Found a New Place! Moving in T-Minus 36 Hours.

Goodbye, Washington Heights! Hello, Upper East Side!

Hello, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble within walking distance. Hello, Shake Shack and Chipotle. Hello, 6-train and good riddance A-train!

So long to the Friday, Saturday, and holiday 2am fiestas! Toodles to our 40° bedroom. Hello, five flights of stairs every single day... And, coincidentally, hey there, quads! Miss me?

Yep, we're moving. And we had exactly nine days to pack this time. Correction: Make that I had nine days to pack. Matt has been absolutely no help, because Matt has been at work all day every day. But, we knew that would happen, so... I've been sucking it up and trying to pack two people's possessions. And it does, seriously, suck.

I have a bit more left... The kitchen and the bathroom, mostly. And the tops of the dressers in the bedroom. All my books are tucked neatly away in boxes and shopping bags, and my clothes are in garbage bags. You should see where my loyalties lie.

The movers will be here at 9:00 Wednesday morning, the internet/tv installation is taking place between 4:00 and 5:00 (so... like... 6:00 and 7:00?), and our first order of groceries should be arriving around that time period, too. So we should have just about everything we need in our new place by 9:00 on Wednesday evening. Then, and only then, will I allow myself to rest.

The past two weeks have been crazy. Absolutely torturous and stressful. But, I think, we're going to land feet first. We got the apartment I referenced in the last entry, the two bedroom on the Upper East Side. 85th and Lexington, to be exact. It's way smaller than the place we have now (even with the two "bedrooms"), but I think it'll work better for us. Less to clean, less to pack with unnecessary furniture and what not. Matt mentioned that he's looking forward to downsizing and I think I have to agree. We barely made use of all the space we have now. Sure, we'll miss it, but I think we'll get used to everything pretty quickly. Especially our new area...

I'm so excited about the new area; it more than makes up for the higher rent, the realtor's fee, and the smaller rooms. There's so much to do; we'll be three blocks from Central Park, one block from the subway stop and the bus stop, and just a few blocks south is tons of shopping. Plus, we're only ten blocks from Andrew for the time being, so no more passive-aggressive arguing about who has to make the trip across the park to visit the other.

Once we actually get settled, though, it's time to really buckle down and save. I have to find more freelance, try to get more organized at work, and start working on the young adult novel that I've had to put on hold during this whole search. We'll unpack a little at a time, try to figure out how everything will fit, and hopefully I'll be able to have people over for my birthday, which is a Sunday this year and comes right before President's Day, which is an office holiday.

Matt's twenty-fifth birthday is tomorrow; I bought presents, but didn't wrap them. Didn't bother with a card for the very first birthday ever because I figured it'd get lost in the mess that is our current apartment. But hopefully we'll be able to celebrate this week or next. His days off may be changing from Wednesday/Thursday to Friday/Saturday, which means we may actually be able to act like a real couple in their mid-twenties and go out on the weekends. Within reason, of course, because we're supposed to be budgeting.

It'll probably take a while to get photos of the new place with all our stuff inside, so for now, I'll leave you with a few I took tonight when I went over to measure the rooms and test out my keys (and the commute). The keys gave me a hard time (as did the stairs... which makes me nervous for the movers...), but I think we'll be okay in this place.

Front door is to the right. At the back of the building. New fridge and stove.

New cabinets, new stove. Not a lot of counter space, but we'll figure something out. I don't really cook to begin with...

Potty.

Room #1 off the kitchen. It's tiny; thinking the futon and something else will go in here.

Room #2, between Room #1 and the bedroom. This will probably be the living room, only because we don't think we want people walking through our bedroom to get to the living room.

Bedroom; bigger than what we have now. Closet is in Room #2 and is pretty deep. Windows look out at the huge apartment complex across the street and the fire station.

Other view of Bedroom.

Eleven apartments later... Still looking... But close?

As made obvious via my Facebook posts from today and yesterday, I am completely worn out. Work plus apartment hunting has totally wiped me out this week. Physically, yeah, but emotionally as well.

At work, it's hard to concentrate on the actual work because all I can think about is looking at apartments. Will we find something? Will we be forced to settle? What happens if we can't get out in time? Do we have enough money for this? Will the guarantors be accepted? And on, and on, and on... Constant stress. On top of a catalog season that hasn't quite started yet, but will certainly keep me busy for a while.

