So don't get me wrong - I still hate my job. But tonight something happened that made it a little more bearable. I arrived early for my 5pm shift and found out that we would be hosting the premiere for 'Meek's Cutoff' in theatre 5. Also, I could expect to see Michelle Williams. Not my pick of celebs but exciting nonetheless. I've not heard of the film but you can check it out here. I was assigned the task of standing in the foyer and directing the general public past the press line to whichever theatre they had tickets for. I was instructed to move stragglers along and make sure they didn't disrupt the famous peoples. It was a pretty quiet night so I got to spend an hour ogling various celebrities, silently judging their clothes and chatting with a very friendly security guard. Here is a rundown of all the peeps I saw and eventually cleaned up after: For those of you who aren't super film nerds like me I've linked their names:
Michelle Williams (she looked sooooo stunning in what I eavesdropped was Chanel)
Paul Dano (There will be blood, Little Miss Sunshine)
Zoe Kazan
Bruce Greenwood (most importantly the president from National Treasure 2!)
Will Patton
Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter)
Sophia Coppola (director, not of this film)
Stephen Baldwin (!!! SO COOL !!!)
Dana Delaney (she has a new show called Body of Proof)
Maxwell Caulfield (Cooooooool Rider - Grease 2)
Rob McElhenney (It's always sunny in Philadelphia)
Holly Hunter (I can't be positive but I'm pretty sure)
This is where you can see a pic of Michelle and what she was wearing. It looked even better in person. She is so very tiny.
I think I've gushed just about enough. It was a very cool New York moment that lasted an hour. Then it was back to work and man, can famous people make a huge popcorn mess!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The 3 month blues
I know I just finished saying how great this city is when it's sunny, but even a little summer can't beat the 3 month blues. We've been away from home now for just over 3 months, all three of those being cold, dark and snowy. Don't get me wrong, the weather itself has been a novelty and we've enjoyed it much more than the locals. It also provided us with an experience so different to home that it emphasised the excitement of our trip. I think now that the weather is milder, we're in an apartment and faced with the daily grind the homesickness really starts to set in. No longer are we on an adventure in a foreign winter wonderland but we've merely transported our existing lives to a city far away from everything and everyone we love. We're not travelers any more, we're living and working, paying bills and going grocery shopping. Don't get me wrong - we are definitely grateful for the opportunity and the experience. But I thought it was important to record this feeling now so that in a few months we can look back and see how far we've come (hopefully!).
On Friday I had an orientation session for my new job at Landmark Theatre's Sunshine Cinema. My early excitement quickly gave way to a sense of dread as I realised (and how could I have forgotten) the nature of the job and how boring it promised to be. The session was like many I have been a part of, albeit from the other side, and I kept comparing everything to the IMAX experience. The jarring reality that I had slipped down the food chain was depressing to say the least. Pile that on top of the nerves about being a newbie, the uncertainty of my surroundings and an hour long commute home at midnight and I was a wreck. I headed back there yesterday for my second day on the job which was marginally better, although I found it very difficult to adapt to my station. I struggled to keep my 'managing' mind in check and hoped that I didn't come off as bossy to my fellow trainees. And all this for $7.85 an hour. I've decided to continue my search for a job that will be stimulating and challenging. This trip to NYC was not intended to be a mirror of my life back home and definitely not a mirror of my life 2 years ago. So I'll keep this job while I can and look for internships, volunteer gigs and anything to get involved in the industry I love.
Lauren and Lucy will be here in less than a month. !!!!!!!!!
On Friday I had an orientation session for my new job at Landmark Theatre's Sunshine Cinema. My early excitement quickly gave way to a sense of dread as I realised (and how could I have forgotten) the nature of the job and how boring it promised to be. The session was like many I have been a part of, albeit from the other side, and I kept comparing everything to the IMAX experience. The jarring reality that I had slipped down the food chain was depressing to say the least. Pile that on top of the nerves about being a newbie, the uncertainty of my surroundings and an hour long commute home at midnight and I was a wreck. I headed back there yesterday for my second day on the job which was marginally better, although I found it very difficult to adapt to my station. I struggled to keep my 'managing' mind in check and hoped that I didn't come off as bossy to my fellow trainees. And all this for $7.85 an hour. I've decided to continue my search for a job that will be stimulating and challenging. This trip to NYC was not intended to be a mirror of my life back home and definitely not a mirror of my life 2 years ago. So I'll keep this job while I can and look for internships, volunteer gigs and anything to get involved in the industry I love.
Lauren and Lucy will be here in less than a month. !!!!!!!!!
