oh, that first comedian was a devil.

...well the airport scale said 56 lbs for my suitcase, but after the lady saw my face fall I think she had compassion and just let it go. NICEEE.

My mom and I boarded our delayed plane which consisted of many "Real Housewives of..." shows, and we landed in our Ravel hotel that evening. Let me take a minute to praise the Ravel, as the lobby people were exceptional and gave my mom and I many free glasses of wine and shuttled us wherever we needed to go in the area.

My mom and I on the rooftop of the Ravel hotel

The first night we ventured out to Laughing Devil comedy club on Vernon Blvd, where we walked in late and were, of course, seated at the closest table to the stage (The guy at the door assured us we wouldn't be a target...). So after the first comedian made the mistake of asking me if I had a boyfriend, (I had just been dumped the night before my big move to the city) which was followed by an "awww" of the crowd, the bartender made nice and not only gave me his number but also spruced up my vodka tonic. WHAT a doll. The following two comedians were hilarious, and the final act was the club owner who gave us a free ticket and drink with apologetic undertones for assuring us walking in late was "no big deal."

Me, Kim, and Mom in Central Park

My aunt Kim came into the city the following day, and we walked (and walked) around the city. She knows her way around most places, and comes up from PA to see her two sister in-laws who have lived and worked in the city for years. We found the building where I will begin work tomorrow, met the nice doorman, and had excellent guacamole and sangria at Dos Caminos, the Mexican restaurant under Alison Brod. I was scoping out who may be my future co-workers on their lunch break.
I moved into a room on the fourteenth floor of my apartment building yesterday. My everyday view is the Queens bridge and the gorgeous New York skyline. As I'm blogging I keep peaking over at the Empire State Building and the lit-up Chrystler building.
Audrey, a gal I have known over the years at Baylor (we met from my failed sorority), and I are sharing a room and bunk beds. But gooooodness this apartment is spacious with a kitchen, living room, another master bedroom/bathroom (for the other two gals and winners of the coin flip), and a balcony. I found out tonight it's apparently 3 grand a month, so I'll be downgrading to a closet apartment for around 1000 a month if I plan on staying here after May.

Tomorrow is my first day of my internship (MLK day-- "That's racist." is the joke a guy in my program keeps saying to those who are working). Audrey and I did a mini fashion show to decide what to wear. I've settled for a leopard print top and black pencil skirt (leather down the sides!) becuase it screams "Jessica."
My goals for this semester are to find out more of who I am and what I want for my future. I want to savor every opportunity (and diverse restaurant choices!!), meet incredible people, work hard and be able to give someone directions around the city by the end of spring...