Carmen, Rain, and Brooklyn

So last night...our group traveled a few subway stations away to see Carmen performed at the Metropolitan Opera. This was by far our fanciest shindig, so all ten of us were dressed up. Actually fun to see us in our prettiest dresses. Unfortunately, no photo was snapped due to the fact the opera finished around 11:45 PM and some girls were ready for bed!

Overall, the opera was good. Definitely a change of pace from the plays and music concerts we have already seen. I knew the plot of Carmen so I could spend more time focusing on attempting to understand the French (mildly successful) and watch the actors (little tough being up in the dress circle). Both Murray and Susan were along and Susan luckily brought binoculars which we passed around during the performance. That definitely helped.

As I mentioned in my last post, it was raining here this morning, putting a damper on things. But nevertheless, I made it to work, dried off, and was kept busy.

My first project was to listen to one final veteran oral history I hadn't heard yet. It was a fascinating interview, especially since this vet was part of a unit that responded to 9/11. He was there, amid all the gray dust when the towers had fallen. Throughout the interview, he had a lot of poignant moments and his passion to help foster father-daughter relationships is pretty incredible.

Sarah (one of my bosses) asked me if I would like to write for a NYPL blog channel called Freedom of Thought. The way blog writing works at NYPL is that they have several channels on a wide variety of library topics and then various librarians (or interns like myself), write and post content. Of course I told Sarah I would be more than happy/thrilled/etc. to blog (because you know I LOVE to blog). I wrote my first post today, but it has to go through all the administrative channels before being published. But I will for sure let you know when it is on the web for you to read!

The last part of my day was spent getting some balls rolling on my other large project, the Music and Memory drive I've talked about. I got a hold of the recreation/outreach director from a nursing home near the Kingsbridge Library and hopefully next week, we can start creating a solid timeline. I'm super excited and happy things are falling into place.

I dashed home so Whitney and I could take a train to Brooklyn for an event I really wanted to go to. It was the publication release of the literary magazine A Public Space. The event took place at an independent bookstore called Book Court and Whitney and I had actually checked it out last week when we ate dinner at Joya. There was a fair turnout and the event began with Brigid, the editor in chief, introducing the readers and thanking us for attending. We heard from two fiction writers and one poet. All were fantastic. Post-reading, Whitney and I both expressed how much we are missing The Coe Review right now. Just the atmosphere of writers and putting together a literary magazine really excites me. And, I want to mention the readers because they were AWESOME. First was a short story by Tom Drury. Then we switched to poetry by Mark Bibbins. And we ended the night with part of a short story by Jessica Francis Kane.

Oh, can you tell I hang out with Whitney a lot? All the photos seem to be of the two of us! Haha!

Now it's time for some response writing and sleep because it's an extra special day tomorrow.
Aka my birthday! :)

"That pink umbrella isn't very New Yorkerish..."

If you can believe it, I've been on New York Term for around 45 days (aka the halfway point). By this time, myself and my fellow peers have figured out what makes you blend in as a semi-"true" New Yorker and what makes you STAND OUT.

I woke up this morning to rain. Since it has been warmer than usual, I grabbed my rain coat instead of my winter jacket and also grabbed my umbrella before heading out.

They're both pink.

Not like a dull, pale pink, but a bright, vibrant pink.

Everyone else has black coats and umbrellas. The only bright items are rain boots. I don't own rain boots.

Whoops. guess everyone knew I wasn't a true New Yorker this morning. Regardless, my sensible raincoat and umbrella got me to work, damp as opposed to soaked. There was also a lot of wind but luckily I own a very hearty umbrella.

More to come later today; our group went to see Carmen last night and boy, was it entertaining!

Always Supporting My Fellow Kohawks!

If you've known me for a while, heck, even a few days, you know I really do care about others, especially my other Kohawks. While I'm so glad you're reading my blog, dont' forget there are other Kohawk Talkers who have lots of great experiences they are sharing. I'll give you run down of my other peers you can check out.

• Charles -- Charles is a senior majoring in African American studies. I got to know Charles this summer when we were on the panel for Iowa's Private College Week. For ten panels I got to hear all about Charles decision to come to Coe and what he thinks of the food in the caf. 
• Justin -- Justin's a senior, Nursing major, who was once the student body vice president. I got to know Justin through Student Senate and working in Admissions. 
• Nina -- She's new to the blogging team and a lovely sophomore. I've gotten to know Nina through a variety of ways: NACA, Senate, Murray Hall, and SAC. Nina is absolutely adorable and plans on majoring in studio art and psychology. 
• Ryan -- This sophomore majoring business administration and psychology (with a minor in economics) is quick to tell you he's from Plainfield, IL but will follow that up with his love of being a Kohawk. Ryan is most definitely our athletic blogger. He knows all your cross country and track info (he definitely helped me with some facts this summer with all the cross country and track recruits I toured).  
• Alexis -- Alexis is our freshman blogger and I actually gave her and her dad (a Coe alum) a tour of the residence halls last year during Scholarship Weekend. Alexis has had a great freshman year experience, really discovering campus. Her current plan is to major in biology and pre-med. 

Then comes our study abroad bloggers:

• Mike -- If you've read my blog for a while, you might remember Mike from England. He's back to blogging in Washington DC doing a similar program I'm doing except in our nation's capital.  
• Keegan -- Sort of like Whitney (and Mike), Keegan decided to not be on campus her last semester. She's off in Ireland having a wonderful time. 
• Koresha -- Koresha is a junior, just like me, and is studying in Japan this semester. 
• Hannah -- Hannah is a junior and was actually in my FYS class. As an economics major, she decided to see some economy in action by heading to Botswana, Africa for a semester. Definitely stepping outside of her box!

