Adventures in bicycle shopping . . .

I've been researching Trek hybrid bicycles and saving up my money since February to purchase a new one on time for the summer. I finally decided on the model that seemed most practical for me - the FX series, which is perfect for my daily commute to work as well as exploring the trails surrounding the 5-boroughs.

Last week I found a Trek store just a few blocks away from my apartment that had the very model I wanted in stock, but on my walk from the subway to work this morning, I happened to find another store that had the exact bicycle in the window display. After work I quickly called to cancel my order at the more convenient store location and purchased the bike near my work. Yes, this meant test-riding a bike through the thick of Times Square! I'll admit this was an awful idea, but it really brought me back to my Chicago biking days (anyone who has ridden a bike down Wells Street during the morning rush hour can compare it to Times Square on any afternoon, kind of). Anyway, I ended up falling in love with my new bike, which I named Persephone. She's a beautiful silver men's bike, but that's cool with me.

Since I wasn't prepared to ride a bike home from the middle of Manhattan, I took the river path about 7 miles south, where I then hopped on the R train (hurray for light bikes that I can actually carry up and down stairs without giving myself a heart attack). While I was waiting for the train, this guy started checking out my bike, and then he came over to talk to me. Apparently he worked for Trek for a while and is now working in bicycle advertisement or something. We got on the train together and continued our conversation. Apparently he worked with my museum to develop some sort of advertising partnership and knows quite a few people I work with regularly. To make things even weirder, he noticed my Amanda Palmer button -- he went to college in Boston with her, and worked in an ice cream parlor with her and Brian Viglione!!! How awesome is that?! Anyway, we talked some more, and he got off the train a few stops before me. He gave me his card, but I'm not quite sure why. If this dude was trying to pick me up, I guess I'm flattered. But, I really don't get New Yorkers and have to assume that they're mostly assholes. I mean, it's not like a New Yorker to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. Weird.

Today I also discovered there are 2 other folks at the museum who regularly bike to work. They're trying to form some sort of bike club, which I think sounds like fun and something I'll definitely have to look into.

Yay bikey!!!

For obvious reasons (at least to those who know what's going on in my life), I've been feeling pretty lonely. It's incredibly difficult to meet friends once you're out of college and in the "real world." I've also noticed that the more I try to connect with a certain someone in my life, the farther he seems to pull away . . . but maybe that's my own interpretation.

So, I attempted to connect with some other people in my life, both locally and within the tri-state area. As it turns out, simply putting yourself out there can result in invitations to get together. Who would have thought? Now I have firm plans to see some friends I haven't spoken with in months, and I'm feeling a bit more confident. That is a good thing.

Wow. I am really getting tired of hearing about people's summer diets, whether they're colleagues or close friends. Living a more healthy lifestyle is a wonderful goal to have, but people fail to realize this has absolutely nothing to do with weight. Your body knows when it is healthy, and some people do have higher set points than others. That's life. Deal with it.

Furthermore, "diets" do not work and you WILL gain back every ounce that you've lost, unless of course you want to be pro-ana like this girl:



Isn't she gorgeous? That's a picture of perfect health, right there.

This weekend was rather . . . uh, awkward? I think that's the best way to describe it. Hopefully next weekend will be better . . .

Currently I'm feeling rather frustrated. Rather than blurting out all of my thoughts and potentially hurting anyone, I'm going to censor them.

Thank goodness tomorrow is Monday and I don't have to think about anything that's bothering me. Gah!!!

Tonight's post is going to be short. Really, I just have to ask one question:

Why do so many people let trivial obstacles in their day-to-day lives bring them down so much?

My personal belief is that life is too short, and I don't want to waste my time dwelling on problems that will resolve themselves within a day or so. Of course, I'm human and like everyone else I'll have a bad day here and there, but I'm also trying to pay more attention to all the good things in my life (my friends, my loving family, my boyfriend, Bailey, etc). There are too many places to see, people to meet, and experiences to be had, that I feel the need to let the small nuances go and focus on the big picture. But, that's just me.

Since a certain someone doesn't read this blog, it's safe for me to mention the incredibly unexpected dream I had last night. I don't know what I may have been thinking about during the day, but I dreamed that I was getting married to an ex of mine. I don't remember many of the details, but I suppose it doesn't matter too much. For all I know, this is just a reflection on all the wedding talk I get to listen to at work. Or maybe this a reflection on my trying to get involved in historic reenacting once again (a "hobby" that I shared with this ex). All I know is that I woke up this morning feeling quite confused.

On another note, I'm glad tomorrow is going to be a super busy day. Today seemed rather bland. I have some interesting collections projects coming up at work, so I'm excited to dig in and hopefully teach my intern a thing or two about rehousing artifacts.

