While my title insinuates that I am keeping track of my time here, I really can’t say that I am. Already, it feels much too real for me to be doing so- I feel like I actually have moved here, and that I’m simply at the beginning of a new job. I believe that means I am much more at home here than I ever could have predicted. People all around me were telling me how much I would love New York City before i came here, and as much as I hoped that they were right, I never thought they could all be as right as they were.
My first week of work came and went quite quickly, as it’s definitely a “hit the ground running” kind of position. There are 5 or 6 permanent staff members in the office, along with us 5 interns. Therefore, the work is spread out amongst us pretty evenly, and the staff was quick to give us all quite a bit of responsibility. 3 interns are in a different office doing research for various reports one of the staff members is writing (ex: the issue of hydrofracking for natural gas). Along with one other intern, I am doing mostly citizen outreach, which means a lot of work with social media and communications with the activist team we here at Common Cause work alongside much of the time. Some of the issues most important to Common Cause at the moment are to end Stop and Frisk (a police practice primarily targeted at minorities which infringes on constitutional rights), promoting a bill to expand voting rights, and to promote the installation of an NYPD Inspector General. This last issue is a brand new one. In fact, tomorrow at noon we are joining a press conference at city hall announcing the proposal of a bill that would move to make such a position permanent in New York City. It will be my second press conference already, the first being last Thursday, regarding a voting reform bill.
What else to report…hmmm….ahhh. Yes. New York City shopping. It is the one thing I knew I would have as much appreciation for as I do. While my spare change is limited (until I find a weekend job exactly for this purpose), I am confined to mostly window shopping. But in the city of everything designer, everywhere, it’s not as much fun as you might think.
However, I did find a nice watch at Century 21, which is essentially a department store with Nordstrom+ designers but Ross prices. Also, last Saturday, my roommate and I went to the Brooklyn Flea Market where I snagged a vintage 1970’s Louis Vuitton wallet. Today, I’m checking out my first sample sale. [Sample Sales, for those of you NYC virgins, are held by various designers in boutiques or warehouse-type spaces, for the purpose of selling their excess merchandise. This week, if you were lucky to get in (the lines were horrendous), you could snag a DVF shift for under $200, Tory Burch cluch for under $100, and just last week, (if you were lucky enough to score an invite) Christian Louboutin pumps for $250.] The sale I’m braving is La Perla, which could be a cluster, but worth it. Their products normally go all for 150+, but babydolls and bras are at a very reasonable fare, if you can find your sizes, that is.
A friend from the ranch last summer is here in the city for one last day, so hopefully we can have a White Front reunion before she departs, and before I fall into bed at (hopefully) a more reasonable time than last night. I guess I should be returning to work, even though I am between tasks, at the moment.
More soon.
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