Lessons Learned

It’s no secret that I like do to things my way or not at all. Call it spoiled; call it stubborn—it is what it is. As it turns out, New York City and I have that in common. The city often has different plans for my day than I do, and—it being the bigger beast in the equation—often prevails over my own ideas. Take last Wednesday for example. Up before the sun, I was packed and on my way to Tucson. I was waiting to board my first connecting flight to Charlotte when over the intercom came an announcement that there were hundreds of turtles blocking the runway at JFK. I was so excited for KD National Convention and Tucson with my best friends and fellow council members, but what can you do besides laugh at a flight delay because of turtles crossing the runway? Sounds like a joke, right?

I eventually made it to Tucson at about midnight Arizona time, which coincidentally was 3AM New York time. I was exhausted. The next few days all began at 8, but I was awake hours before because of the time difference. It gave me the opportunity to go run around the desert, which was absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea that I would love Arizona so much! Our resort was nestled between mountains with cacti literally every two feet or so, and wildlife like mule deer and desert rabbits ran rampant. The convention was amazing. We were treated like queens with banquets and plush resort rooms, but the best part was the sisterhood! So many KDs young and old in one place! Our chapter had the most representatives there out of any other school, and we were so happy to be reunited. KDs from other chapters kept coming up to us to ask our secrets about recruitment, socials, and different success tactics, but on awards night we began to get discouraged. We sank lower and lower into our chairs with each honorable mention, until finally the time came for the biggest award. We had to pick our jaws up off the floor when they called EPSILON!!! All of our alums surrounded us and we became the obnoxious LSU girls singing our chants.

We were devastated to part at the week’s end, but it makes the nearing approach of school and our senior year infinitely sweeter. I headed back to New York just in time for a good nap before the 4th of July festivities. We marveled at the emptiness of the city (sidenote: this is the best time to visit NYC!) and watched the Macy’s fireworks from our rooftop.

I had the morning off yesterday, and as it was my first free morning of the summer, I decided that I would go to Regis and Kelly! I’ve wanted to go all summer but haven’t yet had the chance. I read that the first 30-45 people in the standby line get seats in the studio audience, so I woke at 5 and was downtown by 6. I was fourth in line, so when some guy joined the line in front of me at 7:30, I didn’t bat an eye. At 9AM, they began to let us in. Guess what number they got to? If you guessed four, you are correct. Our consolation for waiting and not getting in was a ticket to meet Jennifer Anniston and watch her on the show the following morning—a dream come true for those that did not have to be at work by 9.

Again, I practiced my newly acquired rolling with the punches skills. I spent the morning wandering around the Met, and in the afternoon I ventured into the Upper West Side and Riverside Park. I watched a sailboat race on the river (I love sailboats) and finally made my way home. My event last night turned out to be the coolest one yet. It was at the Harvard Club and featured an author named Andrew Breitbart. For those of you who are unfamiliar with him, Andrew is a conservative activist involved in the tea party movement and instrumental in national GOP politics. I was in the company of New York’s finest (and wealthiest) young conservatives. Among the distinguished guests of honor was none other than Rudy Giuliani! I think I was more excited to meet him than I was Daniel Radcliffe. Probably one of the coolest moments of the summer was sitting next to Giuliani and Breitbart while they signed books; they would turn to me with snide comments or sarcastic espressions after listening to a particularly enthusiastic youngster/devoted fan. I kept my cool even though I was just as excited as the others about meeting these two.

On my way home late that night, I stopped at 5 Guys to pick up something to eat. To my chagrin, the guys that work there recognized me and called me Alabama. I don’t know what that says about me—that the only people in this city who remember me are the employees of a burger joint on the busiest street in America—but I do believe that’s my cue to switch to salads (yeah right).

Today’s event was about Nica Rothschild, the famous jazz baroness of the 50s and 60s. The speaker was really interesting and got me thinking about all of the music NYC has to offer. After work, I walked down Broadway and picked up student tickets for Jersey Boys. It’s a musical I’ve wanted to see for years now, and it did not disappoint. Afterward, we met the cast as well as some other people hanging around waiting to see them. We made friends! We ended up standing on a street corner in Times Square talking to our new friends until the early morning. All the while, the busiest block in the whole country buzzed and changed around us. The lights never dimmed, but eventually Python Man, comedy show promoters, and the schizophrenic Russian died down and returned to their respective caves. When we finally walked home with our signed playbills, we deemed tonight one of the best so far.