OK because I still had fun.) Then it started to snow. It was a good thing that we all went out on Saturday night because we didn't leave the house again until our return trip on Tuesday. It snowed all night Saturday ... all day Sunday ... most of the day Monday. Insanity. They said it was an all-time record for Baltimore. We had to dig out of the house because each of the doors -- including the garage -- were covered with snow drifts too high to open any of them. The highways were all clear, but it was the local roads that were a problem -- the snow was so high that regular plows didn't do much good so everyone had to wait for the big guns to come around, which they said could take days before they got every road. If you didn't have 4-wheel drive, you weren't going anywhere. Luckily, we had gone down in a 4WD SUV, and were able to push out on Tuesday (after a few more inches had fallen that morning.) We had gone down to pick up a VW Jetta, but we left it behind because there was no way it could get anywhere on the local roads. All in all, I did have a good time, even though I didn't get to see the missile launcher. Jess' family was extremely nice and welcoming, and I felt very at home there. We sat around, drank wine, watched some TV, played in the snow, read some magazines. Didn't do a while heck of a lot. But, to be snowed in, I'd rather have been in a big warm house with a lot of peop'le than in my little hole in the wall all by myself. Drive back was also uneventful because there were so few cars on the road. So, now I'm back, working on the contract job that I've been hired for and still looking for a real job. Same ol', same ol'. Feeling the stress. I'm trying so hard to find work, and it's just incredibly frustrating. Especially since I've been looking for so long. I really hope something comes along. I've been keeping up a good attitude, for the most part I think, but that is really getting exhausting. I just want it to end. The contract work is good though, a nice transition back into working. And I'm getting paid. Cha-ching. Drop me a note and say hi. I'd love to hear from you.

Monday, February 17, 2003

Snowed in. In Annapolis. There's about 3 feet. I'll tell ya more later, but I'm having a lovely time, staying warm and won't be back til NYC til it's safe. Ciao.

Thursday, February 13, 2003

Terror of War and War on Terror Yesterday, I posted an away message that read, "i'm pretending that the world isn't coming crashing down around us," in reaction to the nonstop chatter about terrorism and war. I started to think, though, that it may not be like this everywhere, but people here can't seem to shut up about it. Newspapers and TV news are splattered with messages about the subway being a target mentioned in terrorist communications; only half of the city's police have been trained in counterterrorism because of lack of funding; how to make your own terrorism preparation kit and what-to-do-in-case-of-a-terrorist-attack. Police are all over the place. A guy I know walked two miles to work instead of taking the subway. My train stopped yesterday for 15 minutes without an announcement, and because of something I read on another blog, a few things crossed my mind. (And the train was under the river at the time, and I wondered how difficult it would be to escape the tunnel if a train got stuck there.) I've been trying really hard to ignore all the war and terror news because I have so many other worries on my plate, that I really don't need any more. But it's aproaching such a fever pitch that it's becoming hard to ignore. I'm not changing anything about my days -- still taking the subway gladly, I have no emergency kit. Everything will be fine. I just wish everyone would shut up about it. :P * I was thinking about writing this yesterday, and wouldn't ya know it: today's NYTimes has a story about this very topic. Worrying About, Well, Stranger Behavior Than Usual. *

Wednesday, February 05, 2003

I've been exercising a lot more lately. Ever since Christmas when we went out to eat a lot in Hilton Head, and in January when I ate out a lot, I feel like I've gotten a little out of shape. So I've been doing my yoga tapes a lot and even ordered a new one (which has yet to arrive in the mail). And, on nice days, I've been taking long walks. I'm just not good at running, but I can walk for a long time, and I figure that's better than nothing. I miss taking yoga classes, but the tapes are really working. I can definitely move better than I could a few weeks ago when I started doing them again. Feels great. In case you weren't sure, I love yoga.

Tuesday, February 04, 2003

I had dinner last night with a friend that I have known since grade school and we had such a funny time. She: "I think I was a New Yorker trapped in the Midwest. You know what I mean?" Me: "I know exactly what you mean." ... Plus, I could totally use a hug. This job-hunting can be heartbreaking. Ugh. I hope I find one soon.

Monday, February 03, 2003

Sorry for the long break, but here's an update. Birthday: Very fun day. Didn't do too much, but Heather klein bought me sushi (we were going to go out, but it was one of those REALLY cold nights, so we just stayed in, and were better off for it.) Birthday Party: Tons of fun! Thank you to everyone who came - especially those who came from out of town! That meant a lot to me and I hope you had fun too. Job Hunt: Been on some interviews, but still no offers. But I'm feeling good about things. I feel like a momentum is building and that one of these is going to pan out soon. I'll definitely let you know. Smoking: Just crossed the 4-month mark. Huzzah! Cats: They're good. I gave Ozzie a bath the other day, which resulted in a clean kitty and a very scratched up Solly. No short sleeves or shirts that reveal a midriff any time soon. (Ouchie.) Movies: Seen some good ones, but not tons. I loved Billy Elliott, much more than I thought I would. Saw 25th Hour in the theater with Jessica and really liked it. And Jess told me about The Sweetest Thing, which was pretty dumb but I really liked it because it definitely reminded me of how real grilfriends can be with each other. Hope you're well!

shallow thoughts by csolly