And last, but not least:

• Heidi -- Because she's been my roommate for three years, she gets her own space. Ha! But yes, Heidi is off in France, speaking French and having an absolutely wonderful time. It has been a little crazy NOT rooming with Heidi but we've been keeping in touch and I can't wait to hear ALL her stories! :) 

I know I just threw a lot at you, but they are my fellow Kohawks, they are doing amazing things, and I wanted to show them off! :)

What a Monday! (Plus Weekend Recap)

So I took a little weekend break; I was "at home" essentially and there was no need for a computer or blogging.

My weekend was amazing. I arrived in New Jersey Friday night and after a wonderful home cooked meal, the Vittons surprised me with an early birthday cake (my 21st birthday is Thursday). It was sweet, literally and figuratively.

I spent my Saturday hanging out with my cousins, opening my first birthday gift, watching my cousin play hockey, and watching Moonrise Kingdom with my aunt and uncle. It's a quirky but neat movie. It's a love story and most of the boys are khaki scouts which automatically brought me back to scout days in the Fargo household so what's not to love about that? I should also mention I saw the movie Hitchock Friday night. Another excellent movie about the making of Hitchock's well known Psycho. Now, I really want to watch Psycho since I know the backstory!

Sunday was more relaxing, bagels, frozen yogurt, and hockey (not necessarily together). It was almost like I was back in Wisconsin with my family. Basically, it was exactly what I needed.

I headed back into the city this morning, taking a 7:18 AM train to Penn Station. Arrived in NYC around 8 AM and simply took an uptown subway to Times Square and walked to the library.

Today also happened to be a field trip day so I stopped by the library before heading up to the Met (the art museum) for a panel hosted by MAC (Museum Access Consortium). I had been to one of their programs before, the one about adults on the autism spectrum and their experiences in museums. We were still talking about the autism spectrum except this time it was about children and their experiences in museums  No kids were there, but their parents instead. It was more of a workshop where we had ample time to discuss and question these parents. Since I am not well versed in the programs the library offers children on the spectrum, I spent most of my time listening and gathering information about these kids and their experiences in cultural institutions. Once again, I found the discussion fascinating and really helped me to see how crucial it is for cultural institutions like the library to be able to serve EVERYONE.

Back at the library, I worked on the veterans oral history project. We were able to nab six interviews from the VA in the Bronx so I'm slowly wading my way through them.

On my way home, I placed an order for pizza since we were having a group meeting tonight. I am in the habit of ordering pizza from a different place each time. I've become an ordering pro and am gaining lots of pizza places in my cell phone directory! Our meeting was to prep us to see Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera tomorrow. I already know the story well since we heavily studied it in French in 8th grade and also played excerpts from the opera in band the same year. I'm excited.

We also got our March schedule and boy, is it jam-packed. Hard to believe it's almost March!   

Happy Friday

Hip hip hooray for Friday. I worked at the Paley Center today and I can confidently say that I'm really beginning to know their YouTube video collection. There are a lot of great clips there so once again, I'd recommend that you check that out.

Post work, I took a subway to Penn Station and then another train to New Jersey. I'm safely in Summit at my aunt and uncle's and can't wait to spend a weekend with the family and away from the big city. I'll return on Monday.

Happy weekend! :)

Wednesday and Thursday Recap

Here's what has been happening in my life.

Wednesday: A busy day at the library. I spent the morning working on logistics for the Music and Memory project. I'm pretty sure we found a place to donate the iPods and I'm looking forward to getting some pieces into place. The afternoon was spent really organizing the veteran oral histories and sending off our first group of stories to the Library of Congress.

Wednesday night: Movie night! Alan (our film professor) took us to Sunshine Cinema to see Beasts of the Southern Wild. I've included the trailer:

But before the movie, we swung by the famous Yonah Schimmel Bakery to pick up some knishes. Now, Whitney and I had already tried a potato knish at a food cart in Union Square. We were recommended to do so by our advisor, Gina. While that knish was okay (the man at the cart made up for the averageness of the knish), the knish bakery was excellent. It was quaint little place and the owner helped us at the counter. I selected a blueberry sweet knish, heated it up, and tucked it away in my bag. 

Then it was movie time. The movie was excellent, as it should be, considering it's up for four Oscars. The most exciting nomination is for best actress, Quvenzhane Wallis, who is nine! She plays Hushpuppy and the movie is really her story. The film takes place in Bathtub, an island town in Louisiana. The dialogue is spot on for the location and then Hushpuppy's voiceover is often poetic and poignant. It's really a beautiful film and also emotional. I won't give it away because you should definitely see it! 

Thursday: Today was an unusual free day. Nevertheless, I still woke up early. I cleaned, worked out, and ran a few errands. We had a group meeting in our room around lunchtime so I ordered pizza for the group (free lunch!). Susan lead the meeting and we discussed the two plays we had seen as well as watched a little vaudeville in preparation for an event we are seeing in March.    

Post meeting, Whitney and I ventured to a Starbucks where we have been working. I've been writing some responses and sending some long overdue emails. Whitney, on the other hand, has been applying to jobs! She is planning on staying in the city after the term is over (jealous) and is hoping to secure a job in the next couple of weeks. I'm crossing my fingers! 

Tomorrow will be another day at the Paley Center and then I'll hopefully make it to New Jersey for a weekend with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I'm really excited and hope the snow stays in the Midwest and doesn't reach the coast! 

Shoutout to the Veterans!

So I am thrilled to announce that the New York Public Library's Veterans Oral History Project is truly taking off! According to Nick, we have many veterans calling to set up interviews and I now have a backlog of interviews to listen to and get ready to send off to the Library of Congress. It's great to be an integral part of the project because I really feel like I'm taking it under my wing. I'm so proud of it, I'm dedicating a whole post to it so you need to check it out!

