Wednesday, November 30, 2011

"I'll Remember What Was Written On That Wall"

My stoop.


I got to Fort Myers late on a Saturday night. I was starting work on Monday. I know one person here, in Fort Myers, David. He's my best friend's best friend. It happened to be his birthday that weekend, so he was having people over. He lives about 15 minutes from me. I was tired, and got in much later than I'd planned (go figure), but thought it'd be a good idea to at least stop by. Being new AND in a place like Fort Myers, known more to be a city retire, it was probably the best opportunity to meet young people, like myself.

So I'm guessing that all the young people in the area were all in his apartment. And with the exception of about three of us, they all worked for the same company.

I drove home as the rest continued their night. The road was pretty dark. There were hardly any street lamps, and other cars drove by just as sparingly. It was probably around midnight.

On the drive I was observing the buildings that littered the street as I headed back to my apartment. Burger King, Rita's, a wing place, Target..

Nope. I wasn't in New York anymore. Sure, there wasn't a Walmart, and Targets were tough to get to. But there were young people everywhere. And every kind of food imaginable could be delivered to your doorstep. There was always something to do. And some nights, we didn't even start until 12. And it could all happen as soon as you stepped outside.

I started panicking for a second. WHAT in the world did I just get myself into? Did I thoroughly think this through?

Regardless, I was there. And I was starting Monday.

A close friend of mine, Holly, asked me if it was harder to move to New York or from New York. At the time, I didn't know what to answer. But after thinking about it a bit, I'd definitely say moving back to Florida is one of the hardest and scariest things I've had to do.

Moving to NY was exciting. I had a purpose. I was going to school, and the whole thing was an adventure. Moving back.. meant real life. And reality is always scariest.

But as I keep saying, there's nothing wrong with being afraid. That's what courage is for.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Real Time

Fashion is all about staying a few steps ahead.. Ahead in trends, news, etc. But I have to remember that fashion time is much different than real people time.

Like the whole VS Fashion Show thing, for instance. Totally forgot it was airing today because I read the reviews and saw the photos a couple of weeks ago in WWD.

Or at work, I have to remind myself of what year we're in because we go between the present, 2012, and 2013.

What day is today anyway? Where am I? Wait, what?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

QLC

I am officially a quarter of a century old. HOLY. If I said that this is where I thought I'd be at 25, that'd be a lie. And everyone knows I am the WORST liar. While I'm not where I pictured myself in my career nor in my personal life, I'm happy. I'm beyond blessed. And exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Honest Moment

Living in NY is probably the closest thing I've had to a relationship.

Head over heels in the beginning,
get past the honeymoon phase,
then reality hits.
It's not all sunshine and butterflies, yanno,
but you learn to take the good with the bad
because when it's good, it's awesome.
You learn how to compromise.
You get used to his bad habits.
When you think you've had enough,
he reminds you why you've stuck around so long in the first place.
You miss him when he's gone.
He shows and teaches you news things.
He inspires you everyday.

Even when it's over,
you know that it's never really over.

And when all is said and done,
you know you'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

...Or, for wordplay's sake, in a New York minute.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Step #2

Thank you, New York. And Happy November.

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.