Welcome to Spring

Even though it was warmer in NYC pre-3/20 than post-3/20 it is officially spring!  To celebrate, I redesigned my blog so that it wasn't wintery white.  Who digs the new colors?  I do!

Is anyone else SUPER PSYCHED for summer?  I know I'm jumping the gun a bit, since spring only just started, but I've been waiting for summer to come back since October 1.  Summer is my absolute favorite season and since I won't be spending this one sweating it out in Inwood, I'm extra pumped.  Still don't have an AC, but curtains and a tree outside my window make me hopeful that maybe, just maybe, I can scrape by without one this year.  Because you know what is mad expensive?  Portable air conditioners.

So, summer.  It's awesome.  I mean, it's always awesome, because there's sun and outdoor concerts and you can go for walks and it's sunny until like 9pm.  And I have way more summer clothes that I like than any other season.  But this summer is especially awesome and here are some reasons I am looking forward to it:

1. Hawaii.  Duh.
2. I live in Brooklyn, which just seems like a better place to be in the summer than Inwood. 
3. Sunglasses.  They're just more fun in warm sunshine (as opposed to watery winter sunshine)
4. Sandals and flip flops.  They're better than boots and sneakers (no matter how much I love boots)
5. Going out to bars without carrying a humongous jacket.  More fun.
6. Waking up to sunshine instead of dark.
7. Concerts in parks
8. Dining alfresco (so many places in my hood)
9. Packing away bulky sweaters means I have more room in my closet
10. Summer always makes me want to rent a convertible and drive around with my girlfriends singing awesome songs.  I've never done this, I can't drive in NY and most of my girlfriends aren't here.  But it's the attitude, and feeling of doing it without actually doing that summer gives me.  It puts that bop in my hop when I'm walking to the subway.

Viva la verano!

**Disclaimer** that Spanish is probably super incorrect.  Who cares?  It's (almost) summer y'all.  The season to be carefree.

Siesta!

I am very strategic about my lunch hour.  I usually try not to eat until at least one, but preferably 1:30 or 2.  I am hungry much before then (because I'm, like, always hungry, or at least always in the mood to eat), but I make myself wait so that when my lunch hour is up, it's 2:30 or 3.  And then there's just a little bit of time left in the work day.  It's a really good plan, especially since mornings tend to go by faster than afternoons (it's a proven scientific fact).

But lately, I'm realizing that eating later is probably better for my career.  Lately I have gotten so sleepy after I eat.  I've got that lead-in-the-stomach, needs-all-my-attention-to-digest sort of thing going on.  And when my stomach is so warm and full, and I can see the sun outside, naturally my eyes will get all heavy and my fingers turn sluggish on the keyboard.  Naturally, all I will want to do is take a nap.  Yeah, I've got a lot of that going on right now.  So, if I am far less productive after lunch, it may be best to eat later, that way, I can get loads of stuff done before I zombify.  There is actually a guy at work who doesn't eat until about 4:15, because he knows he won't get anything done after.  I know I could never wait that long, and it does seem a bit silly to eat that late, only to go home and have to cook dinner.  But I can definitely appreciate the sentiment.  Because I am like one status meeting away from comp...

...letely falling asleep.  Oh, maybe its too late.