As I sort of mentioned in an earlier post, we had a lot of success last Wednesday at the VA Medical Center in the Bronx. I had two interviews, Emily (another NYPL employee) had two, and Evelyn (a librarian in the Bronx) had three. I also interviewed our first female veteran and I'm so glad we have women veterans represented. The female veteran I interviewed, LaTanga Blair, actually was inducted in the Veterans Hall of Fame. She was fantastic and I'm so happy she was willing to share her story. Hopefully, her audio will be on the webpage soon!

So I encourage you to vist the page and check out some of the veterans. If you'd like to hear my voice, you can watch Gerald Brown's interview. My personal favorite is Ralph Stern's: he was part of the group who stormed into France twenty days after D-Day. And, while Denny Meyer's is long, I was actually a part of the interview group. We interviewed him on my first day at NYPL; I truly was thrown into the project.

As you can probably tell, I'm really jazzed about this project. I think the Library of Congress was smart to start an oral history collection because these stories are so important. After spending hours listening to these veterans, I feel like I have a better perspective into war. While we may not agree on the wars the United States took part in, we can still appreciate what our veterans have done for us and for the United States. I also have learned more about war than I could have through classes and textbooks. They aren't afraid to be blunt and that really enhances their interviews.

Brooklyn at Night, Bronx in the Morning

Seems like I have this "opposites in the titles" rut going on, so bear with me.

Monday night, Whitney and I ventured to Brooklyn for dinner. Yes, that might seem a little unnecessary (since it's about an hour subway ride) but we needed to go to Target and Brooklyn has a pretty nice one.

When we got off at Atlantic Avenue, we were unsure of exactly where we wanted to eat. We started to wander and ended up going on a hearty walk. I really like Brooklyn, several areas remind me of downtown Madison. I can actually see myself living there in the future.

The restaurant we found was called Joya. It was Thai and it was DELICIOUS. I accidentally ordered red curry without fully realizing that was the spiciest  My taste buds were in for a shock at first, but by the end, they were use to it. And, I can't pass up curry.

Exploring Target post dinner was an excellent idea. But we did end up back in the Upper West Side a little later than initially expected.

I got a few hours of sleep in before waking up bright and early to meet Brigid for another adventure in the Bronx. We started our day with a meeting with local social workers and organizations for the elderly. The main presentation was about being prepared for emergencies (such as Sandy). It was extremely informative and as we were told, there is some information you probably need to think about and write down somewhere for if an emergency strikes. Brigid presented afterwards, explaining services available from the library.

Brigid and I then checked out two other Bronx branches (yeah for exploring) before heading back to the nursing home we had visited in January. There were even more people there for our reading hour and I started things off with a few poems. Brigid followed with short stories aimed at their age group. It was a wonderful afternoon and it was so nice to see some of the same people again.

I returned to the hotel, exhausted. So I took a night off, watched the season finale of Downton Abbey (holy cow), and now am going to bed. And it's only TUESDAY. I have a feeling this is going to be a really good week.

Sleeping In & Staying Up Late

A lovely advantage of New York term is the ability to sleep when I need it. Since I'm not taking four classes and being involved with a bunch of clubs, my work load has decreased tremendously. If I need a break, aka sleep, I can usually squeeze it in.

That was Sunday. I slept in and woke up feeling well rested, definitely one of the best nights of sleep I've gotten in NYC. Whitney and I got ready to greet the day and then headed off.

We ventured to Brooklyn to check out Buy a Bag, a thrift store through Housing Works. I love Housing Works, I think it's a fantastic organization. We found some good deals and then headed to the New York Theater Workshop to see Belleville. Our group was actually split up for this show; five of us saw this play and on Tuesday, the other five will see Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? 

Wow.

That's all I can really say about the play. It was an hour and forty minutes long, no intermission. It was a mind bender and focused on the relationship between a man and woman (Abby and Zack) living in a suburb of Paris. Their relationship sort of explodes and the play ends sadly. No happy ending for Abby and Zack. The play truly moved me.

We stood in the lobby after the show, attempting to articulate what we had just seen. Susan suggested that we head to a Ukrainian restaurant nearby to eat and continue our discussion. I was able to order some pierogi (delicious!) and the five of us and Susan had a fascinating discussion. It really got my gears turning and I know my response will be long (but hopefully really good).

I finally arrived back at the Hotel Belleclaire around 11:30 PM, exhausted. Lucky for me, since it's President's Day today, the library is closed. I'm currently camped out in a coffee shop with Alison P., writing and chatting. It should be a wonderful day.

Three Years Ago Today...

I visited Coe during Scholarship Weekend. I distinctly remember wearing a bright red dress and it lightly snowed in the afternoon.

I showed up at Coe early that Friday morning with my mom and dad. I walked into the Nassif House and it was bustling with people. I met my Admission counselor, Chris, in person for the first time. Then I was shuttled off to History of English Literature class in Hickok with Gina. Heidi and her family sat on the other side of the room from us and once the class was over, our dads bonded.

I think I might have gone on a tour, or met with Gina, that part of the day is a little hazy. In the afternoon, I went to a panel at the Clark Racquet Center and met Whitney for the first time. Many of my questions were answered and I bet money I was sitting with some of my current classmates, which is sort of crazy to believe.

After the panel was the English department open house and Whitney and I had another chance to talk. We hit it off well, but who knew that we would become such good friends? It's really neat how that worked out. We are celebrating our three year anniversary of our friendship tonight. Because, yes, we are those sorts of people.

I stayed with a host student, Amber, that night. We went to Blindspot, I saw my friend Joe host and people did all sorts of crazy acts. I remember thinking how great the Coe community was; everyone in Dows seemed to know each other and was supportive of each act. It was refreshing to see that close-knit group of people and to think I might be fortunate to be a part of it in the fall.