After a disappointing experience Wednesday night, Matt and I met with a new realtor and company last night. And she's absolutely amazing. As I explained to a few people this morning, we told the first agent, "We'd like A, B, and C." And they were like, "Meh... How 'bout X, Y, and Z?" They told us we couldn't afford what we wanted and that we basically had to go up hundreds of dollars in our already tight budget to get even close to what we're looking for. They took us to three places, we couldn't get in one because they didn't have the right keys, and we sneaked into another that the landlord specifically told us we could not see. And the ones that we did see just weren't... worth the money we would have to pay for them.

The first company insisted that for our budget, we'd need to look at studios. They didn't show us a single "true" one bedroom and they didn't even take us to the Lower East Side, which is where we really wanted to be. That is our ideal location. However, we're extremely flexible. We just need Matt's commute to not be stupid long anymore.

So previously that day, I'd gotten an email, a text, and a phone call from an agent from a different company who I had emailed two days earlier. I texted her while we were eating Wednesday night after seeing the disappointing apartments with the first company. By 11:00 that night, she'd already given me a full list of properties we could afford—all true one bedrooms—and most were LES. So we set up an appointment for Thursday and I left work early to meet her at 4.

We saw seven apartments on the LES last night. Seven apartments that, according to the first company, were not in our budget and didn't even exist. And what's even more, the agent took us to open houses. So anyone could've seen them. So it's not like the first company didn't know about them or didn't have access to  them. Ugh. Whatever.

Of the seven, we really liked two. One was directly across the street from Matt's restaurant. The other, three blocks away. We got really excited about them, got our hopes up really far, and decided to put applications in. So we went back to the agent's office on Union Square and by the time we got there, someone else had put in an app for the apartment across the street from wd~50. Bummer. Big, old, bummer. So we went in as a back up and said if we couldn't get that one, we'd want to apply to the one three blocks away. We left the office at 9:45 last night.

Well, we didn't get the first one. And then while we were putting paperwork together and exchanging phone calls and everything else today, I remembered to ask about the second apartment's move-in date. We need a move-in date of February 15 at the latest because new tenants will be in our apartment March 1. Well, of course this place was March 1 move-in. And none of us knew that (agents included) because last night, two apartments in the building were open. And when we heard one was February 15, I guess we all thought the other was, as well. So, we didn't even bother applying for the second one because we can't be homeless for two weeks.

So... we're both totally, completely disappointed. Distraught. Stressed even worse. I couldn't concentrate on my work, and I had planned on staying at the office until 7 or 8 tonight to catch up on the hours I missed when I had to leave early to meet with the agents this week. But at 4:30, I got a text from the agent asking if I could meet her on the Upper East Side at 6:30. And of course I said sure.

And I'm so glad I did. Because I saw three apartments in one building—and I'm positive we'd be happy in any of them. Two bedrooms, living room, kitchen with new appliances, updated bathroom. In all three. In an awesome part of UES. We wouldn't even really have to get rid of much of our furniture. I think we could make it work. So... I texted Matt like mad while he was at work and we decided to apply for them. I was at the office with the VP and my agent until 9:30 again, filling out forms and getting information for the app. It's ridiculous how hard it is to rent a place in NYC, but... I understand it. I do. But that doesn't make it any less of a pain in the ass.

So, our apps are in for that apartment. But... the work is not yet over. And neither is the waiting game. We won't find out if we get any of them until Monday. Tuesday at the latest. So in the meantime, I'm meeting with our agent again tomorrow. And we're seeing a few more places on the UES. So far, I've spent about four hours filling out paperwork in this woman's office. And eight hours looking at places. And I only just started working with her on Thursday. She's awesome. She listens to us. She understands what we want and she's not pushing us toward anything we don't want and aren't ready for. I can't wait to find a place so I can write her a great review on like, every website I can find.

So after I search tomorrow, I'm headed to the office to work in peace for a little while. No phones, no emails. Just need to knock a bunch of stuff off my to-do list. And then, depending on what I get accomplished tomorrow and how tired I am at the end of the day, we'll see if I go back in on Sunday.

For now, I'm going to cuddle up on the couch under a bunch of blankets, watch some TLC wedding shows, and maybe sleep until Matt gets home... in like, two hours. Gross.

