dreams of quitting my day job

If only I could quit my day job and become a full time musician.

Yesterday I had a gig at Lehman College that Dan set me up with.  I always enjoy helping out with things like student projects because it's fun and really worthwhile.  I played with 2 other violinists for 3 film scoring projects and everyone seemed pretty happy with the end results.

My favorite part was that I got to see Dan in action while he did some mic set up and sound level testing. :)

If only I could get 3 well paying gigs a week, I would quit my job in a heartbeat and work part time somewhere like the animal clinic up the road or the botanical garden.  sigh... someday...

end of year resolutions

Today is Thanksgiving and I am once again saying thanks for a healthy and overall happy year.  I have gone through a lot this year starting at a new store, moving to the Bronx with Dan, getting a new puppy, and turning 30.  I also had a bout with diverticulitis which was no fun at all but I've moved past that now.

Around this time every year I get anxious about starting the new year and begin giving myself "new years resolutions" which are actually just random decisions.  A part of me thinks that if I turn them into resolutions it might legitimize them more, thus giving them a chance to survive.

I've landed on 2 end-of-year resolutions:

1.  Keep my apartment clean and company ready at ALL TIMES.

This is much easier said than done but I am finding inspiration from the blog, reading my tea leaves.  Erin Boyle lives in a 250 square foot apartment and has hundreds of tips up her sleeve to keep her apartment clean and clutter free.

2.  Less is more.

I've been reevaluating my belongings and what's really important.  For Christmas I told Dan that what I really want is to get my jacket zipper fixed so I can use it again rather than getting a new one.  Dan gave me a fleece zipup last year for Xmas and Mookie ate the middle of the zipper towards the end of winter so I haven't been able to use it. While Dan thinks this is the worst gift request ever, it's what I want!

he looks peaceful but he's really just pretending to sleep so he can eat my things when i turn my back

I am going to slowly start purging my life of unnecessary things which I only kinda-like.  The other day I brought about 12 bottles of nailpolish to work and all of the girls took them home.  Sharing!  Now I am left with only bottles that I love.  It's a small start, but it's a step in the right direction.

 

debt diet wk 1- getting organized

My debt diet is in full swing.  I did make a purchase earlier this week but said item will save me in the long run.  Details about the purchase to come after it arrives in the mail but I'm super excited!

One thing that I need to do is set aside some extra money for random necessities since I haven't budgeted for them at this point.  I had to fix my viola bow which cost $80.  Inexpensive for the work done but unplanned for nonetheless.

Eventually I'd like to do the 50/30/20 money rule where you use 50% of your income for necessities, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings.  I'd probably use my 30% want money for credit card payments since what I want most is for them to be gone.  I'm also trying the "snowball" payment method in which you pay off your lowest card first vs. paying your highest interest card first.  I love the idea of being completely done with one credit card instead of have multiple for a longer period of time.  Experiments!

I found my old receipt organizer that I've decided to use for bills paid and it will also house my check books which always seem to get lost.  I have my NY bank but I still have an account in WI and also an investment checking account so... yes, I have 3 checking accounts, and yes, I do need all 3.

I am going to keep all paid bills in the month slots and all pending bills will live in a TBD organizer on the office desk.  I need to make a Target/BBB/Container Store run to find the organizer I have in mind.

In other news my kitchen vanity is finally getting installed today and I will be able to post pictures soon!  I love love LOVE my apartment more and more every day.

haircut time?

My hair dresser is amazing.  And amazingly expensive.  When I ask her when I should come back she says "when your hair starts looking bad" which is great for my wallet (and debt diet) since I only go once or twice a year.  I saw my lovely sister the other day and she told me that I desperately need a haircut.  I'm trying to decide how much longer I can put it off since I'm not supposed to be spending right now.  I've also thought about the possibility of going to a different stylist, but I have trust issues so the likelihood of that happening is very low.

