The Daily

At the Fitness Center we send out a newsletter every morning about each day’s activities simply titled “The Daily.” It includes our open hours, classes offered that day, and the massage therapist’s availability that day. Now, I work different hours every day, but rather than give you a blow-by-blow of each day, I’m going to generalize my daily routine into one post (but still quite detailed):

9:00 am – Wake up, have a delicious breakfast of yogurt topped with fruit and granola, help my roommate pick out an outfit and do her hair (she works in fashion and we don’t have a full-length mirror, so it really does take two people), maybe even go on an instagram mission with her (as photographed below)

9:30 am – general getting ready-for-work things like brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and packing my backpack, tidying my room, making a lunch

Read (currently A Clash of Kings) until it’s time to leave for the subway station

10:15 am – leave my room and walk the three blocks to the subway station in Union Square, this may be the last fresh(ish) air I get until after work

10:35 am – arrive at Rockefeller Center; I make a train transfer along the way so that I get on a train that takes me right into the basement level of 30 Rock; at this point I’m about half an hour early for work, so I might go to Starbucks for an iced coffee or just check out the shops in the concourse (there’s a J Crew on the ground floor-so dangerous to my wallet)

10:50 am – worry that I’m going to be late if I don’t get on the first elevator I can, so I rush to my designated elevator bank (who knew there could be so many regulations on which elevators go to which floors?)

10:53 am – walk into the Fitness Center, open my inbox, have a mini panic attack

from this point I really take my time getting settled into my work day

12:00 pm – take a scary group exercise class, sometimes two

1:30 pm – shower (the showers at the gym are much nicer than my dorm shower), have lunch

2:30 pm – meet with my supervisor, then really get cracking on the day’s work (and also reading buzzfeed articles), maybe run some errands around the building and pick up some free coffee from the sixth floor; most of the work I do lately is handling new member files, and making sure new members feel welcome at the gym

7:00 pm – time to go home, which means battling the tourists and everyone else leaving work and getting on the subway; it amazes me that so many people work at 30 Rock and so many tourists visit it every day

8:00 pm-finally home, the perfect time to catch up on my youtube subscriptions, and chat with my roommate about our work days, then I’m usually asleep around 10.

We tend to pick the most random places to stop for photos. This is right outside of a ballet school.

And this is outside Trader Joe's.

Dad walking his little ballerinas to their summer class. Too cute.

My "work clothes" are the best. I get to dress super casual because I work at a fitness center. My favorite work outfit consists of my navy blue Lululemon sweater (which they sadly don't sell anymore), Gap leggings (similar), and some cool sneakers. I usually carry my backpack, but if I don't need my computer, I'll just use my Longchamp.

So there you have it, a day in the life of a fitness intern/blogger/Southerner in NYC.

Are you the type of person to find a routine in chaos? Or are you able to go with the flow?

KB

Summer Reading List: Fantasy

I've been loving writing these posts this summer. They're a consistent challenge to think creatively without having to wade through all the post ideas in my head. I know what I need to write about, and all I have to do is sit down and let the words flow...then edit them a lot. So here's the third installment in my summer reading series:

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

I’m a huge proponent of reading the book before watching the movie/tv show based upon the book, which is why I have yet to enjoy the HBO series. When she moved into our dorm, Ally was reading Game of Thrones, and after lots of tumblr gifs, I decided I was interested in the show, but not until I’ve read the books. So after a particularly bad day at work, I wandered into Barnes and Noble and picked up the first novel. I thought it’d take me awhile to get into it, but it totally grabbed me from the first chapter. I’ll admit all the different narration took some getting used to, not to mention all. The. Characters., but it didn’t take me long to zip through in my spare time. When I wasn’t reading it, I found myself longing for Westeros. Since finishing it I’ve started watching the first season, but I won’t continue to the second season until I’ve read more of the books. I’ll probably do an entire post on A Song of Ice and Fire things later this summer once I’ve read more of the series (I'm working on Clash of Kings now).

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I love Neil Gaiman’s books and the alternate worlds he creates within the existing well-known world (I’ve previously read Anansi Boys and Stardust; American Gods is next on my list). This book is about a Scot living in London who gets more than he bargained for. Richard Mayhew, the main character, finds himself going on an adventure in London Below, an entire civilization occupying the space below, and to some extent above, London in a Doctor Who-esque twist of reality. Having read this book, I've found myself thinking about subway stations, buskers, and pigeons in a whole new way. (What I wouldn't give to be able to speak to subway rats!)