So tired. And it's not over yet.

Apartment Hunt #2: Officially Underway

Since I last wrote, quite a bit has happened. At work, we're gearing up for our Fall 2013 season and I officially acquired my tenth book today! (Happy dance.) Tons of original work coming out in time for next Christmas that I'm super psyched to edit. Memoirs and novels mostly, which... is pretty perfect for me.

In the meantime, though, work is kicking my ass in every way, whether I'm at home or at my desk. I have a feeling I'll be spending the next few weekends in the office, just trying to catch up—and then get ahead. Which is actually okay because we could use the money, because...

We're moving! Again.

It's official. I received confirmation last week that we could get out of our lease without any penalties and they already have someone moving in March 1. So we're looking to get out by February 15. We met with an agent today, looked at two places on the Upper East Side, but really weren't impressed. By the agents, by the apartments... The area was cool, but still too far away from where we want to be. The Lower East Side is somewhat unrealistic for our budget, but I've been in touch with another realtor for a different company and she sent us a few listings in the LES that we could possibly see Thursday or I could see on Saturday.

So, we're making progress. We have a few weeks, but we'd really like to know where we'll be by February 1 so we can schedule a moving company, send our extra furniture home, and pack and clean. The search today was almost disheartening, especially because the people we were touring with kept emphasizing that we couldn't get what we wanted. We know we're going to be sacrificing space—and a bit more money—but we're willing to do that if we can spend a bit more time together and reduce Matt's fifteen-hours-per-week commute.

So, mid-February, if all goes according to plan... We'll be seeing Anthony Raneri play an acoustic set on February 13. Valentine's Day is the 14th, although we're not quite sure if we're going to celebrate it because we may be a bit po'. I'll be taking my "floating holiday" on the 15th to watch the movers (alone, because Matt's going to get out of another move. This is #3 that he doesn't have to help with). The 16th, we'll be unpacking. And the 17th, still unpacking, and celebrating my birthday. Again, alone. Unless I can get some people to take me out. And then the 18th, President's Day, the office is closed. So more unpacking!

Busy, busy month. And before that all happens, Matt's birthday is coming and we're supposed to be getting a visit from Stan, which will result in what I can only assume will be an impressive evening as we dine with Matt at wd~50 on a discount. But we'll see what happens.

2012: A Year in Review

Only a few days left of 2012 and I have to admit... minus a few rocky weeks in the beginning, it's been a phenomenal year for me. I have very few complaints about everything that happened this year, and anything that I could really complain about honestly made me a better, stronger person, so I can't really even complain about those...

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

JANUARY
I rang in the New Year with my best friend and two (nearly) perfect strangers, but it was a good first step toward my major resolution for 2012: meet new people and make new friends. I spent most of January trying to figure out what was going on with my relationship, which was technically off, but realistically still on. Matt went to Italy for the last week of January and we spent a lot of time writing emails, g-chatting, and further realizing that we really didn't have much of a choice: The relationship was certainly not over.

FEBRUARY
I don't necessarily remember much about February, other than receiving a Kindle Fire from Matt for my twenty-fourth birthday. This machine would change my entire perception of ebooks and I quickly became addicted. And I mean... buy-one-or-two-books-per-week addicted. Daily Deals are examined closely every single day and the monthly deals blow my mind. I no longer shunned ebooks, though I almost always have a hardcover or paperback on hand or in progress. Best gift ever. Even, possibly, better than my Pandora bracelets.

MARCH
I visited Andrew in NYC for St. Patrick's Day. Despite being pinched by complete strangers (I forgot to wear green...), I had a great time. He introduced me to The Strand, which is a little slice of heaven for every book lover, and I remember telling him that someday soon I'd be working in the city. I didn't know how true those words were when I spoke them.

APRIL
Matt and I book a somewhat last-minute six-day trip to Chicago and completely reconnect. We decide to "officially" pick up our relationship where we left off and we celebrate our seventh anniversary (because we're in agreement that the break didn't really happen... it was all a dream nightmare) in style at Moto. Then we dine at Alinea for the second time in two years and seriously make a memory that will last a lifetime and then some. We spend some time with my cousin in his natural habitat (Lincoln Park) and we walk all the way to Hot Doug's and experience a cocktail tasting menu at The Aviary. We spend more money than I make in a month and we go home and rarely leave each other's side the rest of the month.