Thoughts?

i need a pot

I have always wanted to poach an egg and haven't ever tried because various reality cooking shows make it seem so challenging.  I woke up and decided that today is the day for egg poaching!  One major issue... I did not realize that I don't own any pots.  I used a sauce pan which was my best option but this definitely made the process more difficult. I could not swirl the water around with enough speed because the sides of the pan are so shallow, the water did not completely cover the egg so it slightly cooked one part of the yoke, and the white didn't surround the yoke as much as I would have liked.   Despite my shortcomings, I was surprised how easy the process was!  Once I get a pot I might start poaching eggs every day.  Mookie loves eggs, too :)

worst. blogger. ever.

So...

I haven't done any of the things that I said I was going to do.

In fact, I may have moved slightly further away from my initial goals of working less, spending more time with loved ones, etc.

2014 is a rough year so far and I must say that it's kicking my ass.

Last year I thought I may have started getting allergies, but I wasn't sure.  This year has punched me right in the face with seasonal allergies and I've been name calling Mother Nature bad names every day for the past month.  Because I have absolutely no self control, I also basically gave myself an eye infection from itching and scratching my eyes every day causing extreme irritation.  I really thought that I had pink eye, which is yet to be fully ruled out in my opinion, but either way, I seem to be on the tail end of my eye issues.  I think that I have previously mentioned, but I'm pretty sure that I have one major, weird health issue every year (i.e. shingles, stress eczema, etc) so hopefully this was it.  I really don't think I can handle any more health issues this year.

For good things that have happened in the last 5 months:

I got a puppy!  Rick and Andrew actually got a puppy and it didn't work out for them so, I got a puppy!  His name is Mookie and I love him with every fiber in my body.  This was from the first day we got him so he's bigger now (5 months old).

Dan and I also moved to the Bronx!  I am really happy to have moved and am loving the apartment and my shorter commute.  We have tons of space, tons of conveniences around, and the animals love it!  I will post pictures once it's really cleaned up (we have no doors to the rooms yet...).

I got a promotion at work!  I am now the ops manager at CM 57th street and I have a love/hate relationship with it currently.  I still feel like I haven't gotten into a good groove yet and I am still getting to know people so even though it's been 3 months, I'm trying my best to have an open mind.

Due to my complete failure of my last goals, I'm making only one revised goal:  DEBT DIET

It's hard for me to do a complete debt diet because my job requires me to look nice and wear the current clothing and we get new clothes every month.  I can usually get away with not getting new things for a month or so but after that I am clearly not current at all.  Luckily, I work in the back so I can hide more than other managers.  

The goal of this debt diet is to reduce my credit card debt to oblivion.  I realize that if I did this until I paid my credit cards off I would probably not be able to buy anything until I'm in my 40's so I will give myself a realistic goal of 3 months.  Since it's already May 26th, I will just round to June and say that this will end August 31st, the day after my birthday.

Rules:  I can spend money on food (conservatively) and any necessities.  In addition, I can spend money on any gifts that I need to since I have a few friends' birthdays that fall within this 3 month time frame, including Dan's birthday.

I encourage anyone else to join me in my dieting!  We can commiserate together over some window shopping.

2014 goals

So I just finished reading a book titled "The Mole People."  The book is comprised of short chapters detailing the lives of the New York City homeless as told from the author's investigative perspective.

My main take away from the book is that the homeless community is just that.  A community.  Like us above ground dwellers, most "mole people" see life underground as a place they feel safe and have a group that they call their own.  A lot of people who try living above ground actually end up living back in the tunnels because it's not so judgy down there.  They have leaders, communal jobs, and don't care/ask what happened in people's pasts.  They just focus on one day at a time.  

I read an article about an apartment fire that happened earlier this week in midtown.  A woman was out on her balcony with her husband and baby to avoid smoke inhalation and was tweeting things like "Big fire in our building.  Hubby, son, and me seem safe on the balcony."

...tweeting?!?... during a life-threatening fire???????  

What has the world come to?  I deleted my work email from my phone, have been taking semi-real lunches, and trying to leave work on time every day in an attempt to do some actual life things.  Trying not be glued to my phone has definitely been a challenge especially since I use it so much for work, but I have to say that I am feeling better about it each day.  

