The Famous Waiting Game

I never was fond of waiting. These next couple months until I land a big girl job will be hard. I'm not the type that likes to sit around doing nothing. Being active is my game. Probably why I play soccer, basketball and bike around. I like trying out new sports too like softball and field hockey or anything that involves running. Personally, soccer will always have my heart.
Been sending cover letter after cover letter. My eyes are tired of perusing job listings everywhere from the newspaper to LinkedIn to nycreativeinterns.com. So many job sites I try to remember to check. I have found a great number of jobs I think I am qualified to do. Who knows which company will finally see my qualifications as something that they need? Who knows who will be willing to give me a try? CBS? Story? Limited Brands? Fox? Time Out New York? I can't wait to find out :D

Relocating

This is both scary and exhilarating! I think it would be awesome to live in LA or SF or even Houston, TX. I am willing to move to wherever my new job takes me. Granted, those who know me, will laugh when I say I prefer to move south or southwest of my hometown Windsor, CT. I picked Ithaca College because of its phenomenal writing program and its Deaf Studies minor. Now, I love Ithaca -- in the spring -- which is usually two weeks before finals if not later. Moving to Alabama...I'm on edge about only because my neighbor is from there and so many times I have no idea what she is saying. The accent...I'm not sure I can deal with, but if the job leads me there, that is where I shall go. I refuse to turn now an awesome opportunity to work for a good magazine or advertising company simply because of its location. Which is why I am not being picky about where the jobs are located. I have even applied to jobs in London, Seattle, Chicago and Wisconsin. I do have friends in Seattle so it shouldn't be too much of an issue seeking them out to show me around. All of this, no matter where I go, I know will be nerve-wreaking, but I have God on my side and I know He will never leave me. Plus I have my Yoda poster :D

Fashion - Another side of me

I used to say that I hated fashion, but over the course of the last two years or so I began to realize I am somewhat of a fashionista. I don't always follow fads, but instead I like to design jewelry and clothes. Just a few days ago, I painted a shirt. I bought spray paint, but it didn't spray very well so I decided to take out my paintbrushes and not let the paint go to waste. I mentioned I do jewelry, this includes beading necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Recently, curtsey of my cousin Darious, I love make jewelry out of shrink film. For those of you who don't know what that is I highly recommend you Google it. It's so easy, all you do is draw your design on the shrink film, cut it out, put it in the oven, let it cool then put the pieces together to make a necklace or whatever you choose.
Fashion is so much fun to play around with and to see a work of art when I am done brings a smile to my light pink lips. I get so excited when I am in the craft section of Walmart or browsing through Michael's because there are so many different things I want to try. Every year I find something else to try. I've done stain-glass, candle making, pillow making, latch-hook, stitching patches on backpacks, making bags out of old jeans, painting jeans and t-shirts, scrap-booking and so many craft things on the computer via shutterfly or various computer programs like DVD design. I know I will never run out of ideas or crafts to try at stores because my creativity is sky-high. No one can touch it.

A nightmare I had

Running                                                                                                                                                               Ruth Jackson

Gasping for breath, her chest heaving with every stride, a young girl looks for an escape route. Her brown hair streaked with maroon swishing back and forth as she dashes through the halls of Penn Station in New York City.

A man twice her age tried to charm her on the train ride from Boston. She first ignored him, but he kept talking to her, so she finally gave in and attempted to make small talk with him. The conversation abruptly ended when he asked for her phone number. She gently told him that he was too old for her. That’s when the man’s demeanor changed altogether. Instead of just what seemed like a bored old man looking for some conversation, he turned into a man on a mission for a mistress. He had confided in her that he had left his wife of fifteen years a couple months ago. He had finally got a job in New York and was moving there hence the reason he was on the train. When she told him she wasn’t interested he grabbed her arm with such force she could feel his fingers touching her radius. She wanted to scream but was too scared. She never liked to make a scene but this time she may just have to. The man’s eyes had become fierce and dark almost like a wolf. She honestly didn’t know what to do.

I wish I had mace 

But she doesn’t. All she can do is pray. Now, she is running for her life. The halls of Penn Station are dim and empty.