MAY
I am completely miserable at my job. I don't like what I'm doing, I don't feel appreciated, and I don't feel respected. I force myself to get out of bed in the morning and I can't sit in my seat a minute after 5:00. I feel like I'm wasting my time and I start applying for jobs in New York. I apply for a job as an editor and am told that, despite my three combined years of working for a book production company, I don't have the experience necessary to edit trade books. So I ask if there is anything open at said company and I'm invited to interview for an internship on May 14. On May 15, I'm offered the full-time, paid internship. On May 16, I give my two days notice. On May 18, I cash out my final week of vacation time and say goodbye to my old office and coworkers.

I spend the next week packing my apartment, convincing myself that my relationship will survive this decision, and looking for somewhere to live in NYC. My start date is May 30 and I need to be settled in somewhere by Memorial Day. I have one full week to find somewhere to live. Andrew hooks me up with the woman he stayed with when he went to Columbia and I promise her a full month's rent in exchange for a bed, a shelf in her fridge, and the use of her bathroom.

My first day as an intern, I proofread more material than I was given in a full year at my old job. I know I've made the right decision for my career.

JUNE
Work is easy, work is fun, work brings new friends who have a ton of the same likes, dislikes, and attitudes. I do what I'm told, ask for extra, and am loving it. At night, I hunt for apartments, expecting to find a place with a July 1 move in date. Matt has agreed to move to NYC when I find a place for us and I'm determined to make that sooner rather than later, as I'm stuck in a tiny room all night by myself and am still in an unfamiliar land. Before I moved to New York, I'd been there three times: once senior year of high school for a Broadway show, once for a conference in college, and once to visit Andrew.

Matt visits early in June and we meet a realtor I've been emailing. He shows us three places within an hour and we decide to take the third place. Two bedrooms, separate living room, separate kitchen, laundry in the building. We're set. We receive a move-in date of June 15 and the woman I'm living with flips outs. Long story short, I was out of there on June 15.

During the last week of June, I'm offered a full-time, salary position at my company. I accept without any hesitation and soon find myself working with the editorial director, managing editor, the publisher, and a bunch of really great people who are all close to my age and are extremely personable.

JULY
Washington Heights is... different. (You'll get a glimpse if you watch the new MTV show Washington Heights, which debuts in January. I won't be watching. Because I already know that "in the heights, shit gets real." Uh huh...) I stick out, men speak to me in Spanish, and I'm afraid to walk around alone. But I love the apartment and have no problem being there alone until Matt moves in on July 9. After more than seven years of dating, we finally live together. And living with a boy isn't too bad... especially since we work opposite shifts and get a lot of time to ourselves.

Matt starts his job at DBK and kind of likes it, but knows it's not where he ultimately wants to be. He hates burgers with all his heart, but he sucks it up for a bit. A paycheck's a paycheck. For now.

AUGUST
I acquire my first book, a healthy cookbook written by a woman who is more than enthusiastic about the process. I catch the acquisition bug and am soon reviewing proposals sent directly to me by various agents and authors. I love my job. I don't regret a single decision I've made all year.

SEPTEMBER
Matt continues to hate his job. I feel guilty, but I know other opportunities are out there for him. He just has to want it.

One of my best friends moves to Washington—yeah, the state. Despite the distance, we talk almost every day and I'm mostly happy that she's happy. It really sucks that she's so far away, but... other people are starting to fill the void. That's not to say that she has been replaced; no one can replace her. But I've grown close to a few people in the office and am excited to be invited to lunch, dinner, happy hours, and shopping as often as I am. Again, no regrets.

OCTOBER
Matt and I celebrate our seven-and-a-half year anniversary because we've learned to really appreciate our time together. We're closer than ever and it's clear that moving in—and away—was a great decision. The hurricane hits the East Coast and power is knocked out in almost all of lower Manhattan. We barely feel a thing in the Heights, but my office and Matt's restaurant are closed and we get to spend an entire week together. We eat horrible food, watch a ton of superhero movies, and walk the streets on Halloween, weaving our way in and out of clusters of children dressed as Disney princesses, Spiderman, and Batman. All the subways are still down, so we really have no place to go. But that's okay, because we're perfectly happy on our couch.