On Saturday morning, I had my interview and then was headed back to Mt. Horeb. The weekend honestly pasted by in a blur, but was probably one of the most significant weekends in my college search process. I'm so happy to have formed relationships with the people I met three years ago. It is also neat to see how far I've come and all the amazing things I've done. Heck, I'm in NEW YORK CITY right now.

This is why I adore Scholarship Weekend. I hope everyone has an amazing day :)

An Event Filled Weekend

It's been a surprisingly busy weekend, but a good one nevertheless.

During the day on Friday, I worked at the Paley Center. I was working on adding some annotations on their large supply of videos. You should really check them out; if you like TV, there are so many interviews with actors from some of the most popular shows! I had to keep on track so I didn't get sidetracked and start watching them!

I left the Paley Center a little early to head up to the Bronx. My location was the Kingsbridge library to meet with Andrea, the Young Adult librarian and her Teen Advisory Group (T.A.G.). Brigid has given me a project to take under my wing, Music and Memory. I plugged the project to Andrea and the teens and they seemed interested in it. Hopefully, we can raise awareness and collect iPods before April rolls around.

Friday night we went to New York City Center to see Romeo et Juliette performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet. This was beautiful and the artistic director did a lot of interesting things to make this adaptation memorable. While it was pretty and the dancers were out of this world, I surprisingly missed my more modern dance from Karole Armitage and Trisha Brown. I've included the trailer so to speak; it gives you a pretty nice idea of what I saw.

Saturday morning I went to two different NYPL branches; the first was St. Agnes, the one located only a couple of blocks from my hotel. Then I took a subway north to 100th street to use the Bloomingdale Library branch. This branch is currently under construction but despite that, it's a nice branch. Pretty quite and I was able to have a table all to myself. 

I later went back to the hotel, met up with Whitney and then we met up with Rina before once again making our way to Carnegie Hall. The performance on Saturday night was by Dianne Reeves and Friends. Although we were way up in the dress circle (our view was slightly obstructed), it was an amazing performance. Dianne has an amazing and powerful voice and was so humble. She highlighted and showcased her friends and ended with a bang. Reeves also had a knack for singing what was coming next or introducing her band. 

Happy Scholarship Weekend

It should be a calm day in NYC, I have my internship during the day and then am seeing ballet tonight. But, back at Coe, things are just getting started.

It's the infamous scholarship weekend, and there are going to be so many wonderful prospective Kohawks on campus. I'm sad that I'll be missing one of my favorite weekends on campus but of course, I'm glad I'm in NYC.

My three year anniversary of my own scholarship weekend is on Monday, so get ready for a lovely post. Hard to believe three years have gone by.

So good luck to all the students on campus. Explore Coe, talk to students and professors, and see what Coe is all about. Have an amazing weekend!

Oh, and some photos. Last night, Whitney, Rina, and I went out and celebrated Valentine's Day at Cosi before hitting the Strand and checking out books. A pretty nice way to spend a Thursday.

Back to the Bronx

If you haven't quite figured out, I really enjoy heading up to the Bronx. I got the opportunity to go back on Wednesday.

Nick, my boss at NYPL, had been in contact with a man at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center. The contact told Nick he had several veterans who wanted to share their stories. Myself and a few other NYPL employees went to the VA yesterday to conduct those interviews.

The "great" part of this was we were suppose to be at the VA at 8 AM. A little bit early for me, especially since it takes about an hour to ride up to the Bronx. So I left bright and early at 6:30 AM from the hotel. I treated myself to a cup of red velvet hot chocolate and a muffin from the Coffee Bean next store before getting on a northbound subway train. I got up there and was once again reminded that the Bronx is HILLY.

Manhattan is pretty flat but that disappears in the Bronx. Got my workout in walking up some pretty long and steep hills.

Once I arrived at the VA, we set up and waited for our veterans. They slowly started to arrive and I ended up conducting two interviews. The first one was with a man who served in Vietnam. It was another fascinating story and he said a lot of things that really got me thinking. The message he wanted to get across was that not all of Vietnam was bad. The second veteran I interviewed was a woman. She was NYPL's first woman veteran interviewed for this project. She also told a fantastic story and I was glad I had the opportunity to record her.

Around 12:30, I headed back to the Mid-Manhattan branch. I checked in with Brigid and then talked to Dan Cohen, the founder of the Music and Memory program. We chatted about my plans to begin a collection in the NYPL and where we could find potential Alzheimer's patients. It was a good conversation. I'm headed up to the Bronx again Friday afternoon to speak to a group of teens. I hope they will band together with me and jump start this program.

I really do enjoy my internship at NYPL. It's a fantastic opportunity to work within the library in ways I've never done before. I'm seeing a whole new side of libraries and learning a lot.

Carnegie Hall and Brentano Quartet

Tuesday at NYPL, I spent most of the day working on our veteran history project. On my first day there, I was thrown into the project and have stayed ever since. Once a veteran interview has been recorded, I get it, finish the paperwork and prepare it to be sent to the Library of Congress and end up on our website. The veteran I listened to on Tuesday was fantastic. He was part of the troops who went into France twenty days after D-Day. What was great about this story was that the man knew the exact names of the battles and where he was. While he was talking, I was conducting searches to read more about these battles and how they were all linked. It was incredible to hear it from his point of view; history was truly coming alive!

I got back to the Upper West Side post work, ate dinner, and then headed to Carnegie Hall, more specifically, Zankel Hall, to hear the Brentano String Quartet. Our group had already "heard" them (they were the actual musicians who supplied the music for The Late Quartet) but it was neat to see them on stage. Our seats were a little different; we sat in high green velvet chairs on the sides of this auditorium. The view of the stage was obstructed by the railing walls (to prevent us from falling). In the end, I mainly just listened to the music than leaning way forward to see the stage.

