Funky New York Style!

So, here we are.  TJ & I made the move to New York City.  We are enjoying our small apartment, but we're having a time trying to organize our things.  It's coming along fine, though, with some creative freestanding Elfa shelving from The Container Store.  The Container Store can make all your organizing dreams come true!  Seriously, though, we like our building superintendent, and most of our neighbors are quite friendly.  We're right around the corner from my family and from Clancy's (our block's Irish pub).  We couldn't have asked for a better location.  I'm not a fan of these window unit AC's, though -- I'm scared of next month's electric bill.  They don't kick off when it reaches a certain temperature, so you have to turn it on and off.  But, we have this bad habit of leaving it on constantly....  so, I think we're going to be feeling the repercussions of that soon!!

My cats sleep all day... Billy's in the window and Jaynie's on the living room rug.  I think they like it here.  I've had to switch them to canned food because my vet said Bill's getting fat.  They like their new diet, but it's quite a hassle (and it's messy!).  But, I'll do anything for my cats.  The poor things had allergies when they got here because of the New York dust.  Thankfully, the allergy attack seems to have passed, and they are looking quite healthy!

TJ has been working diligently in his new Martha Stewart gig.  He likes it there, but the commute is tough.  I felt so bad having to send him out today in the humidity and rain!  But, alas, he is the breadwinner right now as I sit here and blog and try to come up with more creative ways to snag a part-time job.  Just one of the countless reasons why I love him!

In news about me, I am continuing my nursing career path.  This is the one thing I've stuck to for a year now, and I feel amazingly confident that this is what I want.  I started my schooling at Delgado this past spring, and am continuing here in New York at the CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College.  I'm attempting a full-time course load, if scheduling allows it.  The problem is that I need to work.  I thought it would be so easy to get a job here!  I have had minimal response on my resume blasts & follow-ups (which were thoroughly reconstructed for each send-out with a tailored cover letter), I've filled out applications at various stores, and I've talked to people about it.  The hard part is not being familiar with the area.  I literally just don't know where to go next.  One company that I had my eye on told me they weren't hiring because of the "economic crisis" -- in fact, they were actually planning to downsize.  Another thing is that some people don't want to hire me because I'm "overqualified", but the thing is that I'm not pursing a full-time career for which I'm "just-right qualified."  Right now, I just need something to do so I can keep my sanity and receive some form of income until I graduate and go from there.  Am I looking at this the wrong way?  I try to step out of the box and seek a creative alternative, but I'm at a loss.

So, there you have it!  :)

Day 1!

Here I am - trying to start a new blog. I haven't touched LiveJournal since a few months after Katrina. I decided to leave that behind with all those bad storm memories. I'm sure if you google it, you can still find it floating around in cyberspace.

Anyway, the title of my blog - Professional Aspirer - seems to sum up what I tend to spend my time doing. While I do aspire to much in life, I am actively working to make my dreams a reality. It's coming along slowly, but I know my small steps will eventually lead to great things. There are so many big, big things that have happened and will happen soon in my life right now. Trying to sweep out the twigs to find the path to MY destiny is challenging. I have to sort out the important from the not-so-important, and I have to really focus on what my priorities are. All the while, I am watching those closest to me move away, grow up, & change so rapidly that I still haven't comprehended these moves as permanent.

Despite these vague bits of knowledge that seem to weigh on me to the point of exhaustion somtimes, I have so much in my life to be happy for. I am thrilled about the opportunites that lie ahead of me --> namely, nursing. I'm not in nursing school just yet, but I have a BA in English Lit, and I am taking a few Biology pre-reqs that will enable me to enroll in a fast-track nursing BA program. I am so excited about diving in! I will be starting some volunteer work in the Cardiology department at EJGH soon. I know I've made the right decision with this career move. I hope that I still feel the same way in 10 years. I think I will... nursing opens up so many doors to different types of nursing fields (ie, office work, education, marketing, emergency room, doctor's clinics, travelling, etc).

I'll sign off for now to decorate my blog a bit. Bye!