St Patrick's Day
Last Thursday dawned bright and sunny. I presume. I can tell you with certainty that at noon when Timon and I got up the sun was shining and the air was still. The TV was overrun with the broadcast of the 250th St Patricks Day Parade - hours and hours of marching bands, Irish policemen and twirling ribbon dancers. So, instead of enduring that in our apartment we decided to venture out into what was sure to be a city filled with drunken frat boys and gingers aplenty. We arranged to meet up with Michelle and Frans (our new Sydney-ite friends) at an Irish pub on the east side called the Pig 'n' Whistle. On the way we jumped off the subway at 81st Street and took our first walk through the park. It really is astonishing how quickly the snow has melted. It feels like yesterday that there were blizzards and panic throughout the city, endless news reports on the frustrations of the long, white winter. We took some of the quieter paths within the park to avoid the crowds and an unnatural amount of green clothing. The trees, while bare, form a stunning scene against the highrise buildings in the background. The Great American Elm apparently. It was warm enough that we could go without coats for the first time in yonkers. But not warm enough for sunbaking and the general summery behaviour that was going on. It never ceases to amaze me when people from the northern hemisphere catch a glimpse of sun and strip off. It could only have been 18 degrees tops. But we enjoyed it - we parked ourselves on a rocky outcrop and people-watched, listened to the passing bagpipes as the parade moved up 5th Avenue. When it was time to move on we maneuvered through the crowds, passed the Plaza, down to 50th and cut across in front of the marchers from Cork. It was quieter on the far side but there were still heaps of uber-drunks lining the sidewalk. We found the pub easily as it was around the corner from our old haunt The Pod Hotel. Unfortunately the place was jam-packed with people, so much so that the balcony looked like a sardine can. Inside it was barely possible to move and the line for the bar was 5 deep. And this was at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. They were playing weird Irish themed tunes like the Cranberries and Falling Slowly and serving all drinks in plastic cups. We spent a couple of hours with M & F and their other Aussie friends yelling to each other in the crowded pub and then jumped ship for home.
It's amazing how much difference the sun can make. I'm sure I'd not really appreciated this city until I was walking through Central Park. We didn't have to wear 10 layers of clothing, negotiate slippery ice paths or giant puddles. I almost needed sunscreen.
It's amazing how much difference the sun can make. I'm sure I'd not really appreciated this city until I was walking through Central Park. We didn't have to wear 10 layers of clothing, negotiate slippery ice paths or giant puddles. I almost needed sunscreen.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
the Brain Scan
My foray into neuromarketing wasn't as fun as I'd hoped. It was definitely an experience with great potential, but ultimately I ended up with burning eyes and a really stiff neck. I arrived pretty early, without eye makeup and with clean, dry hair (despite the rain!). The small office had the most annoyingly loud electric water feature on the back wall that must have driven the receptionist bonkers. A few ladies came out of closed doors to my right and were directed to the bathroom to wash soapy gel dots from their hair. They didn't seem too bothered, especially when they signed for their check. When it was my turn I was called around a partition to be prepared for the session. A lovely lady chatted with me while she measured my head, placed a swimming cap over my hair and plugged various electrodes into it. She also injected a shampoo style gel into holes in the cap and placed 3 sensors over my eye and nose. I was then taken into a room with a giant TV and one comfy chair just for me. She plugged me in and we went through an eye location test where I had to look at a chain of numbers on the screen. There was a camera looking up at me to measure facial reactions and a bank of computer monitors behind me. I got comfortable and prepared to not move for the next 90 minutes as an episode of "Beyond Scared Straight" started up on the TV. The show itself was pretty good, exactly the kind of reality trash I love, so I was thinking then that this was the sweetest money making exercise ever! But then after 40 minutes of the show my neck started to ache and the top of my head felt like it was burning. I'd been asked to move as little as possible which amplified the pain. I really didn't want to jeopardise the $120 and I couldn't smell burning hair so I soldiered on. The last exercise was to push a button when a blue frog came on screen. It went on and on and on until my eyes were blurry. FINALLY it was all over, the cap was removed and I headed home in the rain with my big fancy check. Now if I can only figure out how to cash it....
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Being scammed in pursuit of a buck
We're both doing what we can to save and more importantly EARN money. I've had 2 job interviews this week which I think went pretty well, I just have to wait until the end of the week to find out if I made it. In the mean time I responded to a craigslist ad for females to participate in a neurological study. I had to complete 2 surveys which asked for basic info plus my opinion of different television genres (answer: I loved them all). I got a call yesterday from a lady inviting me to come and watch a TV program while being monitored by electrodes attached to my head. I said yes. I will be receiving a cheque for $120 for my troubles. For those keeping track I would have to work 15.28 hours in a regular job to earn that kind of moola. Sigh.
