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Snurricane!!!!

Date: February 26, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

Snurricane!!!!

The snowfall on my street around 3pm 2/25..not so bad, right?

When the weather channel was telling me to “brace for the storm” about to hit NYC, they really meant it this time! I assumed the storm would be a big bust, since my classes yesterday weren’t even canceled! I opted out of going with the doctor’s note for my blistered-the-size-of-Belgium foot, and it was a good thing I did. By the time I would’ve gotten back to my apartment (around 5:30pm) the snow on the ground had turned to ice and the shuttle that loops from 125th St. station to my building was not making stops at my building because it was sliding down the hill on my street! I would’ve had to walk up the massive hill (a relatively minor hill to climb when it’s nice out, but a major trek when it’s wet or covered in snow and ice!) with my bum foot and I am ninety-nine percent sure that I would’ve fallen down and cried.

So instead of going to class I watched the falling snow and figured the storm would be a bust. Afterall, the Department of Sanitation refused to start plowing until at least two inches had fallen and by 1pm we didn’t even have an inch and a half. I worked on some stuff for CurrentHipHop, Twittered, watched TV, my usual day-off stuff. Boy was I wrong! By 5pm there was about half-a-foot on the ground (apparently the rate of snowfall had picked up just a little) and my soaking wet, angry roommates came bursting into my apartment pissed off that they had to walk all the way back from their class buildings and the subway. (I really don’t blame them for being angry, I’d be really pissed too!)

My street sign, illegible, covered in snow

While I was doing work around 10pm, News4NY reported that the wind this storm was generating was equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane! Hence, “Snurricane” (It became a trending topic in New York City on Twitter sometime yesterday and has remained on there for most of the day today!) Umm…I won’t be leaving the house i

n that, thank-you-very-much!!! By 3am, when I finally went to bed last night, we had gotten even more snow. When I got up this morning, the totals were tallied at 14 inches in the Bronx, 18 in Staten Island and 16.9 inches in Central Park. Around 3:30pm today, the total in Manhattan came to 20 inches and for the time-being, the snowfall has ceased. I feel like a meteorologist right now, so I’m going to stop talking about the snow for five seconds.

Buried cars on my block

The point of all this snow-talk is that this was the real Snowpocalypse compared to that little pansy storm we had a couple weeks ago. (I mean, I guess it was no “pansy” for D.C. and the surrounding area, but it barely hit us here in the city) The last time I left my apartment was Wednesday….I think? I’m not even sure if I left here on Wednesday, which means the last time I was outside of these four walls was Tuesday evening–when I was at school! Eeek! Talk about being cooped up!

Somehow, I’ve managed to stay slightly productive, but I’m mostly been a huge bum, sipping on big mugs of hot chocolate and eating soup.

The last time I ventured downstairs was to do laundry Wednesday evening, which was exciting as usual. (The first time I tried to do laundry, I could not for the life of me figure out how to use my little swipe card to get the cycle to start! Instead of quarters, we load money on swipe cards and use those in the machines and I read the directions of the machine wrong about ten times before I finally figured it out!) I forgot to check if there were available washers and dryers online before I went down and of course, almost all of them were in use! I staked out the laundry room waiting for someone’s stuff to finish and waited about 45 seconds before taking it out and replacing it with my own stuff. She came down, saw that I put all her stuff on top of the washer and she got pissed! Listen, babe, I did you a favor because now you don’t have to bend over and take all your sh!t out. Did you really think I enjoyed touching your sparkly thong or your Christmas-themed one (which, by the way, was almost 3 months ago, in case you didn’t get the memo) or your boyfriends nasty Yankees boxer-briefs? I didn’t. (Especially because I have a strong dislike for the Yankees. I know, I’m in the wrong city, but I love NYC, so I can get over it.) I think my own dirty laundry is gross as it as (weird phobia) so I definitely don’t want to touch yours!

I eventually finished my laundry at 1am…Thursday morning.