NOVEMBER
Matt stages (interns, pretty much) at wd~50, a Michelin-rated progressive restaurant on the Lower East Side. He works for free for five days and comes home every single night with a huge smile on his face. He's truly happy with the work he's doing for the first time since we moved and I couldn't be happier for him. The day he goes back to his full-time job, he comes home with absolutely no spirit. The light is completely out.

Two days later, he quits his job at 2 in the afternoon. Three hours later, the chef at wd~50 calls him (completely unprompted) with a full-time job offer. I receive the news while waiting in line for a bus to take me home to W-B for the weekend and desperately wish I could celebrate with him. Instead, I settle for texting nearly every person I work with and every family member I can think of. Shortest unemployment ever, happiest guy ever.

We moved to NYC for our careers and now we're both actually making progress. All is well.

We get to spend Thanksgiving together for the first time in seven years. Since we started dating, one of us always had work, be it at the grocery store where we both worked in high school or at whatever restaurant Matt worked at. We cook a turkey big enough to feed my entire family and I eat leftovers for a week and a half, which undoubtedly added to the slight weight gain I've experienced since moving.

DECEMBER
My parents visit, Matt's parents visit, and my sister's boyfriend speedily recovers from a horrible accident. My grandparents are as healthy as can be and everyone's looking forward to the holidays. Amy asks me to be in her wedding; I say yes. Two years till the big day.

Matt loves his job, I receive a positive review and a substantial raise at mine, and I agree to help a friend of the family and a very talented young woman with her first young adult novel off the clock.

We struggle with the idea of breaking our lease and moving south. Matt's commute is way too far. We're still not sure what will happen, but I don't think we'll be in the Heights much longer.

I find a gym closer to work, we find a grocery store that delivers with a very small fee, and we recommit ourselves to a healthier lifestyle. We'll see how long this lasts.

Like Thanksgiving, we get to spend Christmas together for the first time since we were in high school. We make a very small amount of food, spend about three hours in the kitchen drinking an entire bottle of wine, and finish the night with the season finale of Dexter and the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead. We get two full days together, as I took my only vacation day the day after Christmas. I couldn't be happier.

RESOLUTIONS FOR 2013

• Eat great, lose weight
• Cook more
• Move closer to Matt's job
• Write creatively
• Become more organized (if at all possible)
• Meet more new people
• Reconnect with some people from the past
• Become more confident
• Continue to be happy

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone! I love you all. Thank you for accompanying me through one of the greatest years of my life. And, if you were around for 2011, thank you for sticking by my side while I struggled to overcome my issues and move my life forward. <3

Apartment Hunt #2... Already? (Maybe.)

My six-month anniversary in New York and at Skyhorse came and went as of November 28. I noticed it a day or two later, but really didn't have time to acknowledge it. Now that I finally have a night to myself that doesn't include passing out early (although I could definitely go to bed right now...), battling a sinus headache, or burying myself in freelance (although I do have some I could be working on...), I can give it the recognition it deserves:

WOO! SIX MONTHS AND STILL NOT BROKE/DEAD/SINGLE.

Things have been going very, very well. Everything at home is finally stable, it seems, so I'm not afraid to check my texts or answer my phone anymore. For a while, I was afraid something even more tragic would happen that would beckon me home for a few days (and put me under the weather for a few months), but I think we're in the clear for a while. Everyone is (mostly) happy and (getting) healthy, so that takes a lot of stress out of the equation.

Matt loves his new job at wd~50. Love, love, loves it. The only problem is the commute. (And, for me, the hours. But... We moved out here to work, so work we shall.) His shifts run from 11am until about 12:30/1:30am. So he's already working a hell of a long day. Add to that a 45 minute to 1 hour commute in the morning, plus 1.5 to 2 hours at night, and he's spending between 3/4 am and 9:45/10am at home. And those hours are spent sleeping. And I am also sleeping during that time, and then leaving for work, so we're not seeing a whole lot of each other. And he's running on empty.

A shorter commute wouldn't exactly give us a ton of time to spend together, but it'd at least get him an extra hour or two (or three?) of sleep a night. So, the only way to get a shorter commute is to move. And our lease isn't up until June 30 and we really want that security deposit/last month's rent back. He said he could handle another seven months of this schedule, but I really don't want him to have to...