Before the show even started, Whitney and I started talking to a lovely lady named Gabriele. She asked me if I came to many concerts and then I said I was new to the city and had seen The Late Quartet, which she had also seen, and our conversation took off from there. Like many others who I've talked to, Gabriele was fascinated with Coe's New York Term and wanted to know about all the things Whitney and I had been doing. We continued to chat during the intermissions and after the concert, exchanged contact information and we actually were shooed out of concert hall for talking too long!

The concert itself was amazing. I had forgotten how much I love string instruments and the sounds they can produce. I played the violin and I really did miss playing during the concert. Maybe I'll take up orchestra my senior year! The quartet played three pieces, a Haydn, a Mackey, and a Beethoven. Steven Mackey is actually a modern (and living) composer and his piece One Red Rose commemorates the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. It was a beautiful piece which utilized all four strings and all four instruments. We were also lucky because it was the world premier of Mackey's piece so we heard from him before the quartet came back on stage to play it.

Of course, now I just have to write about the performance. I will probably need to do some background research to refresh my string terminology. Hopefully it will be a good response!

So that was Tuesday. Sorry if it feels sort of rushed; Tuesday was a really great day but this morning I can't quite articulate it all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello readers!

Hope you're having a lovely day of hearts and the wide array of reds, pinks, and whites. In honor of this special day, I'm going to have not one, but TWO posts today. Read about my Tuesday at 10 AM (Central time) and then my Wednesday at 6 PM (Central).

Enjoy!

The Scoop on the Group

As you know, I'm in NYC with nine other fantastic women from Coe. I would like to highlight them in this post and fill you in on what they're doing and what they are looking forward to this semester. We haven't taken a group picture yet, so the closest I can come is a frame from our animated video we made at The Museum of the Moving Image.  

L to R: Katie, Courtney, Ashley, Jordan, Whitney, and me!

Rina Sato

• Year: Junior
• Majors: Film Studies and Communication Studies
• Hometown: Tokyo, Japan.
• Internship: Nippon TV (NTV)
• What she’s doing at her internship:

“In NTV, I am translating English into Japanese interesting stories, incidents, or anything Japanese and New Yorkers want to know from newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. I help to record the economic news report such as stock prices from Wall Street on Mon, Tue, Wed and send feeds to Tokyo Station. I do research and cover some interesting stories in New York later on, too, if my boss thinks my project is interesting enough to be on air. I help other things, too, such as going to the UN and get some information, etc.”

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“I am looking forward to make connections or simply meet new people here in New York. But so far, I enjoy just being here and being emerged in a busy city. There are so many opportunities out there. I just love the power of New York City. AND. Food. (OPPORTUNITIES to experience great foods and my home taste, Japanese cuisine.)”

Amy Smith

• Year: Junior
• Majors and Minor: Business Administration and Music, Economics (minor)
• Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA
• Internship: Shobha and music lessons with Danson Paul Pollard, Principal Bass Trombonist at the Metropolitan Opera
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“I am products/inventory intern at Shobha. I am learning about the fundamentals of inventory and may interact with their marketing and operations team as well. From what I've gathered so far, inventory is a lot more complicated than I thought - getting a product from point A to point B is not always a simple task! The people at Shobha have been extremely welcoming and it is going to be a good place for me!

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“My favorite part of the term thus far has been my first lesson with Paul. He took me backstage at the Met Opera and we did an hour of the fundamentals of playing trombone. He was able to watch me play and give me some tips to minimize tension which has made playing much easier and more relaxed this week. He is also extremely kind and knowledgeable and I am eager to see him at work when we go to Carmen later this month!”

• Want to know more? Check out Amy’s blog!

Ashley Collom

• Year: Junior
• Major and Minors: English, French and Gender Studies (minors)
• Hometown: Plano, TX
• Internship: Writers House
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“At Writers House I have the opportunity to work in every facet of the publishing industry. I read queries, manuscripts, write editorial letters, readers reports, and rejection letters. I have the opportunity to interact with agents that represent some of the biggest names in the industry including Stephanie Meyer, Neil Gaiman, and John Green.”

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“Just being in the city is my favorite part. I love being in a massive group of people, but all the while feeling completely anonymous.”

• Ashley might not have a blog, but she does love her Twitter. Check out what she’s reading and thinking about! 

Courtney Marti

• Year: Junior
• Majors: Theatre and Creative Writing
• Hometown: Rosemount, MN
• Internship: HERE Theatre
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“I'm a production intern, so I work closely with the Technical Director and Production Manager to attend to all the technical elements of maintaining a professional theatre. HERE has two small black box theatres and tends to favor untraditional and multi-media productions, so most of what I do involves lighting, sound, and video, with a little bit of carpentry.”

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“I love being in the city where live theatre HAPPENS! It's unreal to be surrounded with so many great opportunities to grow as an actor, playwright, and theatre artisan! We get to see amazing performances from exceptionally talented artists all the time, and it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Alison Polivka

• Year: Junior
• Major and Minors: History, Creative Writing and not being on campus (minors)
• Hometown: Milwaukee, WI (in the land of beer, cheese, and Summerfest)
• Internship: The Paley Center
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“I am working at The Paley Center in the Curatorial Department; I was originally in Visitor Services until they made space for me in Curatorial. The Paley Center used to be called the Museum of Television and Radio, but was renamed after William S. Paley, one of the founders of CBS, in 2007, and it serves as an archive of television and radio programming and advertising. They screen programs and hold panels on current and archived materials; for example, they are having a panel of the writer's of 30 Rock, including Tina Fey, in a couple of weeks.  I've so far spent my time researching documentaries and discussing ideas for screenings aimed at college age women. The CEO of the Paley Center is a woman, Pat Mitchell, and her influence shows in the center's work to bring focus on women creators, programmers, and viewers, which is something that is very important to me.”

