Amy Middleton Loves New York

Last night Becca and I decided to have a “week of fit.” Our goals focus on consistency and balance. Specifically, here’s how we’re breaking it down:

Sleep
bed by 11, up by 6 (good luck, us!)

Exercise
we didn’t discuss our goals for this one, but mine is to keep doing a 30 minute brisk walk/light jog like I’ve been doing, and to do the exercises assigned by my trainer (Saturday, Tuesday, then we meet again on Thursday…). I’m focusing on Range of Motion, balance, and core training.

Food
Eat! Every 3-4 hours. I think for me this ends up looking like: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, although if I eat a small meal at 7, I’ll for sure be hungry again before I go to bed, so I need to figure this one out.
Eat a protein with every carb.
Eat a big breakfast (>20g protein, 2-3 carbs, 1 fat) (this is easily done with a protein shake that includes fruits and seeds).
I’m also trying to keep with my goal of 1300 calories a day with 80g protein, which turns out is more calories and WAY more protein than my body is used to.

Hydrate
My trainer says a gallon a day, and I have this weird thing of wanting to believe the fitness recommendations of a man with 6% body fat, so I’m going to buy a jug (it’s been too hard for me to keep track otherwise) and just bring it with me to school, etc.

So, those are my goals. The driving force is spite (a nutrition teacher who thinks a vegetarian diet is not conducive to being fit, and who is testing us next week). I realize I can’t make enormous changes in a week, but anything I can do to remind my body that it’s a machine capable of change will probably serve me well.

If you want to set your own goals for “week of fit” and play along, you’re welcome to

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to realize the root of this issue, but here we are.

For years (at this point we’re talking decades) I’ve heard guys complain that if women are not interested, they should say so and not just go out with them to be nice. This may be unique to the LDS dating world, I don’t know, and that’s not the point. The point is that for years I sympathized with the plight of men who were being toyed with by women too cowardly to be honest. Even though I hate saying I’m not interested, I somehow bought into this idea that it’s the right and decent thing to do.

So here’s my realization: men want to know if women are interested, but that’s not what they’re asking. That puts an unfair burden on the woman, requiring her to interpret the intention of the invitation and then respond to it as if something else had been asked. If you want to know if she’s interested in you romantically, ask her whether she is, not whether she wants to go see Toy Story 3. Men can’t hide behind “the code” and call women out for playing the same game. If you want a more direct answer, ask a more direct question. Thank you and good night.

So I’m a little tired and I’ve just been blog stalking (something I actually RARELY do) amber due to her sis posting a link as her gchat status. I told Becca I’d probably blog a lot more if our communication were limited to blog form. Then I realized that I’m increasingly wanting to post gchat conversations I have as quotes on the quote wall, so I thought, maybe I should just blog them.

Then I tried logging into my account. I can never remember the URL to my site. But at least once I get there I can remember the password pretty easily. You could probably guess it. I hope you do. Then you could update my site and I’d have more content without additional work. Seems like a good plan.

Here is my conversation with Becca that I liked:

becca: and i was going to go to bed an hour ago
and i keep putting my laundry on my bed in the hopes that i will fold it, but all that happens is i move it every night onto my chair
when i even make it into my bed

me: haha
yeah my bed has no sheets on it
and i’m on the couch

Becca: i want orange juice bad right now
me too

me: knowing i should brush the candy cane jojos off my teeth

Becca: oh it’s like we’re in new york again
meh

me: but seriously just lying here
you have perfect teeth
my teeth are like enamel coated cavities

Becca: oh yeah, you have regular teeth
ok seriously i really really really need to sleep now
good night

me: night

Becca: awesome
the beatles just wished me good night
i can hear ringo in my head
singing thtat ridiculous song

Ever since maybe Junior High, and up until quite recently, I’ve had a complex about my hands. What changed this, interestingly enough, was the mere process of writing out my frustration. Based on the obscure reference, I’m imaging this was in response to having watched a Kaki King TED talk.
September 26, 2009:

I am embarrassed by my childlike hands. It works for Kaki King, but I’ll never release a guitar album, and I wouldn’t have appeared in August Rush even if I had her talent. When I picture the better version of me she is always more defined with higher cheek bones, a longer neck, and of course hands that don’t belong on the body of an eleven year old. How easily I overlook all that I accomplish with these perfectly functioning fingers that can type like crazy, convert the images in my head to paper or screen, button the hardest button to button, turn the pages of a book, dial, text, touch, plant, hold, and even play easy guitar.

That was all it took. I am so grateful now when I think of my hands. And in the process of registering for (spoiler alert!) massage school, it’s something that I return to. The ability to comfort and heal through touch comes not from having perfect hands but from intuition–from discerning and responding to what is needed. And as I think of what it means to be Christ’s hands, it is tragic for me to think of how easily and often I allowed myself to place form above function, focused on an idealized version of what hands should “look like,” divorced from what hands should do.