Tree branch outside my window

Yesterday I never even left my apartment itself. I haven’t gone downstairs to check mail or socialize–nada! It may partially be because my wardrobe for the last few days has consisted of leggings and giant collegiate John Jay t-shirts and/or sweatshirts, I couldn’t walk and I’ve been far too lazy to bother putting on makeup. I mean, for who, really? Instead of actually going into the outside world, I’ve been connecting with it via Skype, Twitter, Facebook, AIM, and my Blackberry (on which I got over 70 emails, 15 phone calls, 25 text messages and several of BBMs…today alone.) I was in a particularly crummy mood yesterday for some reason and everything was very bothersome to me, so it was probably just as well that I stayed in my room!

I’m hoping tomorrow I’m going to venture outside. I’m hoping to meet a friend for breakfast (if they plow because she wants to drive into the city…I told her to take mass-transit and she told me she’s scared of it!) Then my friend and her boyfriend are coming for the whole weekend, so I will hopefully meet up with them and then two of my best friends from home are coming tomorrow night! I have to meet them at Grand Central, so if I don’t go anywhere else, at least I’ll slap on my rainboots and go there. I am so excited to see all of them!!

Embellished Black Evening Dress from Theia $895.00 at eDressMe

Theia Long, One Shoulder Lamé Gown with Brooch $795.00 at Bloomingdales

Oh, I totally forgot the best thing about this whole day, productivity-wise, of course! Every May, I go to this Armenian event called ACYOA Sports Weekend (some of you who read this may have heard of it) and it takes place over the course of Memorial Day weekend. At night there are always dances and events (Saturday and Sunday) and I got my first dress for the Saturday night event, being held at the State Room in Boston, MA. I cannot wait for it to come!!!! I’d post a picture, but since I know some of my Armenian friends are going to read this, I can’t ruin the surprise just yet. I’ll just say that it’s a gorgeous, floor-sweeping, navy blue Theia gown! It’s very glamorous! I almost always wear cocktail dresses to these things and I never get the opportunity to wear gowns, but the State Room is so nice. I figured if I can wear a gown anywhere, I’ll wear it there!

I’ve included some pictures of current Theia gowns so you can see their design aesthetic–they are beautiful! (Mine is not among these.)

Best part of being home: having time to online shop!

Well, that’s all for now! Hopefully I’ll have more interesting things to tell you after the Snurricane is over.

xo, E

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Don’t say you didn’t ask!

Date: February 25, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

Young MC...bustin a move

You wanted it, and now you got it.

(Remember that song, ‘If you want it, then you got it, if you want baaaaaaby you got it….just bust a move!’ Oh MC…I miss you.)

Well, several of you inquired, via Facebook, WordPress comments, Twitter and email, you wanna see this nasty blister I got. Frankly, I think feet are disgusting in general, so it was very difficult for me to even take the picture without being grossed out. But I had to please my readers!

Me, bustin' an old cheerleading move so you can see the "Blister the Size of Belgium"

Well, there you have it. It has shrunken ever-so-slightly since I took this picture last night before bed (circa 1am) but it still hurts like a BAMF. (Apologies for the hair in my face, stupid face I’m making and lack of makeup, it was bedtime. I know I look like a 12-year-old boy.)

I skipped out on school today because I didn’t want to wear any of my shoes in the blizzard or walk. (The only slightly comfortable shoes I have are my UGGs, but it’s still hard to walk even with the thing all bandaged up!) I had to send my professors emails detailing that I have a “foot injury” and am not coming to class in the blizzard, but will be more than happy to provide them with a doctor’s note. (That I myself will have to doctor, since it’s from Tuesday–thank God for scanner/printer/copiers and Photoshop!)

Needless to say, I’m parking my booty for a few days, since this foot clearly doesn’t need anymore action.

Unfortunately, I have a whole bunch of friends coming this weekend, that I’m going to have to walk around with and go out with. Once again, I’ll be the only girl in UGGs at the bar, sadly, but, oh well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited my friends are coming, I’m just saying it’s unfortunate because of my foot.

Well, that’s it. I went to the E.R. for that. 2 hours of wasted time for a giant blister. I hope it’s everything you hoped it would be.

xo, E

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Oh, New York, You’re Not As Easy As I Thought!