My parents visited this weekend, and my mom suggested subletting. Not sure why that thought never crossed my mind, but a severe sinus infection/head cold stopped me from thinking logically for about a week and a half so I like to think I would've eventually arrived at that idea. But the world will never know now...

Not sure if our landlord allows subletting. I emailed our realtor, who said he'd be happy to help us find someone to take our place, but we need to get the landlord's approval first. Before I even attempt that, though, we need to get through the holidays. Pay all those bills. And I need to have my six-month full-time review at work. Which should come with a substantial raise. Then we can figure out what we can afford, where we want to live (thinking southern Manhattan, possibly on the East Side, but not entirely sure yet), and if we want to use a realtor again (uh... yes. lol).

If we lived on the Lower East Side (or at least close to it), we probably will have to give up some space. We may lose a second bedroom, but Matt's maybe used the room for more than an hour approximately twenty times in the nearly six months he's lived with me. So it's really unnecessary (except, of course, having a guest room is nice for our guests). So if we have to part with it, then that's fine. We also are giving up the idea of having a dog anytime in the next year, since our schedules just won't allow it. So that opens up a few more potential places than it did originally.

But anyway, if we move closer to his job, we could go out together more often. I could meet him after work for drinks (which I can't do right now) on the weekends and we could hang out in the morning before he has to leave. We'd be surrounded by people our age, instead of angry Dominican grandparents, and most people down there speak English, that we've seen. And that'd be nice.

So maybe I'll get up the courage to ask about subletting in mid-January, and we could be out by mid-February? Depending. I think if we do go this route, we're skipping birthday presents and Valentine's Day next year. Which would kind of suck because I love presents, but I'd get over it.

So much to think about!

My Guy's First Michelin-Star Restaurant Job (and some other stuff)

So... let me set the scene:

It's 4:30 on a Thursday afternoon and my cell phone buzzes at work three or four times. When I finally get around to checking it out, I see texts from Matt, who is on Day One of a five-day "stage," which is like an internship. The stage is at wd~50, a restaurant Matt has had his eye on for years. The first text says "This place feels like home." In one eleven-hour shift, Matt fell in love with this place and all the people who work there.

Every night of the stage, he came home smiling, upbeat, and energetic. He talked about how great it was to finally work in a kitchen with people who respected the food they were making as much as he does. They listened to music, they spoke English (big plus in a kitchen out here!)... He told me stories about $10,000 machinery and centrifuges and carrot balls and celery strings and it was very clear to me that he was finally home. In the back of my mind, I feared the day he actually had to go back to DBK, where he's been miserable for quite some time.

So the last day of the wd~50 stage rolls around and they ask him to come back two days a week (Fridays and Saturdays) to help them out. He says yes, but he has to check to make sure DBK will work around that schedule. His first shift back is Wednesday, and Tuesday night all he talks about is how badly he doesn't want to go back. We play around with the idea of him quitting and finding a part-time job to accommodate his weekend work at wd, but we ultimately decide that we just can't go without an income.

Wednesday, he talks to his chef about going part-time and the chef basically tells him no and that he can't cut Matt's hours. Matt's the strongest guy in the kitchen and he can't afford to cut his hours, especially with the holidays coming. He asks Matt to stay on full-time until mid-December and then says he can find another job. Matt relays this information, we're both unhappy with it, but we don't really see what else we can do.

Thursday night, he comes home and he's just... "miserable" isn't a strong enough word. He was all pale and disheveled. He dropped his bag right onto the floor and just fell onto the couch. "I can't go back there" and "I never want to step foot in that kitchen again" pass his lips. We had a really rough year last year, and that still doesn't compare to what I saw Thursday night. He was so upset and so... defeated. At one point, he even curled up on our hardwood floor and didn't want to get up. Again, we talked about him quitting and I finally gave in. But I told him he had to immediately start looking for a part-time job so we'd have some sort of second income.

Friday comes and three hours before his shift (and less than one week before DBK's big Thanksgiving dinner), he quits his job. I immediately ask my assistant managing editor for more freelance work when it becomes available and I secure a few extra hundred dollars a month—but certainly not as much as another full-time job would bring in. I'm stressing out already. Matt comes to take me to lunch at 1:30 and we have this big long talk about what kind of job he can get and where he should look and he promises that while I go home for the weekend, he'll start applying for jobs. I get back to the office at 2:30, wrap everything up, and leave for Port Authority at 3:30.