For 2014, I want to get back to the basics and focus on foundation:

- spend more time with the people I love 
- get off my phone/computer and be present... be awake
- not worry about other people and spend more time focusing on myself and my happiness

Happy new year, everyone!
MK

I struggle with consistency

It's been a very long while since I've written.  Since my last post, here are a few highlights:

1.  I played a solo (actually duet) with an orchestra!  It was so much fun and I feel so lucky to have been asked to do something like that.  I was also really excited because my mom came into town to hear it!

2.  Went to Puerto Rico with Dan, Rick, and Andrew.  It was lots of fun and I highly recommend staying in old San Juan if you are traveling there.  One of Andrew's friends lives there so he nicely volunteered to be our tour guide for the week which was a special treat.  Just thinking about it makes me want to be back on vacation.

                              

3.  Celebrated Dan's 30th Birthday!  Ice cream cake and a new espresso machine!

4.  Left my CBUS store in the beginning of July and transitioned to being the Operations Manager at the SoHo location.  Going into a strictly operations role has been very different and so far and a major challenge for me.  That being said, I'm learning a lot and am excited for things to come.  Look at the cutest card one of my girls gave me!  There is a real kleenex glued to the front!

5.  I went to the Lake Placid Chamber Music Festival last week.  It was very nice being there and I remembered how much I love violin and miss music.  I took a month off of playing because I worked for about 30 days straight, 14 hour days.  I think this going back and forth with music will be a struggle I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life.

6.  Jackie and I went to Toronto for work earlier this week for an operations workshop lead by the manager at Bloor Street.  She was amazing and I got to share some of my best practices with her team as well as pick up a few good ideas that I'm excited to implement when I go back to work tomorrow.   Jackie and I also got to play tourist and did some relaxing time as well.  :)

random injuries are no fun

I have had a history of odd illnesses (tendinitis/carpal tunnel, shingles, random saliva gland removal) and 2013 wouldn't be the same without a debilitating injury!

Inflamed/slipped disc/pinched nerves happen randomly and are very painful.  They cause you to not be able to walk, cry in front of your district manager, have to wear flat shoes all the time, and take a hiatus from practicing viola instead of playing more because you have a concert coming up.

I've been seeing a great chiropractor 3 times a week and haven't felt better!  I am resistantly taking this as a wake up call that I am getting older.  I started working out before all of this happened (which, Dan thinks caused my injury), purchasing an exercise ball, resistance band, and free weights.  I was really excited about getting in amazing shape for my Puerto Rico adventure in May and be in overall better shape.  Unfortunately, my exercise has sadly been toned down to stretching/physical therapy style exercises.

I'm also on a new diet:  low carb, low fruit, low sugar, low red meat, low dairy.

At first I was extremely depressed about this whole thing, but it's actually been ok so far.  I've been paying much more attention to my eating habits and making sure that I'm eating fish, chicken, and lots of veggies.  I don't know how this happened but at some point, I stopped eating veggies and didn't notice.

Revamped 2013 goals- be healthy.  be smart about being healthy.  eat vegetables.  stretch a lot.

And for your viewing entertainment, here is Sangria, being the best kitty in the world:

welcome, March!

The month of February definitely flew by and I woke up feeling good that today was the first day of March.  Since my last post about a better work/life balance, I have been thinking about health in general.  I am not an unhealthy person but living in New York City definitely changes a person.  I rarely cook anymore and making food to bring for lunch seems like an awful chore.  When you live and work next to a plethora of immediate food options, sleeping that extra 15-20 minutes seems worth it.

The last week or so I've tried to make food instead of eating out all the time to be a bit healthier and save some money.  In addition I've been working out!  ...Only for 2 days, but I plan on keeping it up!  Yesterday I had time in the morning to do some yoga and make myself a delicious fruit smoothie.  This afternoon I went for a run.  Running felt tortuous as I'm still getting over a cold and cannot breathe through my nose; however, I'm glad that I forced myself to go.  After I got home I was sad to discover that I probably only ran 1.5 miles and that felt extra hard.  I know that once I get over the initial pain and crying it will be worth it.