Date: February 23, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

I envisioned that my move here would be sort of just like my life before, except: a little more walking, a lot more to do, a lot more people, and a lot more mass transit; but it’s slightly different from I thought.

Maybelline "The Colossal" Waterproof Mascara

Every rainstorm in NYC is like a monsoon, I should’ve remembered this from a few months ago when I met my best friend Nicole for her 21st birthday and stood in Bryant Pond getting soaked by the mini-hurricane that was occurring. The buildings create miniature wind tunnels and once it starts raining, it’s all over. I’ve learned that my hair is gonna get whipped in my face, so I throw it in a ponytail and don’t even bother putting on makeup, unless it’s waterproof mascara (which btw, I’ve smudged in a mini-monsoon). Since then, I’ve learned to never leave home without my umbrella, and if rain and/or snow are in the forecast, to slap on my rainboots. I haven’t, however, quite figured out how to juggle my Iced Venti, Sugar-Free Vanilla, Non-Fat, Caramel Machiatto, my books, my handbag and my umbrella. Something I’ve seen most NY ladies do with ease and poise. It’ll come to me…I just need practice!

Another thing I didn’t prepare was an injury, and I walk EVERYWHERE. It’s five short blocks to the subway from my apartment, and two long blocks from the subway to my school, not to mention walking between buildings, walking to get food, walking to get groceries, standing in line at Whole Foods…etc, etc. (Doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re in pain, it’s long.) So when my foot started to bother me a few days ago, like it has in the past, I ignored it and kept walking on it. I rocked those four-inch heels all over NYC like it was my job.

Not the best decision I’ve ever made.
After a short trip to Trader Joes yesterday, I discovered that my foot was really bothering me. I was walking through Union Square station on the side of my foot and limping. It hurt much more than it did when I broke my toe a couple months ago. When I tried to stretch it out, it felt like something was going to snap, so naturally, I got nervous– these feet take me everywhere, let alone the fact that I’m a dancer!! After hobbling around the city to my first two classes this morning, I hobbled on over to Roosevelt’s ER to get looked at.

(Warning: this next part might gross you out if you’re sensitive, so you might just wanna scroll past it a little if you don’t like feet or have a weak stomach!)

It came with great surprise when I took my sock off and the nurse looked at my foot and asked me if I had a callous. I looked at it and there was a giant white bubble on the ball of my foot. There was no way I had a callus. I’ve had callouses, I’ve had broken nails, I’ve had bloody nails from toe shoes, I’ve had a broken toe and I’ve broken my ankle…there was no way this was any of those. It hurt way too much.

I was Googling foot anatomy last night (yes, sorry Professor Lerner, I forgot almost everything you taught me last semester except for the body cavities and the brain anatomy) and was more than convinced I needed an MRI. A CT was just not gonna be detailed enough. It was either my peroneus brevis tendon or my peroneus tetius tendon. Mmhmm. OR it was my extensor digitorum brevis muscle. That was it. I just needed confirmation.

Foot anatomy that I used to self-diagnose...

So you probably want to know what it was right?

A freaking BLISTER. It was a blister the size of Belgium!!!! A giant, obnoxious blister, forcing me to hobble around New York City like an invalid. I mean, really?

Thanks to those 4-inch heels, I have two weeks of hell-to-pay. Getting a blister on the ball of your foot is one of the hardest blisters to heal, you walk on it constantly!

So another lesson learned: while you might think that everyone in NYC is wearing cute shoes, it is not worth getting a blister over. Because of my need to be fashionable, I’ll now be stuck in UGGs at the bar this weekend.

What else have I learned? It’s okay to spend $111 on dinner with your best friend every now and then (since I’ve been eating frozen dinners and mac and cheese out of a box for a month and a half) It’s okay to not go out on Friday nights. And not doing anything all day and staying in your pajamas, is totally socially acceptable.