The second venture I engaged in was a Mystery Shopper position that I found on....Craigslist! I applied and received an email confirming my suitability and my first assignment. My first Mystery Shopper task was to go to Walmart and buy an appliance with a value of $50. For this and all other assignments I would receive a cheque in the mail to cover any expenses and a salary. Sounds goods right? The second task was to take the remaining money from the cheque and conduct a Western Union money transfer to a name specified in the email. In the middle east. Starting to sound suspicious? But I'm a trusting gal, an innocent who doesn't believe in the evil ways of legitimate sounding online businesses. After both of these tasks were completed (and I was able to keep the appliance - microwave here we come!) I would be sent the third, a restaurant mission. At this stage I'm getting pretty excited. We really want a microwave. We decided we could live without it by re-heating everything in the oven but really it's a mega drag and we just eat cold leftovers. I know of the legitimacy of Mystery Shoppers having experienced many in my customer service career. I want to get paid to shop. The cheques arrived in the mail today. They look like legit US Postal Office Money orders. But strangely and suspiciously they are both made out for $955.00. That is way more than the $50 appliance and my $100 salary. I hand them to Timon. He looks for the Ben Franklin watermark that is mentioned on the back, to no avail. He looks up "mystery shopper craigslist scams" on google and finds a mention of scammers who issue fraudulent cheques and ask you to wire the money under the guise of mystery shopping Western Union. It seems like quite an obscure scam, but it also seems like something I don't really want to get involved in. I certainly don't want to be arrested for fraud and sent home all for the sake of a $50 microwave.
I guess we'll just eat cold leftovers. Jerks.
The second venture I engaged in was a Mystery Shopper position that I found on....Craigslist! I applied and received an email confirming my suitability and my first assignment. My first Mystery Shopper task was to go to Walmart and buy an appliance with a value of $50. For this and all other assignments I would receive a cheque in the mail to cover any expenses and a salary. Sounds goods right? The second task was to take the remaining money from the cheque and conduct a Western Union money transfer to a name specified in the email. In the middle east. Starting to sound suspicious? But I'm a trusting gal, an innocent who doesn't believe in the evil ways of legitimate sounding online businesses. After both of these tasks were completed (and I was able to keep the appliance - microwave here we come!) I would be sent the third, a restaurant mission. At this stage I'm getting pretty excited. We really want a microwave. We decided we could live without it by re-heating everything in the oven but really it's a mega drag and we just eat cold leftovers. I know of the legitimacy of Mystery Shoppers having experienced many in my customer service career. I want to get paid to shop. The cheques arrived in the mail today. They look like legit US Postal Office Money orders. But strangely and suspiciously they are both made out for $955.00. That is way more than the $50 appliance and my $100 salary. I hand them to Timon. He looks for the Ben Franklin watermark that is mentioned on the back, to no avail. He looks up "mystery shopper craigslist scams" on google and finds a mention of scammers who issue fraudulent cheques and ask you to wire the money under the guise of mystery shopping Western Union. It seems like quite an obscure scam, but it also seems like something I don't really want to get involved in. I certainly don't want to be arrested for fraud and sent home all for the sake of a $50 microwave.
I guess we'll just eat cold leftovers. Jerks.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Vegemite Quest
Vegemite is awesome right? Right? I think so. So I googled where to buy vegemite in Manhattan. Most of the posts were outdated, back in the horror days when vegemite was banned in the USA for it's levels of folate (?). Others directed me to various deli's and supermarkets, UK specialty stores (weird) and a pie shop in the East Village called Tuck Shop. Sadly the jar Freyja so graciously sacrificed to me has reached it's end and I cannot face 2 months on peanut butter alone. So off we went. No luck at the deli's, no luck at the supermarket. There goes all the sources close to home. A couple of days ago we rugged up against the icy cold and boarded multiple trains to downtown Manhattan in search of Myers of Keswick. It was a tiny store filled with UK delicacies such as Twiglets, Jaffa Cakes and Hoola Hoops. And sitting quite proudly amongst these products from the mother country was a wee jar of black gold - Vegemite! I rushed over with unparalleled glee - only to drop the jar like a hot potato when I realised they were charging $13.50 for 200g. That is well beyond my budget. Ultimate sad face. We backed out of the store slowly but decided not to lose hope - we would hike across town to the east side in search of Tuck Shop. It took a while but eventually we located a large green flag bearing a boxing kangaroo hanging in the street. Success! Inside we hungrily ignored the wafting smells of meat pies and sausage rolls in the pursuit of something better. My eyes scanned the store but I was forced to ask the guy behind the counter - "We came for vegemite....??" SOLD OUT. What?! I hesitated before asking how much it was when it was in stock. $13 he said. Dammit.