I am excited to keep on with some healthier habits to make them part of my routine instead of just occasional random things that I pat myself on the back for.  Here are a few meals I've made recently and been very happy with.

Hope everyone had a great first day of March, too!

less work, more life

For the last few years, my focus has solely on work.  Since I've come back to Club Monaco, I've been trying to get myself to where I need to be to take over the store for the time if and when Brandee leaves.  I've been working long hours (not a new/good thing) and really trying to better myself as a store manager.  Things are going very well for me at work and I think that things can only go up from where I am right now.

HOWEVER, I have been thinking...

I think I'm going to stop doing what I'm doing.  I mean, I'm still going to focus on doing my job well and working hard when I'm there, but I am going to have a better work/life balance.  I am constantly tired and borderline sick all of the time.  I want the main part of my life to be about music, friends, spending time with Dan, making food...  doing the things that I love, which I realized (this week) requires me to work less, stress less.  It's not that I don't want to be promoted because I do; however, I've never felt content just being where I am for any given time, but I'd like to start.  Right now.  There was a time where I loved work and wanted to work all of the time.  This is no longer the case so I'm going to start prioritizing my life to put my outside-of-work-happiness first.

To begin my new major life decision, I had a really good practice session last night followed by making some super yummy sweet potato, red lentil, curry soup.

I read my book, fell asleep watching tv with Dan by my side, and woke up this morning in my sunny, Brooklyn bedroom with Sangria curled up next to my head.  

This is the life that I want.  This is the life I will have.

kale chip how to

One of my new years resolutions is to eat healthier so I decided to start making some healthy snacks.  Kale chips are super easy to make and really yummy.

You can use any type of kale:  curly, dinosaur, spear, etc.

Wash kale and remove middle stem part of leaves.  Very important:  dry leaves thoroughly otherwise chips will be chewy rather than crispy.

Put leaves in an even layer on a baking sheet and, using hands, rub oil into every part of the leaves.  Sprinkle with salt and other desired spices.  Bake in oven at 300 degrees for 8-10 min.

Ta da!

musical thoughts

I am in the process of trying out a viola!  The prospect of getting a new viola is super exciting but also a little terrifying because it's not only a big investment, but a representation of my future self in music.  I have a viola that I use but getting a nicer viola means, to me, that I am committing to stay in music and be more active.  I love the idea of this but I just need to make time which is easier said than done.

My friend Maureen, an amazing violist, was kind enough to contact a friend who is selling several violas and we met a few weeks ago so I could try them.  My friend, James, was also kind enough to come along with me for an extra set of ears.

The viola I picked is a bit out of my price range but I'm falling in love with it more and more every time I play it.  I am getting more mentally serious about learning the Brandenburg and decided to take a break from violin until after the concert is done.  I even gave my lovely violin to James to use in the mean time so she doesn't just sit in the corner of my room.  If anyone is in NYC and wants to come, the concert is at the beginning of May!

xoxo- MK

home sweet home

I recently got back from visiting my mom in Wisconsin.  While I was there I realized how much I miss seeing my mom in person!

Unlike most people, we talk on the phone every day and use skype on a semi-regular basis so I feel like I "see" my mom all the time.  I hadn't been home since last Christmas and my sister, Jenna, and I haven't been home at the same time for 2 years.  Jenna and I talked about going home more often than once a year so we're already thinking about a trip home at some point in spring time.

One of my mom's cousins found these photos of my dad with Jenna and me as babies and sent them to her.  We put them together to get the whole picture.

I also got to see Jacki!  I haven't seen her for over a year either so it was great to catch up, see her new apartment, and meet her new cat- who has no name and is really, really mean... but I still liked her.

xoxo- MK

2012 reading list

In 2011 I decided that I didn't read enough.  I got held up reading things I didn't like (I have this awful mental block where I can't start another book until I finish the current one.  This is usually an arduous process and usually leads to me throwing some sort of tantrum) and in the fall I got a tv which, after not having cable for years, became the thing I looked forward to doing every day (letting my brain turn to mush while watching Grey's Anatomy and the entire series of Felicity).

