New York

Well I’ve been AWOL (not that there is anyone who would have noticed of course)…but the reality is that in the midst of all the ridiculous infrastructure, skyscrapers, wifi hotspots, and thousands of computers….I actually don’t have internet….which will explain why I haven’t really responded to emails, posted comments, posted on the blog, paid my credit card bills, or anything else of that nature.

That being said, I am 6 days into my life at BigLaw, BigLaw being Wall Street, corporate, grey suits, and the overt pursuit of the Almighty Dollar. The firm itself is beautiful. The artwork on the walls is (generally) tasteful, the woodwork and carpeting is lavish, the offices have huge peering into the majestic views of…the sides of other buildings…and the people are actually quite friendly, intelligent, and easy to be around. So far I’ve been paid a ridiculous salary to read the Wall Street Journal, check my email incessantly, and complain to my two officemates about how I don’t have any work to do. The summer gig seems to be a long summer of “self-discovery” about what type of corporate lawyer you want to be, and a long schmoozefest attempting to convince you that life at a law firm is as nice as it would seem in the ideal. That means 3 hour lunches twice a week, at the restaurants people without corporate accounts tend to not eat at, and summer events like Trapeze School (HELLLLL YEAH) and meeting the Mets and playing ball against the Mets organization on the field at Shea Stadium (I would be excited if I wasn’t such a woman.)

I think I’ve grown to like New York a lot more than I thought I would. The honest truth is that I’ve always been anti-big city more or less because I have been too insecure, scared, and frankly intimidated by big cities, especially places like New York which is the biggest of big cities – the rich Wall Street investment bankers, super trendy hipsters, punk rockers, hippies, movie stars, super models, sex and the city, and all of the other things that I’m too lame to be immersed in. But now that I’m here, all of those aspects of the city are really the lamer parts of the city. There’s a large contingent of middle class white kids feigning poverty and authenticity in clothes from goodwill and studded chokers, small tee-shirts and slim fit jeans…a lot of Greek Duke University-types bringing Carrie Bradshaw’s New York to life merely by trying so hard to live it that they actually create it…and plenty and plenty of people who simply aren’t attractive at all. In short, it’s just a really busy city with lots and lots and lots of people doing lots and lots and lots of things. So I like it.

This is definitely not to say that I am or ever will be a New Yorker by any standards. I don’t fit in here, I’m sort of ambivalent to a lot of the bullshit that New York and New Yorkers seem to carry around, and I don’t think I really will be for a very long time…but for the time being, I can see myself here and think things will be OK.

Anyhow, I think it’s about time to go to bed…and I feel like after this first post I’ll be posting more. Let me know where you are, how you are, what you’re up to and if you’re gonna come to the city!