For the curious..

So for everyone who is wondering... This is what my room looks like here! Its much bigger than this picture looks. I am standing at the doorway, where I have my oh-so-fancy curtain hanging up for privacy. Its cool that I have a futon AND a bed though, for everyone that wants to come visit. You can't see it in this picture, but I have a coffee table in front of the futon, and my closet is also on the right... and I also have another coffee table with pictures on the left hand side a couple feet from the end of my bed.

Its nice and homey!

Arrojo round 2!

Finally, after 5 anxious days of waiting... Arrojo emailed me back! I am going in for my 3 hour "work experience" part of the interview tomorrow from 2:30-5pm. I am really excited. So ready to start working. I have been having a lot of fun on my time off, exploring the city and getting acquainted with the area, but I am starting to get that itch... boredom. I gotta get into a place where I can start feeling a bit more disciplined in some sort of schedule to maintain sanity.

Everyone wish me luck... tomorrow I am going to hopefully know whether or not I have the job. We'll see how it goes!

1st Broadway Show!

I was lucky enough to go with my new friend Robert to see my first broadway play! It was so fun! We were in one of the oldest theaters in the city called Shubert Theater. Here's a picture of what it looks like inside...

<--- We sat way up here behind the 2nd pole from the left. :)

We saw the play called Blithe Spirit, starring the one and only Angela Landsburry! It also had Rupert Everett from My Best Friend's Wedding. Here's a picture of the show's poster. The show was about a psychic (Angela) who accidentally conjures up Rupert's dead ex-wife who haunts him and his current wife. Its a comedy, and had some pretty funny parts. It was weird to see actors that you have seen in TV and movies to be performing live on stage. It made me really aware of how they are working, and they are real people that get jobs and go to work. I'm glad I got to go.

After the show we walked around and got cupcakes from Magnolia's again. YUM. (Sorry Meg)

Mikey and I (because I wish he were still here)

I know these are late... but here are a few pictures from when Mike was here I thought you guys would like. We had so much fun. I hope he moves out here! I miss my old roomie :)

This was our first night out on the town together.

Oh the drama. Pretty good for amateurs, eh?

Mike getting groovy.

Just being weird.

Colder than it looks, if you can imagine.

Arrojo Studio. Check!

Today was my interview!

After my sleepless night, I showered and put on my "I'm going to land this job" outfit. I had my brain food, Honey Nut Cheerios, and was out the door an hour and a half early. I was able to get there about 20 minutes early which was nice. One less thing to stress about... So I basically paced back and forth down the block thinking of what I would say.

Doors opened about ten till 9 and we headed in and waited for the man of the hour. Here is a picture of the waiting area we were in. Very modern.

There were about 20 other people that were part of the group interview process. The majority of them were probably around my age or a little younger, a few older than me. I wore a dark yellow button up sweater and a lighter colored button up with a tie and blue jeans. I stuck out like a sore thumb! Nearly everyone was wearing all black. I was a little uneasy about it at first but then recognized that perhaps it was to my advantage to stick out a little bit :).

Nick arrived and chatted with us as a group for about 20 minutes. He described what his salon is all about and I was lovin' it. Its all about the highest quality of hair styling with the most down to earth grounded attitude. They all have a very "pull your own weight" type of work ethic and everyone gets along great.

He then took each of us in one at a time for 3 minute interviews. Fortunately, they went in alphabetical order, so I went about 4th.

This picture is basically exactly what it was like. (I pulled this off his website). He sat in that chair and we talked. He asked me where I was from, what I thought of NY, and lastly if why I thought I would be a good fit for their team. Easy enough question? Hard under pressure. Well, what I said was exactly what I wanted, but I was acutely aware of my quivering upper lip and voice. Perhaps he didn't notice my intense nerves but it made it a somewhat painful experience. I was really happy about my answers though. I maintained good eye contact the whole time. He's very approachable and able to laugh easy with.

After about 3 minutes of chat, he invited me to come in for "work experience". In the group interview he described that if he thought we could be a good fit, we would then come in for a 2nd interview and work for 3 hours. They would assess how we interact with clients and the staff and then they would make a decision to hire or not. I left with his secretary saying they would be in touch with me to schedule a time to come in for a second time.

I am thrilled with how it went. I am confident I have this in the bag. However, waiting for them to call now is ongoing torture. Hurry up and wait. I can't believe this day has come and gone already. I have looked forward to it for so long. Things here are starting to feel a little more real for me. Like, maybe I really do live here now. This could be it. Starting to work will really help me adjust to that notion.

I went for a walk in Central Park earlier today to wind down from the interview. This was my first time. Its so magical in there. This archway I swear was straight out of the shire in The Lord of the Rings.

