The Pole You're Holding Has A Gazillion Germs On It

In case you are wondering... I'm saving the "I can't believe this is almost over" update for later on. Now is not the time to be sad... because honestly, I'm not. I'm still in the city--still loving everything about this place--and would rather focus on making crazy plans for our final weekend than waste time being upset.

So that's that.

As one could expect, the internship is still wonderful. My favorite part? Conducting interviews, hands down. Last Wednesday, I interviewed Honor Society--a pop/rock group who are currently on tour with the Jonas Brothers! Granted I knew very little about them prior to the interview, I quickly realized as I approached the venue, surrounded by a staggering line of teenage girls, that they were that type of band. What's "that" type of band? Mmm, I'm actually very familiar. Once upon a time, I was quite obsessed with Nsync; I was once one of those pre-teen girls who seizured at even the thought of my boys. Anyways, although the members of Honor Society have more of a rock feel and play their own instruments, their crowd is similar. That's what I meant by that.

Anywho... after waiting for about 10 minutes inside the Gramercy Theater lobby, I was escorted into a small room with four attractive guys waiting for me. (It was at this moment when I realized that this would be the first time I'd ever had to interview more than one person at a time--let alone four.) But, you know me--I kept my cool as I always do (haha...I kid), and the interview went smoothly. The guys were really fun to talk to, nice to look at and extremely painless. And, about two hours following our chat, I had the pleasure of watching them perform for a sold out audience:

Oh, and for your own personal enjoyment... here's a photo of me with some other reporters before the show:

Please take note of the off the official Jonas Brothers border. I don't mess around.

Since covering Honor Society, I've also interviewed Josh Hutcherson (he's an actor), and a new rock band from the UK, FranKo. FranKo's publicist actually ended up inviting me to their showcase later that night, which I accepted (why not, right?) So, after work last Thursday, Paige (my roomie) and I ventured to the small-ish venue with bright red walls and intimate seating. It was amazing.

PS: Click here to see the blog I wrote! FranKo's publicist informed me today that they were linking it on their press release about the guys coming to the States!!

Aside from work, I think a majority of my time has been spent enjoying the nightlife--meeting people and entertaining them with the usual "Yes, I choose to go to school in Missouri & yes, it is a fun place to live" schpeal. Honestly, you would think we were from the moon...

Anyways, here are some pictures from last weekend's nightlife adventures.

At a bar in SoHo... they had a confetti gun :)

At the same bar as above... with an aerial view: it was packed.

At Southern Hospitality

(Where about 13 of us went for Lyndey's 22nd birthday on Saturday...
Yep! It's owned by Justin Timberlake!)

The troops arriving to take us to our next destination.

SIDENOTE: Ever wonder what goes on inside of a taxi cab with four 21-year-olds and a driver named Muhammad? Check it out... it's difficult to understand at first, but things get pretty entertaining as the ride goes on. Naturally.

(Katie is the one doing most of the talking.... with a few contributions from myself.)

Here's the sky-bar we ended up at. It honestly had one of the best views of the city that I have ever seen. And I've seen a lot of views. Unfortunately, this picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

Oh, and as promised, here are a couple pictures from around the city. You know... in attempts to bring you something a little more authentic :)

(On the subway)
"THE POLE YOU'RE HOLDING HAS A GAZILLION GERMS ON IT"
Lucky for me, I love germs.

The skate parks are always packed...

...& they mean business.

Soooo.. that's all I have for now! Trust that these last 11 days in the city will be enjoyed properly.

Oh, & expect documentation.

Thanks for reading!
Xoxo,
Cas

FYI: I linked a lot of bands/people in this entry so that you may have a better understanding of who/what I'm talking about...in case you didn't catch on to it as you were reading.

Work CAN be play..

Why do so many people frown? I spend a lot of time watching people get on and off the subway, and very rarely do I encounter anyone who looks even remotely happy. I mean... be it morning or night, it doesn't really matter. People look pissed-off more times than not.

I mean, subways are sick--I get it. Riding on a stuffy underground train isn't really the most glamorous part of my day, but I don't think that I look like I want to jump in front of it, either. And their frowns really make me question their happiness... whether their jobs are really that miserable, or if it's just that bad at home.

I mean, who knows what's really going on with people and their unhappy faces... I still have yet to ask. But whatever their reason, I have concluded one thing:

Whatever I decide to do with my life--wherever I end up and with whoever I go home to--I refuse to live in routine. No thank you-

I don’t want to be a robot.

If you're unhappy enough to frown that much... change something about your life! I know, I know--easier said than done. But really, we're all in control of our own happiness. Something's got to give.

And that's my soapbox for the night. Moving on...

Things at work are fantastic. I interview about one "celebrity" a week, which is probably my favorite aspect of the job. No... not because they're famous or whatever, but because I genuinely love our conversations. I don't usually walk into a session with preconceived notions (mostly because I don't know that much about them...whoops), and yet they still manage to surprise me; they're never what I even remotely expect.

I don't know... it's all just pretty cool.

Aside from that, I've been doing a lot of transcribing (typing out interviews into word documents), and researching stories for my editors. I write a ton of blog posts (which I've come to really enjoy), & I should probably note that these aren't your typical blog posts (such as these.) Instead, they are filled with "tween" lingo and can be pretty entertaining. (Here's the site if you need some reference: Mmm-Mag.com)

Knock yourselves out.

When I'm not at work, I'm usually roaming the streets with the girls. I spent last weekend with Lyndey, Christy & Paige, wandering around Chinatown and getting harassed by vendors. And by harassed, I mean,

"Coach, Gucci, Chanel purse?????"

being whispered (or yelled) in my ear every three or four steps. My "bubble" was violated for a solid two hours.

I know, pretty intense.

Anyways, there's a lot to be said for the past couple of weeks, but of course I slacked on the updating and am now overwhelmed. I'm sure you'll live. But, I do have some pictures to share with you... of course!

Brunching on a Sunday afternoon: We love this, although I've come to find that having to choose between breakfast & lunch food is (assumingly) like having to choose which child you love most. Decisions, decisions.

Our train ride to Long Island Beach for the 4th of July.
It was well worth the effort.

Literally IN the ocean... and I'm happy.

The beach has a way of making everybody happy... even if it costs $10 to enjoy.
Which is still a questionable fee...
My sisters make for amazing company...
especially when adventures are involved. We walked around for hours.


It's easy to forget that I'm in the city...

Work can be play... if you do it the right way :)
The first is from Beyonce's press conference;
the other is at a Hey Monday show (a band I Interviewed for M)

I always love spending time w/ my roomie, Paige.
Def. check out her blog if you get the chance, she's awesome...
Me laying on a bench outside my apartment after a bad day.
Even in a city of 6 million... it's not impossible to be alone.
& that's a good thing.

So things are (obviously) going great. Oh, except one thing. Have I mentioned that I bought my plane ticket to Missouri today?! That's right... our time is almost up here in the city. Can you believe that? Unreal.

...Unreal and depressing.

Anyways, I'll be heading back on August 8th... and despite my lack of eagerness to return to Missouri, I do miss familiar faces. And driving :)

Okay, that's enough for now!
Until next time, I wish you well-

Xoxo,
Cas

for my grandma...i love you.