Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2012
Out of Retirement
Those of you that keep up with my twitter feed (it's on the right side of the page) may have read that I have come out of retirement. Yes, as of today, I am no longer retired. I am back in New York City and back at Hot Blondies Bakery. We are Going to be featured on Good Morning America on Friday with gilt.com, and things are crazy. Everything in Saratoga is packed and ready to go, so I don't have much of anything to do there! Having time off sounded like fun, but I get bored too easily. All of my friends are working every day, including my sister and my mother, leaving me without much to bide my time.
I had discussed the possibility of this happening with Laura and Lorin before I left, but I wasn't sure how busy I would be and how feasible it may actually be. When I received an email from them last week asking me if it would be possible, the wheels were set in motion.
This morning I left my house at 6:15 to drive to Albany. From there I jumped on the Megabus without working wifi and fell back to sleep. When I woke up we were about an hour outside of the city and it was pouring rain. Shoot! I forgot my umbrella! There was lots of traffic going through the tunnel, and the rain seemed to slow us down, so we arrived about 30 minutes late. I grabbed my bag, rolled up my pants, and I started walking. The bus stop is only about 15 blocks from the bakery, so I put my hood up, my head down, and I walked.
I arrived at the bakery, keys in hand, to find that the door was being propped open by a delivery man. I snuck in behind him, walked up the stairs and into the disaster zone. I gave Laura and Lorin quick hugs and spun around in a daze. Boxes we piled higher than I am tall. There was only a small path from the door to the front of the shop where I was going to leave my bags. There were hundreds of pounds of flour, sugar and brown sugar leaning against itself in the corner. Billions of calories of butter were stacked near the door.
"Holy smokes! This is crazy!"
"Haha. Welcome back. This is nothing!"
I didn't think they were serious when they said that it was nothing. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong! About two hours later, or 400 blondies and brownies later in bakery time, the bell rang. The delivery man on the other end asked Lorin to go downstairs. All of thirty seconds later she was back upstairs in a rage.
"He's refusing to bring it upstairs. There are too many pallets. We have to bring it up ourselves."
And so, the bakery that I thought was packed to the brim when I arrived, was about to become a lot more cozy. 17,000 units more cozy, to be exact. We ordered boxes like you wouldn't believe.
For the Gilt sale Laura and Lorin had to agree to be prepared to ship 5,000 shipments within three days. 5,000 shipments means:
- 5000 box bottoms
- 5000 box tops
- 5000 shipping boxes
- ridiculous amounts of tape
- multiple humongous rolls of paper for stuffing
- more red ribbon than Santa and his elves could ever imagine
And that is just the packaging materials!
I took a brief break from baking peanut butter chocolate chunk blondies to organize the 17,000 new additions to the bakery. I felt like I was playing Tetris. But losing this game of Tetris would be a problem. I wasn't going to get a "new game" option when I accidentally boxed myself in. Or boxed us out of the bathroom, for that matter!
Miraculously, we made it happen, and I hit the ovens.
Now, at 8:15 pm, I am on the train to Garden City. Aunt Jane just called to tell me she is taping The Bachelorette and has spaghetti waiting for me! Dinner, trashy television and an early bedtime are on the agenda for the evening. Tomorrow morning, I'm back to baking. Gosh, I just love this!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
An Interview
I applied on a whim. My parents were at a party, talking to another couple and discussing their children. When my parents spoke of me and my ongoing search for a job the man chimed in. He mentioned his daughter, a medical software company, an interview, and the rest was history.
As I did my online research I discovered that despite my mother's assumptions, there are not offices located throughout the country. Instead, there is one office. That office happens to be located pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country, and not in NYC. I continued with the application process, unconcerned with the location. Any interview, or application for that matter, is a learning experience, so I forged on. Updating the resume, writing a new cover letter, saving in non-Mac formats and submitting online took me hours. I answered the questions with slight disbelief. They asked for my SAT scores and final GPA from university. How was I to remember my SAT score? I took that test 8 years ago... Wow, I feel old. I answered to the best of my memory, made a little wish, and pushed submit.
Immediately I received an email. I hesitantly clicked on the link to find a form message, thanking me for the submission. I should have known. I let out a sigh and stepped away from the screen.
