It's Raining in the City but Sunny in my Soul

Today was a good day. It rained all day and was generally uneventful but for some reason it just feels so damn good to be alive. 

I've spent the last few days wandering aimlessly through the city alone. I haven't really tried to make friends yet as I am loving the time to myself. Being out of my element and totally in my own head really agrees with me. It's a welcome change to being in a  small town where I know everyone and can't go to the gas station for a bag of Skittles without running into my entire high-school graduating class. The anonymity of New York is my favorite part of city life. Here, you can be whoever you want. I could make a fool of myself and it wouldn't matter in the slightest. I won't ever see the spectators again!

Today was my second day at DKNY. I got there early and was waiting by the elevator when my supervisor arrived. Partly because I wanted to show initiative but also because I had yet to receive the security pass that actually allowed me past the front door of my office. Security did issue me my ID today and gave me strict instructions not to lose it. The reason being that animal rights activists consistently try to invade the premises in the hopes of causing a ruckus and changing Donna Karan's use of fur, leather, feathers, etc. I couldn't help but imagine a morning when I walk through the front door to witness three security guards tackling a PETA member dripping in fake blood in the foyer. 
I did typical intern duties today--made copies, dropped off files to execs, did more data entry, managed the marketing calendar, etc. I was just so glad to be there. 


On my way home I was thankful I brought my rain boots. They may not be the most fashionable accessory I have, but in New York during the rain I'll take function over form.

Once I arrived at my subway stop I shuffled with the other New Yorkers to the elevator that would deliver us to street level. I noticed while thirty of us packed in to the oversized lift that everyone was completely silent. No one said a word. I wasn't the only one who noticed either because a man in the corner got a sheepish grin on his face as he looked around at the others who rode in silence. It took everything in me not to sarcastically shout "This is quite the talkative bunch!" The words were on the tip of my tongue when I bit it. I was unafraid of their reaction but knew with my luck that the elevator would stop and I'd be stuck with those people for another four hours and be labeled as the jerk who jinxed us all into forced conversation. 



Once I got home I finished my leftover penne alla vodka from lunch and watched some stand up comedy. I decided to go smoke a cigarette on the corner which sounded like a lovely idea until I got to the glass front door and saw three people with inside-out umbrellas walking past. The nicotine monkey on my back wasn't afraid of a little wind or rain so I braved the elements. While I stood on the corner smoking my Marlboro Menthol I looked ridiculous in my rain boots, basketball shorts, hoodie, and umbrella while shaking like a washing machine on the spin cycle. I didn't care. Apathy is my favorite new accessory! Then an Ingrid Michaelson song came on my iPhone and the words said 


"I woke up this morning, a funny taste in my head. Spackled some butter over my whole grain bread. Something tastes different. Maybe it's my tongue. Something tastes different. Suddenly i'm not so young."

Carrie Bradshaw's stoop from Sex & The City

And I think that's just it. Even though it's been less than a week I know that this whole experience is going to make me grow up. I'm an adult now. A kid couldn't move to the big city not knowing a single soul and be happy. I'm doing it. I started smiling at the thought and could tell I was confusing passers by. They were all walking against the wind like they were in the middle of a tornado. I looked up and noticed a guy my age was across the sidewalk with an umbrella that turned inside out just as we made eye contact. He didn't get upset, he laughed. He turned around and the umbrella flipped back the right way. A different man walked by mumbling something and we laughed at him together. I may not have made friends yet, but in that moment I knew I wasn't the only one that can laugh in the middle of a rainstorm. It's raining in the city, but my insides are getting sunburned.