Day Sleeper Part 2

I didn't think I would really spend all day sleeping, until literally 3pm when I realized that I hadn't done anything but that. I am tired but there is too much to do in the upcoming months to let sleepy eyes get the best of me.

So yes I started my internship at a production company last Friday. I didn't think I would get the position seeing that "1 semester as a directors assistant" was all I had on my resume. Regardless, last Tuesday 'Lenny' called and tried to offer me the internship via the phone. Of course I was screaming too loud with excitement for him to get much of anything out, but in between my yells of glee he said I could come in on Friday at 10am.

When I went in for the interview the office was dead. I mean besides 'Lenny' and I there were a couple of people but not to many to get a feel of the place. 'Lenny' was dressed like a model and there I was with my 20 dollar shoes and 18 dollar pants. Kind of intimidating. I was nervous of course come Friday because 1) this is my first real internship 2) i didn't have a clue what I would be doing there and 3) I had no idea what i would wear outside of my gap pants and cardigans.

After losing the few items I bought from H&M, I had no choice but to pull something together and quick. And by something, I literally wore some skinny jeans, a blouse and my heels. I didn't look ultra professional but I did pull off business casual? I think. Anyway, I live almost 60 minutes outside of my job. That seems long but really it's a short trip. If it weren't for the long metro north ride into grand central station I would be able to get there a lot quicker. Just to make sure i arrived on time I left my aunts house at around 8 to catch the 8:16 train. This train ride was much different then the ones I am use to. The more professional business people ride the 8:16 train and for 30 minutes I was on the stuffiest ride into the city that I have ever been on. The guy next to me was wearing a really expensive suit but he slept the whole way and I couldn't help but stare at his put together attire. I looked completely out of place with my big green bag, puma shoes and jacket.

By the time i arrived in Soho, I was a half an hour early. If you are ever in New York you must try a butter-roll. I wish there was a science to it, but literally it is just a roll with a slab of butter on it. Combine that with a coffee regular and there you have the cheapest most delicious breakfast in the whole entire world. Ignore the fact that it will clog your arteries and give you indigestion...it's tasty. After my small breakfast I went upstairs and waited for 'Lenny' in the lobby. I sort of imagined that once i arrived what I thought I saw last Tuesday (an amazing office) would turn out to be a small space with white walls. Like maybe I was being interviewed in that pseudo space to give me a good impression but once I got the internship that walls would fall apart to reveal a small hole in the wall where I would spend 3-6 months in.

But it was the same, except now there were a bunch of people running around and drinking coffee. I wasn't really introduced to anyone and no one really made an attempt to introduce themselves. When 'Lenny' greeted me, he ushered me into his office and immediately put me to work. The company is working on two documentaries and to fill me in I had to read notebooks worth of research. I spent nearly 3 hours thumbing through books and and interesting essays. By the time 1 o'clock rolled around 'Lenny' came up to me and asked if I wanted to take a break.

I don't know much about the area, so I went to a vendor across the street to grab lunch. I don't eat pork but I scarfed down a hot dog like I hadn't eaten in days. After lunch I went back to the office and was assigned the task of transcribing video. It's sort of like writing a script. I had to watch hours worth of clips and transcribe word for word what each person said. It's not as easy as it sounds. I did that for what seemed like forever and I didn't get to leave until 6pm.

Of course, I didn't go straight home after my really busy day. I promised Abagail that I would hang out with her and I didn't want to cancel plans. Despite being very tired I spent two hours with her, eating dinner and talking about 'Lenny'. I don't like walking around the city with my big green bag because it isn't convenient especially when it has my phone, wallet, and camera in it. I told Abagail about this and she said she was heading to Canada in a couple of weeks and would buy me a book bag there. I forgot how great it felt to have friends. So in a couple of weeks I will have a cool Canadian book bag which she calls a 'you got an internship' gift.

I like the internship, I suppose, or at least I will like it. I'm worried about fitting in and making office buddies. It's always difficult being the 'new girl' and I don't know how long it will take for people to warm up to me. For a while I will feel concentrate a lot on the work aspect. I want to prove myself a tad bit before I get comfortable. I have to busy myself in some way and if that means being the best transcriber they've seen in a while...then so be it. There are some interns running around but they haven't stopped to say hi yet and I am hesitant to do so myself. Regardless I am happy to have an internship, even if it isn't in publishing.

Today I emailed my professors about my desire to get my MFA. It took me forever to write 'hey, i need to learn again....please recommend me so I can learn something!" but i think I did so in a way that wasn't totally embarrassing. Marie sent me her GRE book which is full of practice tests and math crap. I guess it's the best way to approach the GRE seeing how bad I bombed it last year.

I am excited to begin this process of heading back to school. I feel like I am not learning what i want to learn in the real world. I had an interesting conversation with Angie's boyfriend. Let me explain. Angie is also a writer (even though she doesn't want to make a career out of it) she met this guy on some website and they have been 'seeing' each other for a while. He lives in Finland though so it's not so much seeing as it is writing back and forth. They have met in real life a couple of times and she says she really loves him. He is the guy she wants to spend the rest of her life with despite the distance.

The power of technology allows them to talk via a live video feed. I mean when I was at her house she had her computer set up and all of a sudden his face popped on screen and it was like talking to a real person. It was trippy. He's a linguistic major, so technique and structure is his game. He wanted to know my take on forms of writing and I was embarrassed because I didn't really know anything. He talked about meters and sonnets while me and Angie sort of looked puzzled and confused not because we didn't know what they are but because we don't use those forms while writing.

But a point he made sometime later was that sometimes it's good to know the craft from form, style and syntax in order to have the freedom to break those forms with a purpose. I just know that I can become a stronger writer with some guidance and I hope beyond hope my Alma Mater will take me back and ignore all the crappy stuff I said about the school while I was there.

We'll see in a couple of months.

Time for bed. I can do another 8 hours of sleep before work tomorrow...I'm just saying.

Oh and I found a new Sufjan Stevens picture to drool over. Why can't i run into him on the subway.