Sometimes I wish I was still blogging about my Europe adventures. Everything I had to talk about was always way more exciting.. and I had something to say basically every day. Even though NYC has been great, it takes at least 3 days for me to have events worthwhile to blog about.

4 months in Europe before NYC set me up for somewhat of a letdown. Gone are the beautiful landscapes, different cultural experiences, 3-day trips to wherever we felt like.... that whole semester seems like a blur now actually. Did it really happen? I'm still sad it's over. Why can't I study abroad every semester?! wahhhhh.

I can't get this travel bug out of my system. I'm thinking that come graduation next May, I need a few weeks to travel. I don't picture myself settling down in a career just yet. Part of me says oh I would love to go to new places, see South America for example, or revisit Spain... but part of me knows that if I was to sit down to buy a plane ticket today, to anywhere in the world, it would without a doubt be London. I have three "homes", or three points of comfort in this world. Shrewsbury, where I'm from and where my family is, Milwaukee, where I go to school and have spent 3 years of college... and London, a temporary home at the time but a home nonetheless.

Maybe if my internship leads to a job.... I could report on the Olympics next fall.... which are in London.... :)

Anyway. The past few days have been pretty busy. Saturday was my day off, so I did some errands with Lizzie, a fellow ASME intern, and then I met up with Priya, Greg and Linda for dinner at a Thai restaurant right around the corner. At about this time last year, when I came to NYC for my birthday, I was with the same group! It was so good to see all of them (we went to high school together), and the thai food itself was pretty delicious. Then Greg, Linda and I walked around a little bit, ending up at the ice cream shop we went to last year... also delicious. NYC prides itself on dessert stores. From millions of cupcake places, to gelato and ice cream stores, bake shops, yada yada... they have it all.

On Sunday/Monday, it was our two busiest days at the SI offices. Although I can't really speak about what I worked on, I can say that I did a lot of fact checking and now know so many random sports stats. By the end of this summer I'll be able to spit off so many facts... although sports wasn't something I dreamed of accumulating massive amounts of knowledge in, it's always fun to learn. And hey, if interning at Sports Illustrated isn't a great pick up line, I don't know what is. haha

Since we're in the office pretty late on Sundays, they cater breakfast and dinner for us. Breakfast was New York bagels and cream cheese, and dinner was mushroom chicken, buttered noodles, salad, grilled squash/zucchini, bread. It was SO good. I was not expecting it to be that good, but it was. They also bring in pizza for us on Monday nights, so that was my dinner last night.

Alsoooo, if we work past 9 p.m. on Sundays, we get taxi vouchers so we don't have to take the subway/walk home. So nice of them to do that... something I didn't even think about. I thought it was going to be a yellow taxi, but no, it was a black car service cab thing... boy did I feel super professional and Devil Wears Prada-like. I can get used to this.

So Sunday and Monday both kind of ran into each other, lots of fact checking... but I was assigned my first "story," which I think will have a byline (along with the two other girls working on the story with me!) Yay, how exciting!!

Funny story. On Monday night, after a lot of people had already left, several of the younger editors in cubicles/offices around me decided to play a pick-up game of mini golf on a long strip of carpet in the office. They had a putter and golf balls, and set up two obstacles (books in a tee-pee shape). The goal was to putt the ball through both sets of books and hit a standing highlighter at the end. I wasn't paying attention to the game, but a few of them kept putting and getting very close, but never hit the final highlighter. So they ask me, the little quiet new intern minding her own business, to give it a try. Although my putting skills are a little rusty, I have golfed before and think myself to be a pretty decent putter. (thank you Dad).

I putt the first of two golf balls, it goes through both book obstacles, and narrowly misses the highlighter. Well, that was a close one. But I had one more try. So I putt the second ball....

through one obstacle

through the second obstacle

heading toward the highlighter

knocks over the highlighter!!!!!!

Thank God. My editor emerged from his office to tell me I had been relieved of all my duties. Although he was joking, it was a nice little situation to be in. And how fun is it to play mini golf in the office? Where else is that ok to do?!?

Even though I was in the office for 12 hours on Sunday and 9 hours on Monday, I never minded being there. It was never "boring" or a hassle, or I never wished I was somewhere else. As uncomfortable as I felt at first, not knowing sports that well, not really knowing the editing system, or computer edit programs...I'm quickly learning, and it's all becoming quite fun. I actually never even left for a real break those days.. I was too caught up in my work and preferred to eat my sandwich while at my desk.

So after those hectic days, I now have two days off. What to do, what to do. Sleep! And I'm thinking about going for a window shopping walk, in the search for a birthday outfit. because my birthday is SATURDAY!!!  :)) so excited. My family is coming into town Friday for some day activities and dinner, then Marie and Lauren will be in town Friday afternoon and are staying through the end of Sunday. While I did get Friday off of work, I do work Sunday... which kinda stinks since I wanted to spend it with the girls. :( boo, oh well. I can meet up with them for dinner, I hope!

well that's all for now.. happy Tuesday!

xxx

p.s. here are some pictures!

^this is my view from the SI offices!