Books, Books, Books

I've been busy this week, being productive.  On Monday, I did spring cleaning a day early.  I scrubbed my whole bathroom, except for the floor (because mopping is a pain!) and picked up my room, dusted, cleaned out my closet, even moved around some pictures and things for a change.  I've been thinking about moving the location of my bed, I'm just not sure if it will work any other way.  I've also gotten loads done at work, and done laundry and made dinner two nights this week so far.  And I've been reading a bunch too.  Since I'm at work, I don't have time to delve deeply into the stuff I've been reading, so I'll just throw some covers up and write reviews later.  Maybe.  If I feel like it.  I'm not great at writing reviews and I haven't loved any of the books I've been reading, because I've been reading a lot of "literature" and as I told Andrew last night, "literature" is almost always about emotions, and I really prefer reading books that are about anything but that.  Seriously, if you look at my favorite books, they have almost no emotional element-- In a Sunburned Country, The Westing Game, The Stephanie Plum Series...ok, I guess I don't even have that many favorite books.  Which is ironic.  What I don't like reading about is people have "deep" emotions and then they do irrational and nonsensical things.  Like the girl who runs crying out of a library because she saw a painting that looked sort of like her female lover and it looked at her.  Like, what?  Is that a metaphor?  What is that supposed to show us?  Maybe I just don't understand deep emotions and that is why I don't like literature.  I will probably be shot for saying this, especially since I work in book publishing, but Catcher in the Rye...what?  I don't get it (I hope we can still be friends, Ann).  I don't know...I'm flummoxed.  Maybe I need to get more in touch with my "emotional side."  Bollocks.

Anyway, I said I wasn't going to delve deeply into book reviews, so instead I delved deeply into my inner turmoil....my bad.  Here are those covers I mentioned and I'll get around to writing some reviews when I feel like it (hey, maybe I do feel stuff!).  If like, I don't get all depressed because of an incident on the subway that somehow seems to signify the futility of my life path and then do irrational stuff and wind up in Colorado or something...

I had very high hopes for this one.  It wasn't awful.

I didn't have high hopes for this one.  They lived up (down?) to them.  Spoiler: 1950s lesbian fiction

My boss is letting me borrow her Kindle so I can finish this series.  I have mixed feelings about this--I want to finish the series, but I don't because of the all the hype, and I don't want to cave to a Kindle, even if it isn't mine.

Flipped through this as research for work (hopefully I will be getting some aviation projects soon) and then started reading in earnest because I found out getting your pilot's license is actually CHEAPER than I thought, and how awesome would it be to be able to fly, like, anywhere?  When I move back to Maryland, that would be so awesome, I could get to NYC in a snap!  So for my birthday, please just buy me an hour of flight time.  Kthanks!

But on a Happier Note

Last night I went to bed with happiness, but I had forgotten it by the time I woke up this morning.  I was happy because today is the first day of spring!  And it actually feels like it outside!  It will still be spring when I travel to Hawaii (summer doesn't officially start until the end of June), so we are in sight! Seventy-two days away, in fact.  So in honor of that, here is a really awesome link I found.  This link has a very tentative relationship to spring, but here it is.  It is spring, in spring I will go to Hawaii, where I will view the transit of Venus, which is an astronomical event, and this link has something to do with outer space.  Also this link makes me happy, just like spring and I spent a very long time fascinated by it.  I hope you enjoy!

Here Is Something I Have Noticed

Something about the professional world.  When you behave professionally--cordial, polite, nice but not overly-friendly--people will say you're a snob or a bitch.  When you are overly nice, people will take advantage of you.  Where is that middle ground?  Has anyone found it yet?  If you have, can you please draw me a map to get there?

I've decided I would be a terrible boss.  I'd probably buy my assistant coffee and then do all their work for them. *self-deprecating eye roll*

Wanna Help Me Out?

Of course you do!  Just in case this reaches anyone in the world who doesn't already know, I'm taking a Social Media Marketing class at NYU.  It is tres interesting, and I'm learning a lot (expect new blog strategies....as soon as the class stops taking up all of my time!).

For the class, we need to plan and implement a social media marketing campaign, which means creating a fake brand to promote.  If you haven't already, please help me out by clicking this link:

http://www.facebook.com/AlexJeffriesPhotography

And "liking" my faux-photography (hereby referenced as "faux-tography") page!  Also, if you want to leave a comment, that'd be much appreciated!  You can also follow my campaign on Twitter (@AJeffriesPhoto) and Pinterest (Alexandra Jeffries).  I hope to see you all on these various social media outlets!!!