I gave myself a goal to read 15 books in 2012.  I ended up reading 28!  I'm so impressed with myself.

Books 2012

1. Wind Up Bird Chronicles- H. Murakami

2. Little Women- L.M. Alcott 

3. Norwegian Wood- H. Murakami

4. After the Quake- H. Murakami

5. After Dark- H. Murakami

6. A Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao- J. Diaz

7.  The Broom of the System- D.F. Wallace

8.  Identical Strangers- E. Schein & P. Bernstein

9.  The Art of Eating In- C. Erway

10.  Blindness- J. Saramago

11.  A Wild Sheep Chase- H. Murakami

12.  Room- E. Donoghue

13.  Wild- C. Strayed 

14.  1Q84- H. Murakami

15.  Lolita- V. Nabokov

16.  Everything Beautiful Came After- S. Van Booey

17.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower- S. Chbosky

18.  Stranger Than Fiction- C. Palahniuk

19.  The Time Traveler's Wife- A. Niffenegger

20.  Dog On It- S. Quinn

21.  Thereby Hangs a Tail- S. Quinn

22. To Fetch a Thief- S. Quinn

23.  The Dog Who Knew Too Much- S. Quinn

24.  A Fistful of Collars- S. Quinn

25.  A Cat Was Involved- S. Quinn

26.  The Humbling- P. Roth

27.  American Pastoral- P. Roth

28.  The Psychopath Test- J. Ronson

If you can't tell, I really like Murakami.  The world that his characters live in is surreal and incredibly imaginative.  I also really liked Quinn's books.  You will like them too if you like books told from an animal's perspective.  Also, I finally read Lolita.  It confused the hell out of me.  Feeling bad for a pedofile is something I didn't think would ever happen.  

I liked so many of the books I read and would really recommend most of them.  Except Little Women.  I really hated Little Women.  

Since my commute to work is at least an hour I have plenty of time to read on the train.  After I surpassed my original goal of 15 books, I wanted to double my goal and read 30 books before the end of the year; however, sometime in early December I didn't have a free hand to hold my book, so I started listening to an episode of "This American Life" and was reminded of how much I love Ira Glass.  He's such an amazing journalist and I find his voice to be very soothing during underground rush hour traffic.  Listening to his voice drowns out my own thoughts of kicking someone for leaning against the pole so noone else can use it.  Consequently, the last 2-3 weeks has been spent catching up on TAL episodes that I've missed over the last year or so and not reading Franny and Zoey of which I am 2/3 of the way through.

Happy New Year everyone!  

My new goal is 20 books and to catch up to current TAL episodes- I'm 6 months behind...

xoxo

MK

goodbye 2012

In preparation for launching full speed into the new year I'm making, Tom, the turkey.  My first turkey. I don't like animal carcasses.  They make me feel bad and remind me why I was a vegetarian for so long.  BUT!  One of my resolutions- facing and hopefully conquering my fears- includes Tom.  Yes, bigger cooking projects scare me a bit so here we go!

I have, as usual, made approximately 50 New Year's resolutions and plan on keeping all of them.  I should probably add "set more realistic, attainable" goals to the list, but what's the fun in that?

This year, like all years had its high and low points.  Events have without question made me a stronger person and I'm feeling very grateful.  I always believe that everything happens how it supposed to (not in a predetermined way- more like a choose your own adventure, karmic way) and that has never steered me wrong.

2013 will be filled with lots of hard work, more calculated decisions (one of my resolutions), spontaneous adventures with friends, music making, patience, and love.

I'm starting the new year off right with a possible viola purchase and a visit to WI with Jenna to visit my mom.

Happy new year, everyone!

xoxo
MK

work.sandy.montreal.music.