Three days later I received another email. It asked me to take an online test to continue with the application process. I followed the prompts and began my exam which was slated to take between 20 and 40 minutes. I started with the questions, which seemed surprisingly similar to what I could remember as SAT questions. The questions, however, were interspersed with statements regarding my personality. I was forced to choose between four statements, which would be the most true about me. Even if all of the statements sounded nothing like me, I had to choose. The next screen showed me the remaining three options, forcing me to choose between them, and so on. When the test was completed I was relieved. But I was also intrigued.
Two days later, another email. This time it was a request for a phone interview. I scheduled the interview for the following week and set a reminder on my calendar.
The telephone conversation felt like just that: a conversation. The woman I spoke to was engaging, kind and wonderful to talk to. She verified scores, GPAs, and dates, but mostly, we spoke. She asked about Thailand. I asked about living in the middle of the country. She asked about my strengths, weaknesses and dreams. I asked about the available jobs.
Two days later I received another phone call. It was a new woman. She said, "your resume came across my desk, and since you will be coming out for a live interview I was wondering if you would be interested in also considering a second position. While you are here you will be able to hear and learn more about it and also interview for it." Stay calm, Meaghan. You didn't know you got the live interview, but this is great. Accept. I kindly thanked the woman, told her I would be more than happy to interview for a second position, and walked back into the restaurant to finish my glass of wine with Heather.
Monday I received another phone call. Another woman. Another resume-came-across-my-desk-would-you-consider-another-position conversation. I stayed calm, cool and collected, and gladly accepted. I had yet to receive a phone call or email asking me to go out for a live interview, but after the second phone call, it seemed to be more of a technicality.
Within a few days, my flights were booked. The only problem, was my flights were booked for the Sunday after the bachelorette party. I was forced to take the midnight bus to Chinatown.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. I arrived to NYC just after 6 am on Sunday morning. I was able to enjoy a few hours and a delicious breakfast with Kiki, my mom, and Erin before I jumped on the shuttle to the airport.
I had a direct flight and arrived before 5 pm on Sunday evening. I went out to dinner with a friend from college and a friend from Thailand, Cait, who was kind enough to drive 3 1/2 hours for dinner! It was a great night, but an early one, because I had an interview to rest up for.
I left the hotel at 7:45 Monday and spent the day interviewing, until I was in a cab at 4 pm for my flight back to New York. It was an excruciatingly long day, but it was great! I had three different position overviews, three different interviews, made one presentation, and took multiple assessments, but I made it through. And, I think I did an okay job, if I do say so myself.
I am currently waiting to hear back from the company, but I should hear by the end of the week. Fingers crossed!
As I did my online research I discovered that despite my mother's assumptions, there are not offices located throughout the country. Instead, there is one office. That office happens to be located pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country, and not in NYC. I continued with the application process, unconcerned with the location. Any interview, or application for that matter, is a learning experience, so I forged on. Updating the resume, writing a new cover letter, saving in non-Mac formats and submitting online took me hours. I answered the questions with slight disbelief. They asked for my SAT scores and final GPA from university. How was I to remember my SAT score? I took that test 8 years ago... Wow, I feel old. I answered to the best of my memory, made a little wish, and pushed submit.
Immediately I received an email. I hesitantly clicked on the link to find a form message, thanking me for the submission. I should have known. I let out a sigh and stepped away from the screen.
Three days later I received another email. It asked me to take an online test to continue with the application process. I followed the prompts and began my exam which was slated to take between 20 and 40 minutes. I started with the questions, which seemed surprisingly similar to what I could remember as SAT questions. The questions, however, were interspersed with statements regarding my personality. I was forced to choose between four statements, which would be the most true about me. Even if all of the statements sounded nothing like me, I had to choose. The next screen showed me the remaining three options, forcing me to choose between them, and so on. When the test was completed I was relieved. But I was also intrigued.
Two days later, another email. This time it was a request for a phone interview. I scheduled the interview for the following week and set a reminder on my calendar.
The telephone conversation felt like just that: a conversation. The woman I spoke to was engaging, kind and wonderful to talk to. She verified scores, GPAs, and dates, but mostly, we spoke. She asked about Thailand. I asked about living in the middle of the country. She asked about my strengths, weaknesses and dreams. I asked about the available jobs.
Two days later I received another phone call. It was a new woman. She said, "your resume came across my desk, and since you will be coming out for a live interview I was wondering if you would be interested in also considering a second position. While you are here you will be able to hear and learn more about it and also interview for it." Stay calm, Meaghan. You didn't know you got the live interview, but this is great. Accept. I kindly thanked the woman, told her I would be more than happy to interview for a second position, and walked back into the restaurant to finish my glass of wine with Heather.