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“The thing I'm most looking forward to in New York is an exhibition starting on February 26th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity, which I have already bought the exhibition book for, because I have no self control. The exhibition, on loan from France, will contain all of my favorite things: impressionism, feathered hats, costume history, as well as a lot of pretty pictures of flowers. I have countdowns on my computer, my phone, and my planner, and I am typing this with the book in my lap. I simply can't bear to let it go.”

Lea Ann Mislevy

• Year: Junior
• Majors: Studio Art (printmaking) and Creative Writing (fiction)
• Hometown: Bartlett, IL
• Internships: Artist’s Assistant to Kathy Caraccio and intern at Literal Latte
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“As Kathy's assistant I am helping make her edition prints for other artists.  I love getting to meet other printmakers from around the world, as well as meet all of Kathy's other interns.  Work changes on a day-to-day basis, so some days I help Kathy print, while other days I am doing inventory.  Everything is very fast paced, and usually has to be done very precisely, but the bottom line is basically following directions.  Also, communication is key.  I love printing days, because you get that rush every time you pull a print from the press.  Instant gratification. 

Literal Latte is much more laid back.  Jenine Bockman, one of the editors, runs the online literary magazine from her home along with her husband.  I go in once a week and deliver/sort their mail, then I take home manuscripts to read, records, and proofreading.  90% of my job can be done at the hotel, coffee shop, park, or museum.  I read short fiction stories, poetry, and personal essays.  The reading is definitely my favorite part...other than playing with the Bockman's dog, Pepper.”

Whitney Hu

• Year: Seinor
• Majors: English and Creative Writing 
• Hometown: Sulphur Springs, TX
• Internship: Marketing and Event Planning Intern at Spark & Hustle
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“Spark and Hustle is a conference for current and aspiring female entrepreneurs created by Tory Johnson. Spark and Hustle is hitting 15 cities this year and in each destination, we like to find prominent business leaders in the area. So far, I've spent time researching possible key notes and panelists. It's exciting because a lot of the speakers I've suggested were booked. On the side, I also do a lot of graphics which can be seen on the Spark and Hustle website.”

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“NYC thinks. From art collections, to dances, to music, and plays there are themes that are continued throughout. The people who come here are curious about fugues and how it relates to our lives, dissonance, and how to break the norm. I love how one event unexpectedly intertwines with another and that this city has questions.” 

• Want to know more? Check out Whitney’s blog!

Jordan Miller

• Year: Junior
• Majors: Creative Writing and Theatre
• Hometown: Flossmoor, IL
• Internships: Research and Production Intern with Firelight Media and Development Intern with Pressman Films
• What she’s doing at her internships: 

“Firelight Media is a non-profit organization that produces documentaries about underrepresented people, places, and issues. Currently, we are working on a documentary for PBS’s America Revisited series, called Black Panthers: Seize the Time. With Firelight, I don’t have a set “job” that I work on daily. Rather, I assist in whatever needs doing on a given occasion, ranging from clerical work to storyboard and timeline creation.  

With Pressman, on the other hand, my job typically involves writing daily trades and covering scripts. Pressman is the company that produced films such as The Crow, American Psycho, Party Monster, and Wallstreet. Currently, Pressman Films is producing a film about Joe Paterno, starring Al Pacino. I love working for these companies, as I am learning a great amount about what goes into the making of films.”

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“Thus far, my favorite part of the term has been our trip to the Museum of the Moving Image. As I intend to go into filmmaking, I was like a kid in a candy store that day. I definitely intend to return to that Museum (and not just because they have a whole room full of video-games).”

Katie Weingardt

• Year: Senior
• Major and Minors: English, Spanish & Creative Writing & Religion minors  
• Hometown: Littleton, CO
• Internship: Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency 
• What she’s doing at her internship: 

“My duties include shifting through the slush pile, responding to queries, and writing reader’s reports. I love working with the staff and hearing about the upcoming titles in the literary world. Everyone at ZSH is mad about literature, and highly verbose when it comes to potential works that they feel passionately about. Working there feels like a study session with a bunch of coffee-driven English majors. Needless to say, I feel at home.” 

• Looking forward to in NYC: 

“My favorite part of the Term thus far has been exploring the city, whether that be in search for a theatre venue, or the quest to find the best Japanese barbecue in the Upper West Side. Every street holds surprises, aromatically, aesthetically, and anthropologically speaking.”

Veterans and Pizza

So New York weather is a funky thing. I walked out of the hotel this morning to greet rain.

Yes, you read right, rain.

I was just gearing up for snow so I forget my umbrella. Won't be going anywhere without that now.

Got to the library, slightly soaked. Spent most of my day listening to a fascinating two hour veteran interview and annotating it for the Library of Congress form. I finished off the day with a few letters to prisoners.

Once I got off the subway, I made a call to a local pizza place for three large pizzas. We had a group meeting tonight and it was my responsibility to order the pizza. With pizzas ordered, I wandered north to find our closest post office (I needed some stamps) and made my first purchase at Duane Reade (they are EVERYWHERE).

Back at the hotel, the rest of the group joined us in our room and the pizza arrived. Our professor, Murray, showed up and held a discussion on the two music events we are going to this week.

A relatively relaxed day. Happy Monday!

Avoid Those Puddles: The Importance of Good Shoes

Manhattan does a pretty good job of clearing the snow. But, throughout my adventures on Saturday and Sunday, giant puddles of water were hard to avoid. This only stressed the importance of having good shoes to walk around the city. Lucky for me, I've got an excellent pair of waterproof walking shoes, making puddles no problem.

