Working Girl

So today was my first day of work at Association Development Group.  For those of you who don't feel like clicking the link and perusing (seriously though, you should; it's a really nice website), ADG acts as administration for a number of different non-profit organizations.  My actual position is working on three specific accounts: New York State Nursery and Landscape Association (NYSNLA) (which is going to be the one I work on first and foremost, it seems), the Insurance Brokers Association of New York (IBANY), and the New York State Association for Superintendents of School Buildings and Grounds (NYS SBGA).  Essentially, I help my supervisor take care of a number of needs, including keeping track of members and membership drives, organizing conferences and expos and producing publications and newsletters.  Specifically, I'll be helping with the NYSNLA (still can't pronounce that one quite to my satisfaction) membership magazine, Nursery Lines.  Preview: I know a lot more about hardscaping and invasive species, specifically the emerald ash borer.

All in all, the experience was very positive today.  The weather wasn't exactly lovely, but it gave me a great ice breaker as I was taken around to meet everyone (note: I now hate the phrase "I look forward to working with you" after saying it 20 times).  The building is really nice, and I totally dig their interior design and open floor plan.  After paperwork and touring, I spent the day looking over material from the above accounts and asking rather banal questions about parking and travel reimbursement.

I don't have a cubicle just yet, due to what I came to call "The Shift" (capital letters included).  The entire floor plan is being changed, certain groups are moving to other places, and my space isn't really available just yet.  Hopefully that will be organized soon so I can bring in my coffee mug (I know, priorities, right?).

I'm really excited to learn more and actually get my feet wet in the work.  I hope my first impressions turn out to be true.

Anticipation

I have my first job interview tomorrow, and while my stomach isn't filled with various fluttery insects just yet, I've watched too many sitcoms not to be apprehensive of some grand setback (with or without wacky consequences).  What if I forget my shoes and have to interview in my driving sneakers?  What if I get lost on the way there?  What if the job has already been filled and my interview is only for bureaucratic purposes (this is probably my greatest fear)?

The biggest problem I'm having is, after doing research on the company, I would really like to work there.  If I don't get the position, I will actually be disappointed.  There is so much opportunity for growth within the company, they serve a non-profit client base, and they do charitable work of their own.  It meets a great deal of my criteria, and I'd be sad to see it go.  Especially if I end up working at GameStop, explaining to an exasperated mom why her 8-year-old Tommy probably shouldn't play Dead Space 2 (I know this reference is a little dated, but my boyfriend is playing it in the background as I'm writing this.  I can't stop thinking of the Zero Punctuation review.)

So, I've got the outfit.  I've got the shoes.  I've got the credentials.  I've got the attitude.  Now I just need to get the job.

All that You Can't Leave Behind

After giving it some more thought, there are a lot of pluses to squeezing every penny.  The more I think about it, the prouder I am that pretty much everything I own fit into my father's van/my little Kia (with the sad exception of my robin's egg blue colander, which I mourn to this day).  I always hated having clutter, and it's nice knowing that if I had to abandon this northern adventure of mine, it wouldn't be impossible to move again.  Not that I'm eager to do that, mind you.

The only thing this doesn't apply to is books.  They are my biggest weakness, my Achilles' heel (or lower back after lifting boxes of the stupid things).  But I guess everyone is entitled to one guilty pleasure in life.  I certainly understand the appeal of a Kindle/Nook, but I just can't get excited about downloading my books instead of hunting for them in library sales and dusty back rooms in used book shops.  I have a number of amazing finds that I am extremely proud of.  My boyfriend found the entire Cleric Quintet by R.A. Salvatore for $1.  I had been eagerly searching for a copy of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman for some time, and I found a hardcover copy in perfect condition for $3.  

One of my favorites is a copy of The More than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, in leather, which my father found at a flea market for a few dollars.  That book more than any other represents my love of physical books, so much so that it found its way into my high school senior portraits (no, not linking to that or posting it; you can't make me).  Just a short while ago, I was waxing poetic about my few most treasured possessions, and this book made it onto the list.  I can't imagine feeling that way about an electronic written piece.  That's like getting emotional over an email.

I digress; other than books, I'm happy to curb my spending and just appreciate what I have.  So if anyone is feeling giftish this holiday season, maybe you wouldn't mind donating some money to charity in your giftee's honor rather than cramming another questionable holiday sweater into the back of their closet.

Too Much Time on my Hands

Every time I hear that song, I have to fist-pump the air during the chorus (yes, even on the elliptical, which was awkward, believe me).  It has become my personal anthem.

Not that I'm completely complaining.  The job search certainly has the benefit of self-introspection.  I think long and hard about the type of jobs I actually want out of the ones I apply to, and it tells me a lot about myself.  I always knew I was an idealist, but the jobs I get the most excited about are non-profit jobs.

I'm not saying money isn't important.  I do have student loans and a little Kia which need my monetary attentions.  However, I don't need a great deal of money, and I would really love to get up in the morning, knowing that the office I will be sitting in may make a difference in someone's life that day.  It's a lot easier to put on your shoes with that thought in your head.

I am applying to every position I'm remotely qualified for (see: sitting in front of a computer screen and typing), but I've really got my fingers crossed for those few jobs I'd be proud to put on my resume.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

We've entered the fall season, and so I decided it was time to autumn-up our apartment a little bit.  We started with a trip to HomeGoods (as many good stories have done in the past) and purchased our new autumn wreath, complete with majesty.

We then decided it was probably time to throw up some Halloween decorations, since October wasn't getting any longer.  So, we now have a pumpkin infestation of adorable proportions.