At 3:45, I get a text from Matt saying that he just missed a call from a 212 number and he's afraid it's going to be someone from DBK either bitching him out or asking him to come back. Then I get another text that says "CALLMENOW." I call. And he tells me that the chef de cuisine from wd~50 just left him a message asking him if he wants a full-time job. The chef had no idea that Matt had quit his job earlier that day; he was simply calling to offer him a job. And this is like... the job that Matt moved out here to get. It's a one-star Michelin restaurant and the head chef, Wylie Dufresne, is a chef first and foremost. Not a celebrity (although he's been on tv a ton of times), but a real chef. An innovator. And Matt actually met him and cooked beside him while he was a stage. I'd imagine he can learn a lot from him as a real employee.

So Matt was unemployed for a little over three hours. And as soon as I heard of this incredible job offer, all the stress I was carrying around about his happiness and our bank account just evaporated. I was kind of worried that I'd have to start ordering appetizers when I go out to eat with my friends and limit myself to one drink during happy hours. I saw myself searching for movie matinee times and stressing over the check book. And maybe we do need to be a bit smarter with the way we spend our money, but it's not that bad. We're still in the green every month. And now we get to have a real Christmas!

Also, we actually get to do Christmas this year! And Thanksgiving! And New Years Day! And that's probably one of my favorite parts of Matt's new job. This place is the first he's worked in that is only a restaurant. It's not a country club, it's not a nightclub/restaurant/bar, it's not attached to a casino, and it's not attached to a hotel. It's just a restaurant. And that's fabulous because there's no special orders (They offer two tasting menus. If you don't like it, tough.), no owner's daughters demanding pots of plain pasta, no holiday meals, no promotional coupons, no room service... Just the restaurant and its menu. In all the time we've been dating (except maybe our first year because we were still in high school), we've never had a holiday where Matt didn't have to work. This is our first Thanksgiving and our first Christmas and even though he'll have to work New Years Eve, at least I guess we get to relax on New Years Day. And I think it's very appropriate that it's also our first year living together for these holidays. Which makes them extra special.

In addition to the holidays, he'll also get two days off each week—two days in a row. Wednesday and Thursdays. We're not sure how switching for other days will work out yet, but it's really cool that he'll have a set schedule. Restaurants rarely do this, but at wd, they want to give their employees "weekends." So that's pretty cool. What kind of sucks is that we won't have Saturday and Sunday mornings together anymore because he'll have to leave for work by 10. And on my only days where I can sleep in, I'd like to sleep until at least 10.

But this is actually going to work out, because it will give me a bit more time to work on my new project: co-authoring a young adult novel.

So let's set another scene...

Aunt Fil emails me to ask me some questions about the way the publishing industry works because she has a friend who wrote a book. We go back and forth for a bit and then she gives her friend my work email address. The friend emails me her pitch and asks me for advice getting an agent. I tell her I like the pitch and would like to review the manuscript; if my company likes it, she could just skip the agent altogether.

So I love the idea for the manuscript, a young adult novel written from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who goes to a summer camp and falls in love. The writing needs work, but I figured that if I pitched it to my director and he liked the idea, too, then I would polish the writing after we acquired the title.

The director and publisher love the idea, but then the hurricane hits and no one has time to review the full manuscript. Finally, last week, the managing editor of our children's imprint reviews it and says the writing isn't strong enough to publish, but it's almost there. My director calls me into his office and says, "I would typically reject this, but..." and suggests an alternative. He said that he and the publisher like the idea of the book, but that it needs so much work (not so much work, but more work than a novel should need when it's acquired) that they can't offer on it. He says that he can tell how emotionally invested I am in it and then tells me that if I want to personally help the author on my own and in my free time (see also: unpaid), that I can do that. And then I can pitch the manuscript again and, if it's up to par with the other best-sellers on the market, they'll make an offer.

So I love the idea and I felt like I already had developed a working relationship with the author. I relay all this information to her and tell her that if she doesn't want to work with me and if she wants to take it to another publish, I would totally understand. And instead of doing that, she totally agrees to work with me. So over the next few months, we're going to work on her novel (hence my call for young adult novels on FB) and hopefully get it to a point where my company will publish it (and then I'll work on it some more, but paid).