Monday I received another phone call. Another woman. Another resume-came-across-my-desk-would-you-consider-another-position conversation. I stayed calm, cool and collected, and gladly accepted. I had yet to receive a phone call or email asking me to go out for a live interview, but after the second phone call, it seemed to be more of a technicality.
Within a few days, my flights were booked. The only problem, was my flights were booked for the Sunday after the bachelorette party. I was forced to take the midnight bus to Chinatown.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. I arrived to NYC just after 6 am on Sunday morning. I was able to enjoy a few hours and a delicious breakfast with Kiki, my mom, and Erin before I jumped on the shuttle to the airport.
I had a direct flight and arrived before 5 pm on Sunday evening. I went out to dinner with a friend from college and a friend from Thailand, Cait, who was kind enough to drive 3 1/2 hours for dinner! It was a great night, but an early one, because I had an interview to rest up for.
We had to take the typical Thai photo!
I am currently waiting to hear back from the company, but I should hear by the end of the week. Fingers crossed!
Friday, March 9, 2012
My First Rodeo
"This is not my first rodeo" has been one of my favorite phrases as of late. It has been applicable to a variety of different situations including finding my way to a specific unknown location in the city, taking an overnight bus, packing lightly, and many others.
When it comes to bachelorette parties, however, this past weekend, was my first rodeo. Never had I ever been to a bachelorette party. Well, that's not entirely true. For Laura Beth's wedding last year we had a bachelorette party, but it was the night before the wedding, and was basically just a night of drinking wine and gossiping. This bachelorette party involved games, outfit changes and a city I had never been out in! This was my first rodeo.
On Friday morning I waited for Nicole's call before heading out to meet her in New Jersey. I had done some googlemaps research to find a NJ Transit station as close to the Garden State Parkway as possible. I found the stop in Clifton, and planned to meet her there just after noon. I made the transfers, texting Nicole, and realizing we would be arriving at almost exactly the same time. But, it was too good to be true.
The station didn't have an exact address, only an intersection. And while googlemaps had no problem navigating to the spot, Nicole's Garmin was less accommodating. By the time I arrived, Nicole was nearby, but completely lost. I played with my map on my telephone, kept Nicole on speakerphone, directing her, and we eventually managed to find each other. We were back on the road again, but about an hour behind schedule.
We arrived in Mathews County, VA close to 8 pm. With traffic and torrential rain along the way, we were knocked way off of schedule. Fortunately Allie and Joe, her fiancée, were more than forgiving, and had us meet them at the restaurant.
When we arrived, Allie and Joe were each enjoying a beer and chatting with a couple and their two children. We were introduced and learned that the family had recently moved to Mathews. Nicole and I each ordered a beer and the four of us passed a menu between us to order food. All the while, the new couple was chatting with us. When our food was delivered we decided to move to a table. The couple acknowledged our location change and also moved... To the table directly next to ours. They had hinted that their children were tired and should head home soon, but they showed no sign of packing up.
The couple sat next to us the entire time. And they talked to us the entire time. Their children began acting up and running around, but they just kept on chatting. The husband would occasionally get up to chase a curly red head around the restaurant, but mostly they talked. Nonstop.
Joe eventually got up to pay the bill, and the three of us started putting our jackets on. The family started getting their jackets on as well, and walked out of the restaurant with us. Nicole and I drove back to Allie and Joe's and were ecstatic to finally be able to talk to each other! When the four of us were in the house we all let out a huge sigh of relief. As kind as the couple was, we just wanted to talk to each other! It had been months since we had seen each other, and the talk of Alabama Mardi Gras parties was not what we were in the mood for. The poor couple was starved for conversation. They just wanted friends. We did our good deed for the day by listening, but we were very excited to just have each other.
The next morning we woke up to drink mimosas and enjoy a delicious home cooked breakfast. I whipped up a batch of brownies, but that will be explained in my next post. At around 10 Joe called Allie to have us come down to the dock. The three of us went across the street to the family's dock to see Warren unloading the morning's catch. The three men, clad in waders and boots, threw around the fish, moving them, counting them, and loading them on the truck for delivery. Two hundred fish, three coolers and five trash barrels of ice later, the truck was loaded. Unfortunately, I left my camera at the house, because boy, it was a sight. Hopefully I'll get photos when I'm back for the wedding.