It was almost midnight when the train finally rumbled into the station. There was no one to help her; no one to save her from this mad man. She could hear him charging through the halls behind her. She looked back as she turned yet another corner in the maze and saw nothing. She knew she wasn’t safe until she got home. It had been so long since she was in Penn Station she couldn’t remember how to get to the street.

Of course I had to tell my parents that I can get myself home

So there was no one to pick her up. No one would be waiting for her in Penn Station. She was on her own.

Good thing I’m wearing my sneakers

Not even a minute later, after that thought crossed her mind, she tripped down the stairs and landed with a thud right on her behind. She stifled whimper and forced her threatening tears to stay in her tear ducts instead of dripping down her sweaty face. Quickly she re-tied her sneakers and wiped her dirty face.

Her arm is a still a bit red from when the man grabbed her. She can still feel the burn on her forehead from when he hit her. Her roots are also screaming at her from when he yanked.

Gathering her duffel bag and purse she sets off running again. She wishes with all her might that a train conductor or office employees are still around. Again, she looked back. Now, she couldn’t even hear him. She slows down to a fast trot, still on edge, looking for the streets of New York, so she can disappear from this awful nightmare. She sniffled again and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

All of a sudden she hears a loud yell. It’s that man, he found her again. This time his eyes are round, as big as half dollars. Sweat is dripping down causing sweat patches on his polo shirt. He reminds her of an angry bull; a very angry one. She hastily turns on her heel and sprints toward the nearest door.

I have to get out of here!

 She rams her body into it, but it is locked. Panicked, she tries the next door and the next. None would open. Finally, the last door opens, but instead of the street, it leads to stairs leading upward. She takes them two, three at a time. As soon as she gets to the next floor, she hears the doors downstairs slam open, hitting the wall with a crash. She continues to run through more hallways and comes to a lobby area with seats.

“Casey!”

She turns startled. There in the half light stands her best friend, Tyrell. He smiled at her, but eyebrows furrow when he realized her state.

“What’s going on?”

They heard a crash from down the hallway and Casey ran toward Tyrell pulling him down to the floor behind the plastic seats. She covers his mouth with her hand.

“Shhhh!”

They listen in silence. Within a few moments of intense listening on their part, the man comes galloping into the room. He doesn’t even stop, but instead continues to run through another set of doors out of sight. The silence returns. After counting to fifty, the twosome stand up slowly staring at the doors the man ran through moments before. After what seems like an eternity, Casey breathes a sigh of relief. She then turns and gives Tyrell a huge bear hug and hangs on tight as if she might never let go.

“Thank you!”

Tyrell smiles and waits for her to pull away before asking, “So, who was that guy?”

“Can I tell you in the car? I just need to get home.”

Casey’s breathing slowly goes back to normal. Her face turning back to its original color as relaxes.

“No problem.”

He picks up her duffel bag, puts a comforting arm around her and they head out.

I didnt actually dream after the part where I fell. I used my imagination while awake to finish it.
I might come up with a better ending later if I want to publish this at some point....

Post Graduation

I've been meaning to write something about my recent promotion in life. Graduation was an awesome day, I have to say. I was super nervous the night before and the morning of, but when the procession started, I felt like dancing. Our school song, Ithaca Forever, was playing and I had one my good friends, DJ, walking beside me. The sky was dismal at first and I did feel a raindrop but by the time everyone was seated and the 118th Ithaca College Commencement began, the sun was beginning to show it actually exists. My family was there of course including my two cousins from NYC, my two aunts and my parents and younger sister. Sadly, I didn't get the chance to get pictures with every single one of my friends, if I did that would certainly be a huge accomplishment.
Now that I am home, I am still searching for jobs. Yay! I'm excited to start my first real job. Granted, I will miss only working part-time, but I know that this next step in my life will be rewarding. I know that I have been trained and well educated by both the institution that I chose and my family. I know that God is looking down on me and smiling despite the crazy paths I took along the way. I made it and I can't wait to see what is next.
I hope to continue to write in my spare time though from what I've heard, I may not have a whole lot of free time while working at a publishing house or magazine, but nonetheless I do not want to give up on my passion of becoming a bestselling writer. It would be amazing if I could live off of writing novels, but alas that will certainly not be the case at least not until I am famous like Anthony Horowitz, my favorite author.
Until then, I will continue to write poetry and stories from my well of imagination and huge heart.