I totally forgot to write about this, but I have a new (old) job!  I'm working at Club Monaco again and am so glad to be back.  Anthropologie turned out to be not such a good fit for me.  Since I've been back, I started working at the SoHo location and was recently moved/promoted to the Columbus Ave store.  It's a really great place for me and will definitely help me have more exposure with corporate members.  The commute is longer than I'd like, but I'm getting a lot of reading done so I'm not complaining.

Hurricane Sandy happened.  All of the stores were closed for 2 days (the downtown stores were closed longer because they didn't have power until the end of the week) and I was really happy because the impromptu time off coincided with my annual fall-to-winter-transition sickness.  I definitely needed the extra time to rest and felt much better when I went back to work.  Aaron, Dan, and I spent some quality time hanging out and I got to crush them at Scrabble which was loads of fun.

Also, Dan and I went to Montreal shortly after the hurricane which was a nice little get away.  Dan gave me the trip for my birthday which was super sweet.  It's only 6 hours away so we opted to drive instead of fly.  I was paranoid before we left because of the major gas shortage but it all worked out well.  We stayed in this super swanky hotel in the middle of downtown so we were able to walk everywhere which was very convenient.  We saw Old Montreal, the Quebec Club Monaco (my request of course), the Notre Dame Basilica, went to a Scandinavian relaxation bath house, and did a ton of walking around.  I'd love to go back because there were a lot of things that we didn't have time to do.

In other news, I'm doing a ton of playing right now (probably too much as usual) and am feeling very run down.  I say this to myself all the time, but I'm going to try to slow down once I get through all the concerts I'm doing right now.  Last year this lead to me getting shingles which was no fun at all.  Maybe pacing myself will be my new year's resolution.  I am actually really excited that I was asked to play a viola solo in a concert in May so I've been thinking about cutting back after December is over and just focusing on that for the spring time.  We shall see.  

2012 book goal thoughts

At the beginning of this year I decided that I did not read enough last year.  I have a tendency to get stuck if I don't like what I'm reading, aka I hated "Confederacy of Dunces" so I read about 1 chapter every 2 weeks.  It was torture!  Ignatius Reilly I hate you.

In reaction to this stuckness, I decided to give myself a goal of reading 15 books in 2012 which seemed completely attainable.   The many lovely suggestions from friends paired with my current hour+ commute to Rock Center gave me high hopes of finishing within my given time frame.

Earlier this week I finished my 15th book, and I still have 4 months left to go!!!  Goal #1, check.

MK's Reading List 2012

1. Wind Up Bird Chronicles- H. Murakami

2. Little women- L.M. Alcott 

3. Norwegian wood- H. Murakami

4. After the Quake- H. Murakami

5. After Dark- H. Murakami

6. A Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao- J. Diaz

7.  The Broom of the System- D.F. Wallace

8.  Identical Strangers- E. Schein & P. Bernstein

9. The Art of Eating In- C. Erway

10.  Blindness- J. Saramago

11.  A Wild Sheep Chase- H. Murakami

12.  Room- E. Donoghue

13.  Wild- C. Strayed 

14.  1Q84- H. Murakami

15.  Lolita- V. Nabokov

If you noticed, I decided that I love Murakami.  His surrealist world and well-developed characters makes for a very compelling tale.  Go read "Wind Up Bird Chronicles" right now!

good ju-ju

I've always thought that I have fantastic karma.  My religion of being a good person always wins out and things work out for me.  Always.  Even when things are going completely "wrong" in my life, I find solace in my belief that everything happens for a reason whether I realize that reason in the moment or not.  The universe is always trying to tell you something so you just have to listen and enjoy things along the way.

Everything is once again working in my favour.

I just got back from a chamber music workshop in Lake Placid that I was invited to.  It was just what I needed- classical music inundation and a little time away from the city.  The town of Lake Placid is quaint, and lovely and has some fantastic restaurants.  I haven't played in a chamber ensemble since I left school so I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to play/read chamber music all week.  In addition, I met some great people whose love of music was very inspiring to me.  

There's one more thing that has fallen into place in my life but I will give you a more detailed update in the next few days.  :)

settling in

 My new, semi-finished room!

 

And I also got to have dinner the other day with these beauties!