Eat, drink and be merry ...

I just posted this on my Facebook status and decided I'm going to live for these little milestones over the next few months and see where life takes me. I'm fine, I'll figure it out and I couldn't be happier with my choices right at this moment.

My summer mantra:
In less than three weeks, I'll be 40
In less than four weeks I'll be surrounded by family who I haven't seen in years
In less than nine weeks I'll have been to my 70th DMB show
In less than 11 weeks I'll have been to the Gorge for the first time
In less than 16 weeks I'll officially panic about being unemployed
In the meantime, life is good. I've got this.

Hello again ...

Here I am again, trying to get into this blogging thing. Looks like my hunch was correct that it would be a while before I came back - but hey, I did! Soooo let's see what's new in my corner of the cafe:

Still job searching like crazy. Nothing is really coming up and the positions I'm fit for have about a thousand applicants with people who have just as much experience as I do. This has lead me into thinking about getting some additional schooling or a certification under my belt. Will it be project management? event planning? film production? New ideas come up every day but the deeper I dig, the more I feel I will get to something.

In the meantime, I'm trying to both listen to and not be too distracted by the voices that are telling me to "take a pottery class!" "keep working on the Spanish lessons!" and the very tempting "who cares, enjoy your summer!" Even though I would advise anyone else to grab on to those ideas and go with it, the practical side of me just knows I have the potential to spiral into constant distraction if I do anything too whimsical too quickly. Almost four months out of work takes a toll on the budget, and since I did not cancel any of my travel plans over the next few months I have to be more money-conscious than ever. Not doing anything, however, has lead me to not. do. anything.

Where do I go from here? No clue just yet, but I'm determined to stick with a daily routine packed with research and a dash of self-discovery until I figure it out (hell, even after I figure it out ... the joy is in the searching, right?). Luckily I've got the greatest friend in the world who offers unwavering support and (for now) the ability to afford this "life" a little bit longer.

Up next? A DMB show in less than two weeks! Ah yes - something to look forward to ...

Hello, how are you doin' today?

This is my first ever blog attempt! (thank you, thank you, really, the applause isn't necessary ....). I'm going to keep it short and sweet, since I am sitting in the corner in my local bar here in Astoria at 10pm on a Friday night on my laptop. It's a little more than nerdy if you ask me. I mean they have club music playing and I really should get home eventually.

OK, so! I've never done this, I have no idea if anyone will even see it and I have a sneaking suspicion that this may be short-lived for me. HOWEVER, I'm willing to try (of course, the shot of Patron and 3 Stellas helped in the decision-making process).

Just a quick chat about my hangout: Time Cafe. I've lived in Astoria for going on 4 years now. I never really hung out in the neighborhood - always went into Manhattan for my fun. Then my roommate got me going to this place less than two blocks from our house. What a discovery! I won't go into all of the fun details YET (something tells me I will be writing about the staff and events here frequently, so why blow the whole wad in my first entry). In a word: SPECTACULAR!

For now, I'll just say that I spent the day here drinking espresso, working on my resume and watching Time go from a happy, day-dreamy cafe to city-feel lounge vibe in a matter of a few hours. This has been my frequent routine lately (did I mention I lost my job?). But hey, it's better than sitting at home and doing all of this research and writing from my couch, right?

http://www.timecafeny.com/index.php