I'm hoping that working with this author will allow me to kind of get into a groove. And will inspire me to write more of my own stuff. I've been saying that for a while now, and I've written a short story and a few essays in the past month or so, but this is a real, full-length book. And yeah, we're not rewriting it from scratch, but it'll get me thinking creatively and that's what I think will help.

So on top of 9 to 6:15 (I've adopted a later schedule because the train at 5:30 is impossible), freelance for two companies, the gym three days a week (I did it last week!), and Matt's new schedule, I'll be doing this, too. I'll definitely be busy. But busy is good...

Had a great time at home this weekend. It was nice to see everyone, and I'm really looking forward to visits from Matt's parents, my parents, and then the trip home for Grandma's eighty-fifth birthday. Should be good times. :)

And this was great to come home to, too!!! It's really nice to be missed. It's hard to do the missing, though. <3

Surviving Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy, Or Why I Am Craving Human Interaction

So... Sandy. What a bitch.

For the first time since we moved in, I can honestly say I'm grateful for living so far away from all the fun and the lights of New York City. At one of the highest points in Manhattan, Matt and I barely felt the weight of Hurricane (and what later became Super Storm) Sandy. While friends of ours lost power, lost cell service, and pretty much lost their minds, we were sitting pretty.

A little wind, a little rain... lots of chips and Oreos, lots of delivery (Chinese and pizza, back-to-back nights), and lots of sleep. Aside from not being able to leave Washington Heights due to little or no subway service, and aside from it being beyond strange that we're spending so much time together, this storm really didn't affect us. And, again, we are grateful.

What sucks (kind of) is that Matt's restaurant still doesn't have power. Which means... one less paycheck this week. But we'll deal. Especially since I got paid to sleep until noon, watch The Dark Knight until 4 AM, and proofread a super smutty manuscript of Fifty Shades of Dorian Gray (coming to bookstores near you this spring!). My office just opened today, but we don't have internet yet and most of us can't actually get to the office. It's optional, but I'm going to head in tomorrow for a bit. I just... want to see other people. I need an excuse to wear real pants again.

Matt and I have not spent this much time together (or eaten so much horrible, yet delicious food) since... April. And at that point, we were actually on vacation in Chicago (and the food was much better... and way more expensive!). And before that... oh geeze. Probably our vacation to San Francisco last May? Point is, we have never had five days like this. And although it's honestly very nice to have absolutely no agenda, it's getting to the point where we're both craving interaction with other people and things to do that will get our lazy asses off the couch.

We're not fighting, we're not irritable. We're just... bored. It's one thing to choose to stay in for a weekend or to choose a staycation instead of a vacation. But when you physically can't go anywhere, it's not that enjoyable. One of our two subway stops opened today, but considering they have a "free fare" going on, we decided to stay away from it, knowing it'd be packed. Same thing with the buses—they've been going since Tuesday night, but we know there's no way we're going to get on one without pushing and shoving. And it's just not worth the effort.

We've taken a few walks to get some fresh air. Went down to the bridge on Wednesday (I think? Honestly, the days are blending together now.) and we walked along the river today. Down near the water, the wind is still pretty rough. Tree limbs are down, but you could tell nothing was under water. This part of the Hudson was never a threat. Thankfully.

Watching the news is depressing. Hearing some of my coworkers talk about still not having power and being unable to actually get back onto the island is rough. Luckily, I don't know anyone who is missing or dead. And I don't think any of my friends actually have family that are missing or dead. But seeing the death toll rise and watching stories about little boys getting swept away from their mothers as the water rushed in is heartbreaking. And then seeing the more than eighty houses that burned to the ground in Queens... It's pretty rough. Definitely makes me grateful that we got by without even the slightest scratch.

I'm also happy to learn that everything back home is just as it was before the storm. Unfortunately, some of that stuff is not... great. But. At least it's not any worse, right?

Tomorrow, back to work. And if Matt's still off from work, we're going to the movies. And we're going to stay away from the apartment for as long as possible. I think it's safe to say we're sick of being cooped up, but we're definitely not sick of each other. Which is definitely good!