(we figured Fruit Rooster is frightening enough to remain for the holiday)

We also experienced the great outdoors while we still can.  Unfortunately, the mosquitoes (lousy Plasmavores) had the same idea, and we are evidently extremely tasty...

(possibly pictured, mosquitoes with murder in their compound eyes)

So farewell, summer.  I have enjoyed your sunshine, your short skirts, and your burning hot steering wheels.  I'm a bit sad, but also happy that I can enjoy a pumpkin spice latte in a pair of leggings and suede boots.

Big City Now Now

The bf and I have been planning to hit up Albany for some time now, so today we finally took a little sojourn down 87 and took a self-guided walking tour (i.e. wandering aimlessly using GPS when necessary).  The city was pretty empty, which seems to be the trend for a lot of capitol cities...well, ok, Harrisburg is my only point of comparison, but the analysis stands.

We checked out Empire Plaza, which was very nice and government-y:

I quite liked The Egg, a theater made of architectural awesomeness in the plaza itself:

There were a few parks, where we met my new best friend (he had a hat and was quite dapper):

And we saw some war memorials, where I decided to honor our veterans with a moment of silence (and foot rest):

We stopped off at the Albany Pump Station for dinner, complete with a tasty, tasty burger.  Then, homeward bound for some rest, relaxation, League of Legends, and a bit of business as I may or may not be getting my first online editing gig (fingers crossed!).

All in all, it was a good day with a great companion, and I couldn't be happier.  Now I must go soak my poor feet.

They can't Drive 55, Apparently

One of the main things I was not excited about when deciding to move up here was NY drivers, especially since I've only been driving for a little over a month.  Granted, every state has its idiots.  Jersey drivers tend to forget which pedal is which, erring on the side of speed, whereas PA drivers do just the opposite, though in their defense, they're just trying to get to the Country Kitchen buffet for the early bird special.

This past weekend, the bf and I drove back down to PA to visit friends and drove back on Monday, which is about a 5.5 hour drive.  It really wasn't that bad, though I definitely saw some interesting maneuvers, like the guy who came up real close behind me and put on his high beams to get me to move out of lane.

After you get off the NY thruway onto the local section of 87, the speed limit is 55.  Clearly, this is just a very silly suggestion and has no bearing on anyone's reality.  I usually follow the "+5" rule on highways, going up to 5 miles above the speed limit to keep traffic moving.  I was going 65 and I might as well have been crawling forward at 20 with my blinkers on.  The pure, unadulterated rage I inspired in the drivers behind me was almost Shakespearean as they flew past, cursing my little blue Kia and all who drive at sane speeds.

Granted, we all feel the urge to press the gas a bit more, but if you're going fast enough that the edges of time and space begin to blur, you might want to ease up off the pedal a bit.

Our House...in the Middle of the Woods

I actually made this a little while ago, but I was lazy and didn't get a chance to promote it.  So here it is, fresh from Burns Productions, a tour of the Oakbrook Commons Estate, West and East wings respectively:

The apartment is very nice, and it's kind of nice not to worry about things like out-of-state landlords and an uncooperative toilet flusher.  Also, whoever invented the garbage disposal is my new god.

Nice to Know You, Incubus

Tonight I had my first taste of Saratoga Springs, specifically the Performing Arts Center (SPAC).  The venue was sort of outdoors-ish in the middle of the Saratoga Spa State Park, so the surrounding area was very woodsy and pretty.

Note: apologies for the sub-par photography.  There was no flash photography and we were kind of far back.

The opening act, Young the Giant, was surprisingly good.  Sort of one of those bands that does those softer rock songs you find buried in a quirky indie movie.  In all my concert-going experience, they are tied for first in the "best opening band" category with Cold War Kids.

Incubus themselves were as awesome as I thought they would be.  They played quite a few tracks from Morning View, which made me super happy.  I especially loved that they played "Are you In," and got a little bit of audience participation.  I'm not a huge expert on a lot of their discography (though I did listen to pretty much all of it today via Spotify), so I knew a few songs really well, a few other songs in general and a couple songs I didn't know at all.

I also got to experience driving in the dark for the first time, which was pretty unremarkable.  No small critters committed suicide via my tires.  Though I had to park in a tree (really should have taken a photo), so I might have slightly damaged it.  Ah well, there's a lot of nature up here; I was bound to damage some of it at some point.

Took off to the Great White North. Emphasis on "White."

Well, here I am.  A Pennsylvanian born and bred living just across the northern border.  Do I like snow?  Not really.  Skiing?  Def not.  Hiking?  I could be convinced, but it's not a driving force.

Honestly, I did it for one simple reason: because it was there.  I had an opportunity and I took it.  It might end up being a mistake, but in the end, it doesn't really matter.  Mistakes are just as big a part of life as getting things right.  And they're a hell of a lot more interesting.

So, I'm living with my boyfriend in a very nice apartment in a small oasis of consumerism in the midst of a vast, northern wilderness.  Right now, I'm still enjoying the novelty of it.  I definitely miss some things, like having great sandwiches and coffee Coolattas within walking distance.  I definitely don't miss other things, like the terrible indie bands that would play in my building's basement and, due to a lack of insulation, might as well have been playing in my living room.

Today was kind of a strike against this whole plan, though.  I had a few simple tasks: drop off the boyfriend's dry cleaning, pick up some groceries and drop off an overdue library book.  Evidently, today was not a good day for Clifton Park's older, female residents.  I'm fairly certain I didn't step on any kittens or small children in front of them, but you sure couldn't tell from their reactions.

Honestly, if today is the worst of it, I can deal.  I have a partially working CD player in a mostly working Kia that has decent bass, so life can never be that bad.