The three of us ladies headed back to the house and leisurely got ready for the day. When we finally left the house around two we were dressed and ready for the shower. We drove to Richmond for the shower, held at Allie's cousin and Matron of Honor's house. We played a quick game, naming each famous person's significant other, and then moved on to opening gifts. After eating far too many Easter candies from the candy dish, we headed to our hotel downtown to change for the bachelorette party. In our adjoining rooms our group of twenty laughed as Nicole and I showed our excitement for our first wedding shower and bachelorette party. All of the people in our group had engagement rings and wedding bands fixed on their fingers. Many of the women had children at home. Nicole and I, the only people from outside of Virginia, were the odd men out. They women were shocked that Nicole and I had never been to a bachelorette party. The two of us tried to explain, as kindly as possible, that where we come from, people wait a little longer to get hitched. So, we donned our "going out" makeup and outfits, ready to rock the night as the only single ones in the crowd.
We went to dinner at The Tobacco Factory and the games began. Allie was forced to wear a candy necklace all night, having men eat the necklace piece by piece. I can't say that I wasn't embarrassed.
The night continued downstairs in the nightclub. We were armed with a list of tasks to complete, each worth a different point value. Allie's sister-in-law-to-be was out of control. Before I even had a beer in hand, she had managed to rack up a whopping 80 points. I chose to stand back, and take it all in.
Unfortunately, I was taking more than the sights in as the night went on; I was taking in copious amounts of secondhand smoke. Ew, Virginia. Get with it. Within 10 minutes of being in the club I felt like an ash tray. I had to leave at around 11 pm to catch a bus back to NYC, so I said my goodbyes and grabbed a cab. On the way to the hotel I immediately googled smoking regulations in Wisconsin. After less than two hours in the club, I knew I could never live in a place without smoking bans!
Here is the chart I found on wikipedia depicting smoking bans in the US. Before you become concerned, make sure you look at the key. (White is a good thing!)
I got back to the hotel, changed my shoes, my dress and my undergarments... I was done smelling like a stale cigarette. I soon realized that my hair was less forgiving than I had hoped, and the stench wasn't going anywhere. I didn't have time to fret or shower. I grabbed my bag, jumped in another cab and spent a whopping $33 to go to the bus station. The cab cost $13 more than my ticket back to NYC... oh, well.
At 12:30 I boarded the Chinatown bus and was reminded of the little things from Thailand that I don't miss. I don't miss the pushing, the lack of personal space, the ridiculous amounts of awkward pieces of luggage and taped up boxes. I miss Thailand, but I don't miss traveling in Asia.
I arrived back in NYC just after 6 am on Sunday morning. I had received lots of text messages throughout the night. The girls had a wonderful time. At 5:45 am I received a message from Nicole. I was shocked, thinking they were still up partying. As it turns out, the fire alarm was pulled, and everyone had to go down to the lobby. Nicole sent me this photo with the caption, "no, these are not strippers."
All in all it was a great, but brief, weekend. And the whirlwind didn't stop when I arrived back in NYC. I was on a flight at 2 pm Sunday afternoon for Wisconsin. Stay tuned for why....!
When it comes to bachelorette parties, however, this past weekend, was my first rodeo. Never had I ever been to a bachelorette party. Well, that's not entirely true. For Laura Beth's wedding last year we had a bachelorette party, but it was the night before the wedding, and was basically just a night of drinking wine and gossiping. This bachelorette party involved games, outfit changes and a city I had never been out in! This was my first rodeo.
On Friday morning I waited for Nicole's call before heading out to meet her in New Jersey. I had done some googlemaps research to find a NJ Transit station as close to the Garden State Parkway as possible. I found the stop in Clifton, and planned to meet her there just after noon. I made the transfers, texting Nicole, and realizing we would be arriving at almost exactly the same time. But, it was too good to be true.
The station didn't have an exact address, only an intersection. And while googlemaps had no problem navigating to the spot, Nicole's Garmin was less accommodating. By the time I arrived, Nicole was nearby, but completely lost. I played with my map on my telephone, kept Nicole on speakerphone, directing her, and we eventually managed to find each other. We were back on the road again, but about an hour behind schedule.
We arrived in Mathews County, VA close to 8 pm. With traffic and torrential rain along the way, we were knocked way off of schedule. Fortunately Allie and Joe, her fiancée, were more than forgiving, and had us meet them at the restaurant.