Saturday, I worked on some of my responses and then went with Rina and Whitney to Brooklyn. Our destination: Cobble Hill Theater to see the movie Silver Linings Playbook. This movie is up for several Oscar nominations and has been getting rave reviews. And boy, were those reviews right. The movie was out of this world and the acting was excellent.

Post movie, we were hungry and so we went across the street to Awash Ethiopian Restaurant. It was a great restaurant and it filled us right up. We even found out there is a Manhattan branch, so if we are ever in the mood for Ethiopian food, we don't have to go all the way to Brooklyn!

Today was also a good day. I slept in and then worked on responses (I'm all caught up!). Whitney and I decided to celebrate the Chinese New Year with Chinese for dinner at a nice restaurant just down the street.

Now I'm back in my room, relaxing, preparing for the week, and waiting to watch a new episode of Downton Abbey. 

I'm ready for another great week!

Snowstorm Central

The meteorologists were right; the East Coast was in for a big storm. After my last post, the snow continued to fall. Our event was still on, so we trucked towards downtown to New York Arts Live. It was a lovely place, full of history. At six, we went up to the third floor to see Walter Dundervill. He is currently a resident artist at NY Arts Live and part of their requirement to complete the residency is to have a small performance. Walter chose to do this studio series early in his creative process, allowing someone to see the final result of this dance, "Litter," and see the progress from this initial performance.

The performance was modern dance and unique. Walter is known for his costuming (Patricia is actually a former dancer of Walter's) and it was beautiful, especially in the second half of the dance, with long flowing fabrics with one color on one half and then bleeding into another color for the other half. Walter himself was even in the dance, but I'm not sure if that was because they were missing one of their dancers or, like Rainer, Walter enjoys being part of dance.

Around 7:15 PM, a talk-back began with Walter and his dancers. We were just starting to get into the good stuff when we had to leave. The second dance performance we were seeing was beginning at 7:30 PM in the space downstairs.

The second performance was "Mechanics of a Dance Machine" by Karole Armitage. This lady was actually born in Madison, Wisconsin (woot woot!). I had only one word for this performance:

STUNNING.

Seriously. It was a perfect mix between the elements of classical ballet and modern dance. The dancers were in tip-top shape; not only because it was about an hour long, but because they were wearing swim-suit like clothes and you could clearly see their muscles. Red was the theme of the performance, from the red lights above the dancers to the single red stripe found in the women's outfits. The dancers moved their bodies in ways I didn't think were possible. It was by far my favorite dance performance and I'm actually thrilled to write my response for it.

When we got done, it was still snowing out. Whitney and Ashley hadn't eaten dinner yet so we swung by a pizza place. It was delicious (I purchased some garlic knots) and then we trekked back to the hotel. Penn Station (where I would have taken a train to NJ) shut down at 8 PM, so I was out of luck for the night. The trains are still down this morning so I'll either just make a day trip there tomorrow or wait until the weekend of the 22nd (I have Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday free so EXTRA long weekend).

I woke up this morning to LOTS of snow. Central Park (two blocks from my hotel) was recorded having 11.4 inches. It's heavy snow, mushy in the streets but pretty sitting on top of the cars so we'll see how fast they will clean it up.

I've decided to use this as a working weekend. I'm planning on writing my responses for events I saw this week, applying for a few scholarships for the upcoming senior year, and getting a few blog posts set up for YOU, my reader. I've almost gathered all the information on the other girls on this trip, so you can see what they're doing. Also, next weekend will mark the three-year anniversary of my second trip to Coe (during Scholarship Weekend). This was an influential visit and one of my favorite weekends to be at Coe, so I'm a little sad I won't be there to meet some prospective students.

Well, I better go enjoy the snow. I shouldn't really complain about this snow because I talked to my dad last night and said Mt. Horeb was blessed with falling snow for nine straight days. Wow! Got to love Wisconsin.

This Midwest Girl Can't Escape a Good Snowstorm

I find myself often reminded I'm a Midwest girl when I meet people who have been born and bred on the east coast. If they ask where I'm from, I proudly say, "I'm originally from Wisconsin" and get a deer-in-the-headlights sort of look.

I then add I go to school in Iowa and it's like putting a big label on my forehead with "MIDWEST" in all capital letters. Some people have never even been to the Midwest. How is that possible?

Because, come on, Wisconsin and Iowa are awesome. The Midwest is legit.

Anyways, with all this cold weather and now snow, people are interested in my Midwest origins because I apparently know how to handle a snowstorm.

Well, yes, that's true.

I woke up this morning to a light snow/sleet falling outside my window. The walk to work wasn't too cold but I did walk into The Paley Center with a wet hat and scarf. I met with Marni (my boss) and got a list of assignments. Then off to work I went.

The snow continued to fall outside, still that horrible wet, mush mixture. Around 2 PM or so, I got the heads-up that I would probably be leaving work early. I ended up leaving around 2:30 PM.

It was a little more nasty coming back to the Upper West Side. The snow is now falling down in bigger flakes and sticking. I altered my subway route a little to end up on a 1 train (there's a stop that's two blocks from the hotel) but the 1 was packed. Packed, wet subway rides are NOT fun.

So now I'm back, heated up some warm soup, called my aunt (I'm still going to ride out to New Jersey tonight if I can), and now am going to do a little catch up writing. Our event is still happening (we got an enthusiastic email from Patricia saying it's on so get ready for some dance!) so I'll battle the elements again to see some dance.

Lucky for me, I'm a Midwest girl so I know how to deal with this snow :)

Modern Art Anyone?

Okay I need to be better about blogging everyday. It just seems that my days begin early and end late and there is little time to write because I just want to SLEEP.

But never fear, I'm back. Blogging just for you.

Wednesday was another day at a library. I wrote more letters and also did some serious shelf organizing and rearranging. My shelving skills (developed at the Mt. Horeb Public Library and perfected at the Stewart Memorial Library) came in handy as I put the books in alpha order and straightened them so more books could fit on one shelf.