My weekend was simply amazing, and I did everything I set out to do (except wear a tank top). It was so refreshing to just let go and be myself, to not think about anything except enjoying myself and the time I had with my friends. We stayed up late joking around and drinking wine, and we got up early to roam around the city (and spent an entire afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art). Here's a shot of us in Central Park:



One thing I learned from this weekend is that whenever you feel stressed or torn by life choices, your friends are always there without fail. Stepping back and taking time for yourself and your friendships is one of the best decisions you can make. This was a perfect way to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Blessed be!

I'm totally shifting gears here, as I knew I might on occasion. Lately I've been feeling exhausted, rundown, and slightly unmotivated. This probably has a lot to do with me not taking care of myself the way I'd like, and focusing too much on making other people in my life happy. In some cases, I've overlooked my own needs, my own desires. My goal for the next several days is to treat myself. Here are some of my plans for the upcoming days:

- Hang out with friends visiting from back home.
- Wear a tank top!!
- Take lots and lots of photos.
- Drink a glass (or two) of good wine.
- Eat a cupcake, although everyone else will be dieting.
- Be in the moment (this is incredibly important to me).
- Meditate.

Most importantly, I need to remember that I'm ONLY 32, and I have the rest of my life ahead of me. Don't let that 1 grey hair and the forehead wrinkles that other people have spotted get me down. I'm beautiful, both inside and out.

I don't have much to say tonight, although I am glad I went out with the grrrls after work today. It was great catching up with everyone away from the museum, although I'm not always the biggest fan of "office gossip." I also decided to bite the bullet and let some of them in on some of my own gossip (more like dilemma, actually). I always welcome friendly advice from unbiased folks. I think I can breathe now.

This describes how I feel on most days (although not today, fortunately):



I feel like I am constantly running into people who believe I cannot or should not engage in certain activities because I am a woman. Unfortunately for them, the more I am discouraged from accomplishing a set goal, the more determined I am to prove them wrong.

Exactly ten years ago, I was starting my third museum internship. This was also the summer between undergrad and grad school, so I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do with my life other than to work in a museum in some capacity. However, by the end of that third internship, I realized exactly what career goals I wanted to pursue. Today, ten years later, I'm doing what I set out to do. Of course, this wasn't easy to accomplish. I encountered many, many roadblocks and once in a while got thrown off the path, but I'm here now and I'm loving it. I never considered the fact that one day I might have my own intern working under my direction. Today was her first day, and she is much in the same position as I was ten years ago. I hope to provide her with the tools and resources she needs to pursue her own goals, maybe help her to refine them. It's going to be an exciting summer for both of us, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we'll both accomplish.

I don't know about other career paths, but at least in the museum profession, student internships are among the most important experiences you can have in order to land a decent entry-level position after graduation. Relevant coursework is obviously imperative, but all museum positions require some sort of work experience before you can even manage to budge your foot in the door. It wasn't until I completed 6 internships that I finally broke through into my first full-time, entry-level museum position. Even after that, I was still riding on a bumpy road. It might always be that way, but I honestly cannot imagine working in any other profession. I'm not sure how idealistic my intern is, but I suppose she'll learn the reality of non-profit museum work at some point. If she's passionate and determined enough, I know she'll succeed. It just takes time and patience . . . and time and patience.

How about you? Did it take several trials and tribulations for you to reach your career goals, or were you one of the lucky few to stumble into success?

I'm not sure if anyone checks my blog anymore, but you may have noticed that I deleted every single posting prior to today's date (including my "private" postings). After 3 years of blogging, I decided it was time to dump the past and move forward. I considered creating a new blog focused primarily on issues concerning the museum profession in which I work, but then thought I'd rather discuss feminist issues. The idea of blogging strictly about a certain topic seemed a little too monotonous for my tastes, so I have decided to return to my original idea of a plain old personal blog - a place for me to rant about whatever sparks my interest for the moment, be it feminism, museums, history, or incidents concerning my own day-to-day life.

For those of you just joining me, I'm a 30-something year old who moved from my hometown of Chicago to NYC two years ago in order to pursue my dream as a museum registrar/collections manager. Contrary to popular belief, I'm really not satisfied with life in this new-to-me city. I'm absolutely thrilled with my job, but it always pains me to think about how far away my friends and family are. Even two years later, I still consider Chicago to be my home, although I have a pretty outstanding record of uprooting myself when new opportunities have presented themselves:

15: the number of apartments I've lived in over the past 10 years
5: the number of states I've lived in over the past 10 years
3: the number of NYC boroughs I've lived in over the past 2 years
6: the number of museums I've worked at over the past 10 years
3: the number of cars I've owned over the past 10 years

What will I do next, and where will I go? I have absolutely no clue! I know it's going to be a bumpy ride, but that's how life should be. Otherwise, I think I'd get bored mighty fast.