This story has also been told in the format of a radio play and a tv mini-series. So far I enjoyed the radio play (a certain Benedict Cumberbatch makes an appearance), but I haven’t watched the mini-series yet.

If you read any of the books from my summer reading lists, let me know how you like them. And I'm always open to new recommendations from any genre.

Happy Reading,

KB

P.S.: You can keep up with my reading on goodreads even after the end of the summer reading list!

Summer Reading List: Memoirs

It's time for the second installment of my summer reading list. This week, as I'm sure you've noticed, the theme is memoirs, but not the boring sad traditional kind. These will have you laughing and crying, but mostly laughing...until you cry.

I Was Told There Would Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

This is basically a collection of essays and funny anecdotes from a twenty-something living in New York. I picked it out for precisely those qualities, and it lived up to my expectations: it held my attention, but could be read in short bursts, and it was exactly the crazy kind of unpredictable stories that you never would have thought anyone else would be able to relate to. It’s a great, funny read for anyone, especially those of us in our early twenties who would like an idea of the chaos to come.

Here's Ally in an East Village coffee shop (#theusual).

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess)

Laugh out loud funny. The Bloggess was not a blogger I was familiar with previously, so I didn’t know what to expect, which made for an absolutely hilarious experience. In her book she tells stories of her unique small-town, west Texas upbringing, to which I was surprisingly able to relate (in the craziest ways), and the constant influence it has on her adulthood. I tended to read this in the middle of the night, luckily that was before my roommates moved in because every other page I’d be cackling with laughter, which would have really startled anyone in the same room.

I recently lent this book to my roommate Ally who was reluctant to read it at first because it’s about “the country,” but as I type this she’s laughing out loud in a coffee shop over Jenny’s high school experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone who didn’t grow up in a rural area and wants a true account of just how bizarre it is, and also to anyone who did grow up in a rural area and is missing that connection to childhood.

What memoirs have you enjoyed (serious or silly) recently?

KB

Summer Reading List: Complexity

This may not come as a shock, but I love to read, and lately I've had plenty of free time for reading. When I was in high school, I had a great English teacher all four years (thank you gifted program) who made us read excellent books and write excellent essays about them (boy, was I ready for those AP tests). Now when I read a book, I analyze it a bit like I will be writing an essay on it to be graded, but that isn't the case, so I've got all these pent-up analyses and opinions with no way of sharing them. Until now. 

For each book I've read this summer, I'm going to do a write-up/book report thing just for my blog. I plan on making this a weekly thing for the remainder of the summer with one or two books per post, sometimes with a theme. So without further ado, here are the books about human complexity I read in May:

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Heartbreaking. Illuminating. Must read. If this account of life in a Mumbai slum doesn't give you a little perspective, I am genuinely concerned for you in one way or another. Written from several different points-of-view, it showed me how different slum living is from my comfy middle class existence, but even more than that, it showed me how alike the two are in the most fundamental human and political ways. I think that it's easy to dehumanize less-priviledged people, especially when they're so far away from ourselves geographically, but Boo's book puts the reader right in the shacks of Annawadi residents, revealing just how complex life in the slum is. There are social and political hierarchies, different expectations of different people, and even religious prejudice. I really don't think I can do this book justice, but maybe John Green can help: 

 I think it's very important that absolutely everyone read this book or a book like it.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart

Truth be told, I had two rather strange reasons for purchasing this book: 1.) John Green recommended it, and 2. Sarah, Fred, and Carly are on the cover. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. It had me nostalgic for a boarding school experience I never had. More importantly it made me question the way things are run, or more specifically the logistics of making connections and networking. It explores the complexity of a girl who just wants to be treated as an equal in her patriarchal boarding school experience, but who might take it a little too far and burn some bridges along the way. I am confident there is a lesson to be learned here in how to stand up for your beliefs. I definitely recommend borrowing it from a friend or your local library if possible.

What have you been reading this summer? Any recommendations? Let me know.

KB

My thoughts are stars...

...I cannot fathom into constellations. 
-John Green via Augustus Waters

That's exactly how I've been feeling lately. At times my mind is moving a million miles an hour and I get all these great project ideas or general creativity bursts, but as soon as I've had time to relax and unwind and find a notebook to write them all down in, they're gone. My brain just stops. I guess I get overwhelmed by everything and shut off. And of course this isn't just a recreational creativity thing; it's also had a huge impact of my work life.

Until now (today, specifically) I haven't known what to do about it, but at work today I had a bit of a meltdown in front of my boss regarding the issues discussed in this post, and despite his tendency to talk and talk and not let me get a word in edgewise, I was able to convey to him all the feelings I didn't even realize I was having about my internship. Talking to him and more so listening to his perspective on my time with the company has helped me work out where I want to go from here. I'm not going to go into the details, because frankly I haven't figured them all out yet, but I definitely feel like I'm taking steps in the right direction.