What do you guys think of my new sun glasses?

FOOD

Last night was originally when Mike was supposed to be heading home, but his flight got cancelled because, lucky me, the weekend I move to New York the largest snowstorm of the season hits. Perfection! :)

So he ended up staying another night and last night we went to a Mediterranean restaurant called Ovelia's that was superb. There were so few people inside, which at first made us nervous but Denise had recommended it so we knew it would be good. It had a really urban warm ambiance, topped with life like colorful moths placed around that randomly move their wings (It freaked Mike out, ha).

I have been craving an authentic Greek Salad, and had heard that Astoria is famous for their Greek food. Here's a picture of it, with grilled chicken on top.

Are you jealous ??

Mike had a Gyro with chicken and cream of chicken soup (sounds sick, but was so good).

Needless to say, I will be returning. Shortly.

Alright, so eating out around here isn't cheap. Fortunately, because I live a good walk from most of the restaurants, I figured I may be more inspired to stay in and cook, especially with how cold it is right now. So, I went to a Trade Market in Astoria that has all sorts of food cramped into a relatively small space. It was cool, it felt very "New York'. Food from all over the world, things I couldn't even pronounce, let alone read. The aisles were so narrow you had to squeeze past people to get by. Here is a picture of me picking up a few basics for my my new home (<--- what??)

There are so many hidden treasures of places to eat here. Its such an experience in itself to try out all of the good recommendations. I can't wait for more friends to visit after I have a little better lay of the land and can show you all of the deliciousness that belongs in your belly (and mine).

Something New

The strangest part about my decision to move to New York was that it almost felt like I was not the one making the choice. Sometimes it feels like life is happening to you, and you are just observing and along for the ride. Part of me had already moved, and I had to go with it.

Now I am here, just spent the 2nd night in my new bed (which is about 2 feet too short for me, ha) and I am trying to wrap my head around the fact that I am not on vacation. This is where I live. I'm so lucky to have my friend Mike come with me. He lives in Salt Lake and works for Jet Blue so he was able to hook me up with a buddy pass. He met me at the Denver airport and flew to NY with me to help me get settled. When he leaves on Monday, I may have a reality check that this is my new home.

Yesterday was the first day that we had to really explore the city. We did really well! We only got briefly lost twice! We started off at Greenwich Village and had some NY style pizza for lunch, then headed over to Magnolia's Bakery. They have famous cupcakes there. There is consistently a 10-20 minute line out the door to get a cupcake during the day. Even when it is cold and windy like yesterday was. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not really that into cake, but I must admit, it was one of the best cupcakes I have had.

We then headed up to 5th Avenue to do some shopping. There is an H&M store that is three stories tall there. Its so affordable there, and so many options that its almost overwhelming, so I ended up leaving empty handed, except for a messenger bag that I bought for 30 bucks.

At this point I really had to pee, but apparently New Yorkers don't pee because there were no bathrooms anywhere! It was torture. We ended walking almost to time square before I found a Chipotle(yes, they have Chipotle, thank God!) and I was able to go to the bathroom. For the rest of the night we had dinner and then got some drinks at a couple different bars around Midtown and the East Village.

The apartment I am living in is nice. I have a room that was a living room converted into a bedroom. It has a doorway that has a curtain over it, so its private enough. It's pretty big, though. I have a bed, futon, and 2 coffee tables, and a decent sized closet in my room. The only downside about the place is the walk to the subway. It takes about 10-12 minutes to get there, which isn't that big of a deal except for when its cold outside, or when you are exhausted at night and have to make the walk back to the apartment. Either way, this is a nice way to get adjusted to the city, and I can hopefully find another place within the next few months that will be a bit closer.

I am going to have 2 room mates. One guy and one girl. Michael is a dancer/actor and works as a bartender as well. He works a lot so he said he won't be around much. The girl's name is Leah who I have not met yet. She moves in this afternoon. She's from Australia and said her boyfriend lives about 3 blocks away so she won't be home much at all either. Kinda nice to have the place to myself, although I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will have a job soon, so I will not be at the house too much either.

My interview with Arrojo is next Friday at 9 am. I think today I am going to see how long it takes me to get there on the subway and plan so I am for sure on time.

This is all so surreal to me. Lots to take in all at once, hopefully the adjustment will be a smooth one.

ZERO HOUR

About Gard

I am a 23 year old native of Colorado and life has recently brought me to New York City to start the next chapter of my life. I can appreciate original witty humor, and people who embrace their individuality! I am inspired by the subtleties of life, and feel most alive when I am aware of the synchronicities woven into my everyday experience. Hello NYC!