First Walk

This is my 4th winter with my dog, and I have to say, its been the mildest January of them all. I haven’t checked that officially, but most of the local dog-run regulars concur. It was 52 degrees yesterday afternoon when Boo and I went out for an early afternoon walk. One of the things I have enjoyed the most while being unemployed has been taking Boo for longs walks around the neighborhood. I’ve been back in NYC, and on the Upper West Side, for about six years now, but I find it amazing how little I’ve ventured out of my own section of the ‘hood. So now I take Boo and we go out to check beyond our local borders. Part of this is my quest to find a gorgeous block, full of brownstones that haven’t yet been renovated, on the cusp of change, apartments still affordable. It’s the dream of many New Yorkers, the holy grail of real estate, finding the last bargain in a neighborhood on the verge. I think it’s the grown-up version of a dream I used to have as a kid—that I found a door in the back of my bedroom closet that led to a secret room that was only for me to inhabit. Anyway, being unemployed, it would be hard to snatch up that bargain floor-through should I stumble upon it, but I plan on memorizing the neighborhoods, block by block, so that I’ll be prepared for reading the real estate listings. And Boo needs exercise.

As for being unemployed: I worked 8 ½ years for my last company, in an unfulfilling job (selling bonds), in an industry that never excited me (Wall St.), until months of prayers were answered and I was laid off with a severance package. It’s not that I wasn’t successful (I did okay), but that my interest level in the financial markets diminished with each year on the job. My brokerage-house job followed an MBA program, which had been preceded by two stints in retail banking (i.e. in a branch). I hated those jobs too. It took way too many years to realize that financial services were not for me--or at least to get out! The problem, however, is that I’ve never really been able to put my finger on exactly what IS for me. I’ve got a bunch of ideas, all focused on or relating to interior design, but I’m trying to sift them all together, and find the best combination of skills and interests that would propel me towards a fulfilling career. And, a job that might actually pay me enough to continue to live on the Upper West Side and someday realize my dream of owning a brownstone apartment--preferable a duplex with a garden. A girl can dream.

Basically, I love interior design. I am a shelter magazine junkie. I take continuing education classes in interior design at Parsons, I go to lectures and exhibitions on design all around the city. I have taught myself a ton about design and designers over the last 15 years. I have an excellent memory for design (proven during independent, non-biased aptitude testing), and I have great taste (not-proven, but I am confident in this--what budding designer isn't?!). I don’t know for sure that I want to be an interior designer, but I do know that I want to put all this knowledge and interest to good use.

My next post will highlight my favorite design topics.