Then a similar thing just happened/is currently happening with my roommate Ally. We're both posted up in a coffee shop in the East Village discussing blogging while simultaneously actually blogging. We've been talking about having great ideas about blog posts and instagrams we think of during the work day, then by the time we get back home, we've lost creativity and/or motivation (not to mention energy). It's like my brain has only two gears: hurricane and sloth. No matter how many sticky notes, electronic and paper, I write myself or notes written on my phone, most of my ideas just fizzle out to nothing.

The point I'm trying to make is that when this happens to me, the best thing I can do for myself is to talk through my thoughts with someone whose opinion I respect and value. By sitting down and sorting through the mental static, I'm able to identify specific goals, and figure out what steps need to be taken to achieve them.

Stay tuned for more meta coffee shop posts ;)

KB

P.S.: This is the instagram I posted while writing this post.

I made a mistake

So remember how I mentioned my internship in NYC this summer? Well as I didn't mention before, it's at NBC Health and Fitness Center. Yes, that NBC. The one at 30 Rock. But to tell the truth, I really don't think it's the job for me. Of course the facility is nice and the people who work there are great, even the members are wonderful and encouraging, but a corporate gym is just not a place I see myself spending the majority of my career. I've realized I'm interested in a more personal approach.

In Baton Rouge there are a few holistic health facilities specializing in corrective and functional exercise, allowing clients to live a higher quality life with fewer injuries and more health benefits. I'm sure this type of place exists in New York, the problem is that isn't where I'm doing my internship. On a nearly daily basis I find myself wishing I was at one of those Baton Rouge facilities, but then I take a step back and realize I'm living in New York City for three months. When else would I have a chance to do that? Probably never. 

If I'm honest, spending the summer in New York was a huge factor in deciding on an internship, but lately I've been questioning that decision. I'm far from home and everyone I know (except my brother). Everything is more expensive. I'm living in a tiny, filthy dorm. And it's been quite the financial aid nightmare. If I'd stayed in Baton Rouge I'd be near all my friends, I'd have a job with actual cash flow (in addition to the internship), I'd still be in my roomy townhouse (with a glorious, spacious kitchen), and I'd be able to see my family whenever I like.

But...

I've made three great new friends in my lovely roommates. I've gone on fun weekend adventures with them. And had all kinds of crazy experiences I never would have dreamed. I wouldn't call it stepping outside my comfort zone so much as leaping out then sprinting away, and I wouldn't have done it any other way.

So all in all, I don't regret the decision I've made. Although my job isn't what I'd ideally like to do in future, I'm still learning tons and getting all kinds of important experience under my belt (and on my resume). And I am beyond grateful for the opportunities I've been afforded by the Fitness Center and my supervisor. 

Have you made any questionable career choices? How did they turn out?

KB

P.S.: This was taken a couple Sundays ago in Sheep Meadow. It was such a lovely day and it seemed like everyone left in the city was there sunbathing.

I'm Going to New York

Whew! What a semester. From sunrise bike rides to schlepping the boys to and from practices, I’ve hardly felt like I’ve had time to breathe. I’ve neglected to a) keep my house clean, b) do any regular grocery shopping, and c) complete any blog posts. So here I am catching you up on things, like:

1. I got an awesome babysitting job at the beginning of the semester. It’s really chilled and involves walking a dog, making sandwiches, and driving a teenager and a pre-teen to and from various after school activities. It’s nice to be making a little money without having a huge time commitment (since my classes have been more than I bargained for).

2. I got a bunny rabbit. Her name is Thistle and she is incredibly difficult to photograph because she doesn’t stop moving, so this is the best I have: 

I admit, this really wasn't the best time to get a rabbit, but how could I tell Daddy no? More importantly, how was Daddy going to tell me no?

3. I nailed down an internship for the summer. IN NEW YORK! I’ll be working at a health a fitness center to be disclosed at a later date, and I’ll be living in an NYU dorm with roommates whose names (and genders) I still don’t know. I’m really nervous and stressed about the whole thing, but I know once everything actually gets started I’ll be so grateful for the opportunities presented to me.

In the meantime I have to pack for New York (leaving May 25) and move out of my townhouse at school, because my lease will be up while I’m away. I also get to hang out with my roommates and help throw a bachelorette party for Cee, so there’s lots going on, but it’s all good stuff.

What are you doing this summer?

KB