Our Routine
Both Timon and I have started the epic and depressing hunt for jobs. Epic because this is a city of 9million and depressing because the average wage in $8 an hour. I take a certain amount of pleasure looking for jobs I wouldn't normally, applying in an effort to make a new life for myself. It's exciting to imagine a job outside my experience, one where I can don high-heels and a snappy outfit. I've applied for a couple of Executive Assistant positions, an Event Manager at Central Park Zoo and a Production Coordinator for a documentary film studio. Admittedly I've also applied for about 15 cinema jobs because you can't take the movies out of the girl. Timon has been sticking to customer service jobs at Madison Square Garden, the American Natural History Museum and various bars. For approximately 30 applications between us we've received 2 responses. I'll be interviewing on Monday for a floor staff position at a cinema....for a grand hourly wage of $7.25. It hardly seems worth it. All I can do is see as many free films as possible to soften the blow of earning less than I did when I was 15.
Other than looking for jobs, we've established a lazy routine of sleeping in and staying up late to talk with home online. There's Family Feud on Facebook, cleaning up Louie's mess and an endless array of Food Network shows (much to Timon's chagrin). I've also found a Ghost Whisperer marathon on every weekday! We spend Sunday planning the next week's meals and trotting around the supermarket to buy what we need. There is a beautiful supermarket here called Whole Foods (I think) and for those who love walking around looking at food this is the place. They have a massive cheese section, in house bakery, stunning fruit and veg section and lush meat deli. It's like a designer supermarket. Lucky for me it's only down the road!
Wednesday night has now become Survivor night, Thursday is 2 hours of comedy (Community, The Office, Parks and Rec, 30Rock) AND Bones and Sunday is Iron Chef America. I know it sounds kind of pathetic, but really we're just finding our feet. And appreciating the time before we both end up working 75 hour weeks to make ends meet. Viva New York!
Other than looking for jobs, we've established a lazy routine of sleeping in and staying up late to talk with home online. There's Family Feud on Facebook, cleaning up Louie's mess and an endless array of Food Network shows (much to Timon's chagrin). I've also found a Ghost Whisperer marathon on every weekday! We spend Sunday planning the next week's meals and trotting around the supermarket to buy what we need. There is a beautiful supermarket here called Whole Foods (I think) and for those who love walking around looking at food this is the place. They have a massive cheese section, in house bakery, stunning fruit and veg section and lush meat deli. It's like a designer supermarket. Lucky for me it's only down the road!
Wednesday night has now become Survivor night, Thursday is 2 hours of comedy (Community, The Office, Parks and Rec, 30Rock) AND Bones and Sunday is Iron Chef America. I know it sounds kind of pathetic, but really we're just finding our feet. And appreciating the time before we both end up working 75 hour weeks to make ends meet. Viva New York!
A New York state of mind
I've been waiting for something truly blog-worthy to happen before I updated this bad boy. But to be honest, we've spent a lot of time doing nothing. I fear that everyone wants to hear that we've been living the high life, meeting people, seeing places and getting cultured. I don't want to let you down but we've stayed pretty close to home. For sure we don't want to spend the next 12 months watching TV on the couch but on the other hand, we don't want to be back in Australia by May having spent all our money. It's a fine balance.
Louie has been with us for 2 weeks. Today he barely moved from the bathmat when I came in to feed him. Now that is progress. We are battling the desire to pick him up and force him to cuddle us, we alternate between soft and tough love, letting him roam free and then locking him in the bathroom. It's like raising a child (although I guess locking a child in the bathroom is a no-no). My mum suggested I make him a little home he can hide in to tempt him out from behind the toilet, so I did. He has ignored it. Sometimes he shrinks from my touch, other times he bats my hand and rolls over for a pat. I'm confused. I can see him now, slowly prowling into the kitchen, being careful not to make a noise, ready at any second to dash back into safety. Even eye contact will set him off. Hopefully it's just a matter of time before I'm complaining about the hair he leaves on my lap after a long snuggle session. Hopefully.
Louie has been with us for 2 weeks. Today he barely moved from the bathmat when I came in to feed him. Now that is progress. We are battling the desire to pick him up and force him to cuddle us, we alternate between soft and tough love, letting him roam free and then locking him in the bathroom. It's like raising a child (although I guess locking a child in the bathroom is a no-no). My mum suggested I make him a little home he can hide in to tempt him out from behind the toilet, so I did. He has ignored it. Sometimes he shrinks from my touch, other times he bats my hand and rolls over for a pat. I'm confused. I can see him now, slowly prowling into the kitchen, being careful not to make a noise, ready at any second to dash back into safety. Even eye contact will set him off. Hopefully it's just a matter of time before I'm complaining about the hair he leaves on my lap after a long snuggle session. Hopefully.
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