When we arrived, Allie and Joe were each enjoying a beer and chatting with a couple and their two children. We were introduced and learned that the family had recently moved to Mathews. Nicole and I each ordered a beer and the four of us passed a menu between us to order food. All the while, the new couple was chatting with us. When our food was delivered we decided to move to a table. The couple acknowledged our location change and also moved... To the table directly next to ours. They had hinted that their children were tired and should head home soon, but they showed no sign of packing up.
The couple sat next to us the entire time. And they talked to us the entire time. Their children began acting up and running around, but they just kept on chatting. The husband would occasionally get up to chase a curly red head around the restaurant, but mostly they talked. Nonstop.
Joe eventually got up to pay the bill, and the three of us started putting our jackets on. The family started getting their jackets on as well, and walked out of the restaurant with us. Nicole and I drove back to Allie and Joe's and were ecstatic to finally be able to talk to each other! When the four of us were in the house we all let out a huge sigh of relief. As kind as the couple was, we just wanted to talk to each other! It had been months since we had seen each other, and the talk of Alabama Mardi Gras parties was not what we were in the mood for. The poor couple was starved for conversation. They just wanted friends. We did our good deed for the day by listening, but we were very excited to just have each other.
The next morning we woke up to drink mimosas and enjoy a delicious home cooked breakfast. I whipped up a batch of brownies, but that will be explained in my next post. At around 10 Joe called Allie to have us come down to the dock. The three of us went across the street to the family's dock to see Warren unloading the morning's catch. The three men, clad in waders and boots, threw around the fish, moving them, counting them, and loading them on the truck for delivery. Two hundred fish, three coolers and five trash barrels of ice later, the truck was loaded. Unfortunately, I left my camera at the house, because boy, it was a sight. Hopefully I'll get photos when I'm back for the wedding.
The three of us ladies headed back to the house and leisurely got ready for the day. When we finally left the house around two we were dressed and ready for the shower. We drove to Richmond for the shower, held at Allie's cousin and Matron of Honor's house. We played a quick game, naming each famous person's significant other, and then moved on to opening gifts. After eating far too many Easter candies from the candy dish, we headed to our hotel downtown to change for the bachelorette party. In our adjoining rooms our group of twenty laughed as Nicole and I showed our excitement for our first wedding shower and bachelorette party. All of the people in our group had engagement rings and wedding bands fixed on their fingers. Many of the women had children at home. Nicole and I, the only people from outside of Virginia, were the odd men out. They women were shocked that Nicole and I had never been to a bachelorette party. The two of us tried to explain, as kindly as possible, that where we come from, people wait a little longer to get hitched. So, we donned our "going out" makeup and outfits, ready to rock the night as the only single ones in the crowd.
We went to dinner at The Tobacco Factory and the games began. Allie was forced to wear a candy necklace all night, having men eat the necklace piece by piece. I can't say that I wasn't embarrassed.
The night continued downstairs in the nightclub. We were armed with a list of tasks to complete, each worth a different point value. Allie's sister-in-law-to-be was out of control. Before I even had a beer in hand, she had managed to rack up a whopping 80 points. I chose to stand back, and take it all in.
Unfortunately, I was taking more than the sights in as the night went on; I was taking in copious amounts of secondhand smoke. Ew, Virginia. Get with it. Within 10 minutes of being in the club I felt like an ash tray. I had to leave at around 11 pm to catch a bus back to NYC, so I said my goodbyes and grabbed a cab. On the way to the hotel I immediately googled smoking regulations in Wisconsin. After less than two hours in the club, I knew I could never live in a place without smoking bans!
Here is the chart I found on wikipedia depicting smoking bans in the US. Before you become concerned, make sure you look at the key. (White is a good thing!)
At 12:30 I boarded the Chinatown bus and was reminded of the little things from Thailand that I don't miss. I don't miss the pushing, the lack of personal space, the ridiculous amounts of awkward pieces of luggage and taped up boxes. I miss Thailand, but I don't miss traveling in Asia.
I arrived back in NYC just after 6 am on Sunday morning. I had received lots of text messages throughout the night. The girls had a wonderful time. At 5:45 am I received a message from Nicole. I was shocked, thinking they were still up partying. As it turns out, the fire alarm was pulled, and everyone had to go down to the lobby. Nicole sent me this photo with the caption, "no, these are not strippers."
All in all it was a great, but brief, weekend. And the whirlwind didn't stop when I arrived back in NYC. I was on a flight at 2 pm Sunday afternoon for Wisconsin. Stay tuned for why....!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)