Manhattan operates on its own time-space continuum. Here is my guide to help travelers get from JFK to Manhattan. The best travel method for you depends on what is most important: time, cost, or convenience:

time + convenience: cab or car service

http://www.jfkairportguide.com/jfk-taxi.html
$45 + tolls and tip, car services can be negotiated at the airport but will be similar in price.
Considerations: most expensive option, but you’ll go straight to your destination with minimal stops. Up to 4 passengers.
Instructions: Go to ground transportation and grab a cab or car.
Total Time: 30 - 60 minutes (depending on traffic and destination)
Total Cost: about $55

time + cost: LIRR

http://www.mta.info/mta/airtrain.htm
(note: I’ve never done this, but it is a very quick and reliable option.)
Considerations: Involves transfers (bad for luggage) and ability to find one’s way (bad for visitors).
Instructions: Use HopStop to plan your trip in advance. Follow transportation signs to AirTrain. Take AirTrain to Station D (Jamaica) depending on where you are going. You will buy a $5 ticket AFTER you leave the AirTrain. Follow signs to LIRR. Take LIRR to Penn Station. Transfer from Penn to Subway if necessary.
Total Time: 35 - 60 minutes (depending on destination)
Total Cost: $13 - $15.25 per person

cost + convenience: shuttle

http://www.jfkairportguide.com/jfk-shuttle-information.html
Considerations: Expect to share the van with up to 10 other passengers. Arrival time is very unpredictable as a result. If you have luggage and time on your side, this is a reasonable option.
Instructions: Follow signs to Ground Transportation. Ask for the super shuttle. You can also book in advance on their site: http://www.supershuttle.com
Total Time: 30 min - 180 minutes (depending on traffic and which stop you are)
Total Cost: $23 + tip, $10 for additional passengers.

cost: subway

http://www.mta.info/mta/airtrain.htm
Considerations: You will probably have to use stairs and carry your luggage an uncomfortable distance. You will have to ask people to help you get to where you are going.
Instructions: Use HopStop to plan your trip in advance. Follow transportation signs to Air Train. Take Air Train to Station A (Howard Beach) or D (Jamaica) depending on where you are going. You will buy a $5 ticket AFTER you leave the Air Train. Follow signs to Subway. Buy a Subway ticket if necessary. Take E train to Manhattan. Transfer where HopStop tells you to transfer.
Total Time: 80 - 120 minutes (depending on delays and transfers)
Total Cost: $7.25

learn to walk on hands.
convince seth i’ve won the donut abstinence contest.
quit or get fired.
acquire a crocheted cap with a flower.
update blog. check.

Just received this email:

Amy, if you need someone to give a testimonial to your method, let me know! I just used your method today for a coverletter, and got asked back for an interview within three hours of sending it! …All I did was very blatantly use their requirements and show how my experience met them. It’s a _really_ great system and it works! Just wanted to send you a success story. I’ve told everyone I know who is looking for a job to go to your seminar.

My seminar? Why, yes. This Wednesday, July 15, I’ll be giving a presentation on cover letters. It will NOT be the same slideshow that is available online. I’ve created a new presentation just for this event, and I think it’s actually more helpful than the slideshare.

First and Third Wednesday Networking Group
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 5:30 PM to 7 PM
LDS Employment Resource Center: 144 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011
Pre-registration is required by calling 212-255-0579 or sending an email to wel-ec-newyork@ldschurch.org

My presentation will be the last half hour- before that there will be a video and some group networking.
If you have questions, please let me know: orangewalk at gmail dot com
Hope to see you there!

I don’t have a bucket list for leaving NYC. My fake answer is “the last seven years are my bucket list.” In truth, there is no way for me to be done with the city and feel totally ready to move on. But with my mom and aunt visiting over the last few days, I’ve come a little closer to being ready to say goodbye. Here’s what we’ve done. My initial list had links but I can’t seem to get them to copy over, so if any of this is intriguing, google it or ask me about it:

wednesday
Jamaican patty stop
Fairway
Riverside Park to watch the Hudson
Subway to Chelsea. The Highline.
Tasti D-lite and Papaya Drinks
FIT Museum
Macy’s, pretzel, and chess, Herald Square
Penn Station, West 4th
Bleeker Street, Five Guys
Washington Square Park

thursday
Imagine Circle and Strawberry Fields
Alice’s Teacup
Manhattan Temple
Duane Reade and Columbus Circle
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Grimaldi’s
Raising Arizona at the Brooklyn Bridge Park

friday
food and Bryant Park
NYPL Main Branch Library
Grand Central Station
Union Square
Max Brenner
Dylan’s Candy Bar
MoMA
Times Square and t-shirts
In the Heights
pizza and Duane Reade

saturday
South Ferry, quick view of Battery Park
Governor’s Island
GW Bridge
7-eleven
tour of Washington Heights
Malecon

sunday
church
Conservatory Gardens
subway, airtrain, JFK

I’m a fan of David Silverman and about a third of the way through his book “Typo: The Last American Typesetter or How I Made and Lost 4 Million Dollars. His most recent article on HarvardBusiness.org is about cover letters–how they’re not important, and how the only time it’s worth the effort to write one is if you’ve been personally referred or know something about the job requirement.

First of all, why wouldn’t know know something about the job requirement if you are APPLYING for the job? Secondly, here is, word for word, his example of the best cover letter he’s received:

Dear David:

I am writing in response to the opening for xxxx, which I believe may report to you.

I can offer you seven years of experience managing communications for top-tier xxxx firms, excellent project-management skills, and a great eye for detail, all of which should make me an ideal candidate for this opening.

I have attached my résumé for your review and would welcome the chance to speak with you sometime.

Best regards,

Xxxx Xxxx

Not that there’s anything glaringly wrong with that example, but I’m surprised something so generic would stand out from the pack. The fact that it does is a bit disheartening.

I haven’t been able to post a comment to the article discussion, so I will say it here. If the scenario he mentions is reflective of what other hiring managers are dealing with–if all the cover letters they see are recaps, form letters, or just crazy emails–then your goal as a job seeker shouldn’t be to “not bother” writing a relevant cover letter, it should be to do even better, since it obviously won’t take much to set you apart from everyone else.

i just threw out our compost
behind the building in an abandoned weed field
but it smells so bad
i’m so nervous everyone will smell it
and it will be traced to me and i’ll have to pay a fine.
does that happen?
is it against the law to throw out compost?
and is there any way to make harlem smell worse than it already does?