Deep in thought about art

On Wednesday night we went down to Houston Street (pronounced "House-ton") to the Film Forum to see The Little Fugitive, the first American independent film. It was an adorable movie and also well made considering it was a low budget film. Our group had a pretty lively discussion afterwards which really got my gears turning.

Thursday was field trip day and this time, we were off to The Modern Museum of Art (MoMA). This art was MUCH different than the art we saw at the Met, but a good different. Our focus was art made from 1910-1925, when abstract art was coming into being. The art was out there, but Kathy had us think about the art from a revolution standpoint: What is the art saying about life and how is it a rebellion? That did help create a frame of mind to start to think about the pieces.

Whitney, myself, and Rina

Thursday night, Whitney, Rina, and I headed to The Strand (the bookstore) to check out some books. While we were there, there was a mingle going on and we joined in. We ended up meeting a lot of really neat and interesting people. More NY friends!

While I write this post before heading off to The Paley Center, it's snowing; apparently a large snowstorm is coming. We have two dance events tonights, both at New York Live Arts. Post events, I'm going to head to Penn Station and hop on a train to New Jersey. I'm spending the weekend with family and I'm thrilled!

Much more to come!

The Case of the Tuesdays

Don't worry, that title might sound bad.

But it's not.

All is fine in NYC, I promise.

We had two free days in a row (Monday and today) so it's been nice to know that once I'm done with work at 5 PM, I'm done for the night.

Monday night I used my "street" skills to head down to Penn Station to meet my aunt and uncle. We went to dinner in the Meatpacking District at a restaurant called The Standard Grill. It was delicious and we got there just in time because when we left, the place was packed! We were celebrating my mom's birthday and a good month in the city.

Today was another adventure day at the library. In the morning I met with Brian who does solely outreach in the prisons. He runs a book discussion group and I was helping him create a syllabus for the next 15 week book discussion. The theme I chose was utopia and dystopia and it was fun to be in charge of the creating the syllabus instead of the other way around.

In the afternoon I went with Nick and another employee of NYPL, Sam, back to Bronx Central Library. It's about an hour commute up there but totally worth it. The Bronx Central branch is absolutely beautiful; it's actually an eco-friendly branch. I was able to meet a few more librarians before heading back to the hotel.

Courtney and I had planned on having dinner tonight to catch up, but it was Katie's (another girl on the trip) birthday and her roommate, Jordan, had planned a small get-together. Courtney and I joined Whitney for dinner just down the street before singing happy birthday and eating cake in the hotel. Courtney and I agreed to postpone dinner until an actually free night where we can talk and really catch up.

Back at the library tomorrow and then I'm headed even further downtown to see a movie with the group.

Hello February!

Friday marked the first day of my all-time favorite month...FEBRUARY. Not only does Groundhog's Day, Valentine's Day, and President's Day occur, but also several birthdays such as my own. I am lucky enough to share the same birthday month with Ronald Reagan, Abe Lincoln, and Harry Styles.

:)

I've also completed 24 days in the NYC term program which still seems like not enough days. We always seem to be on the move which is WONDERFUL.

I worked my third day at The Paley Center on February 1st and I'm really enjoying the internship. I've started to learn about all the hard work that goes into coordinating tweets and Facebook posts. Already I've gained new knowledge on social media and have begun to perfect the skill of fitting messages into 160 characters (that has to be useful sometime later in life).

We continued our Friday dance tradition by going to Brooklyn to see Trisha Brown Dance Company. Brown falls into the same choreographer category as Rainer (see last Friday) aka she rebelled against ballet. The program was composed of four dances and they were breathtaking. All the dancers were in tip-top shape and bounded so gracefully across the stage. It was neat and I really love how Patricia is taking us to totally different dance events each week.

The band Whitney and I discovered

Post performance, Whitney and I checked out a live band that was playing before heading back to the hotel. Our room continued our late night tradition of eating popcorn and chatting.

Whitney and I woke up early on Saturday to head to the Union Square area in hopes of snagging a spot at a coffee shop to get some work done. Unfortunately, the coffee shop we had targeted was much smaller than we had thought (that darn internet not giving us accurate information) so we wandered a bit around Union Square before heading WAY uptown to the Columbia area.

We've really enjoyed the Columbia area and especially a coffee shop in a science building on campus called Joe's. The only problem with this coffee shop is that seating fills up REALLY fast and if you get there late, there's little possibility of finding an empty table.

My journal entry: craft style at Starbucks

Of course, Whitney and I tried but failed to snag a table. We moved onto to Starbucks (oh Starbucks) and were able to nab two window seats. This was perfect and we ended up spending the rest of our day there. I worked on some journal entries and even got to do some arts and crafts for the NYPL entry for Kathy.

We returned home to eat popcorn with Ashley and Rina. We stayed up way too late talking but it was most definitely worth it.

All of room 416 slept in today before heading downtown to Ensemble Studio Theater to see Et Tu, Brunche? The theater has a group of young playwrights (under 30) called Youngbloods. Each month, the theater hosts a Youngbloods Brunch where (for a fee) you can eat a delicious brunch, drink orange juice, and watch several short plays.

Our group was one of the first groups there so we were able to pick out front row seats before feasting on bacon, pancakes, and eggs. After a delicious brunch we saw five short plays centered around betrayal. All had their strengths and weaknesses but all five had us laughing at some point.

Whitney, Ashley, Alison, and I headed back to the hotel, ordered in some pizza and watched the Super Bowl. Ashley was cheering for the Ravens, Whitney cheered for the 49s, and we all fangirled Beyonce's halftime show.

Another busy week ahead: dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousins tomorrow, dinner with Courtney on Tuesday, events Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and suddenly it's the weekend.