While you all are out walking around having a grand time this weekend, think of me. I’ll be the girl in her pajamas watching Lifetime movies, icing my foot and eating a box of chocolates.

xo, E

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How I ended up in NYC Part 2 of 2

Date: February 9, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

Grand Central Terminal

Within minutes of stepping off the train in Grand Central I had hailed a cab on 42^nd and Lex, one of the most difficult intersections to actually get a cab because there are people everywhere. And with that, my mom, aunt, cousin and I were off to our Times Square hotel room. It was during those first couple of hours that both my mom and my aunt noticed that I had extremely uncanny sense of direction, navigating us around New York City single-handedly without a map. I had no idea where I was actually going, but somehow I got us there. Being the idiotic tourist that I was, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I accidentally took a map from a street vendor (I thought they were free) and he came chasing me down the road or when I took a picture with the Naked Cowboy and didn’t know I was supposed to tip him (oops?) (That picture is great, by the way. Kelly Clarkson had just won American Idol and I decided I wanted to look just like her. I went to the salon and got bleach blonde chunks dyed into my hair. I should’ve known that they looked terrible when my hairdresser was showing me ways to hide them. I also wore thick-rimmed black glasses, because I thought they looked cool. Since I looked so incredibly awkward, that picture will not be going on here.)

Kelly Clarkson, shortly after winning "American Idol"

That night we went to see Chicago on Broadway, a show that I absolutely fell in love with. (I always wanted to be on Broadway anyways and had been to a show once before with my school) I even caught a rose at the end of the performance and if I remember correctly we met one of the cast members at the time and got our Playbills signed.

The next morning we went to the ever-famous Lindy’s in Times Square for brunch. We all ordered normal breakfast foods and drinks, I think I had pancakes and bacon (this was before my vegetarian times) and a glass of orange juice. Everyone else ordered normal breakfasts as well, but my cousin and aunt ordered several glasses of soda (which were about $5 a piece if I remember correctly). When the bill came, my aunt was absolutely flabbergasted to find that the bill was $90 (it was a lot of money for four people for breakfast at the time). My cousin (who was my mom and aunt’s niece, not the daughter of my aunt who was with us) had brought none of her own money and my mom got stuck footing the bill!

Lindy's in NYC

The next day on the ride home I proclaimed that I was moving to New York City someday. My mom laughed and told me that I better not tell my father. I did anyways and he was infuriated so I didn’t bring it up again for a while.

CBS's hit show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"

Years later, when I would be looking for colleges to apply to, I was going to apply for fashion design, and naturally New York City came up. My father didn’t want any part of it, but when I threatened to apply to FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in Los Angeles, he changed his tune a bit. I ended up not completing my applications to Parsons or the FIT and was not accepted to Pratt. January of my senior year, I got into the series CSI which was huge on the Nielson ratings (I was studying them in a communications class) and I decided to start watching it. Coincidentally, my school had also just started offering an introduction to forensic science class to seniors and my AP Art portfolio was making me start to hate being an artist.

Despite my guidance counselor’s attempts to deter me from changing my major last-minute and reapply to colleges other than art schools or fashion merchandising schools, I did it anyways. I was accepted to several Forensic Science or Biology programs in schools across the country and chose to attend to Penn State. While my excitement of going to University Park was short-lived (they had no housing for me, freshman and sophomores must live in on campus housing if they are out-of-state, despite the fact that there are college apartments surrounding State College, PA) I was referred to a campus in Schuylkill Haven, PA and had met a bunch of girls at orientation who I decided to live with and was truly excited to go to college, despite the fact that it was not what I had expected.

The Nittany Lion Statue at PSU Schuylkill

I didn’t even last at Penn State Schuylkill for a whole year. I came home in April of 2008, after spending weeks calling home crying to my parents and cutting classes. I decided to attend community college for a few semesters and then transfer out again. After summer classes, I re-applied to UMASS (which I had gotten into after high school) and was rejected and to Hofstra, who offered me admission for the Spring 2009 semester, but I wanted to go in the Fall of 2008. I ultimately decided to spend a little more time at community college. This past fall, my school chose to admit thousands of extra students, much more than they had space for because of the ailing economy. When I no longer could get to a class because I had to leave 25 minutes early and would then get stuck in traffic and was unable to get a parking space, I freaked out. My thoughts were, “I pay to go school here and I can’t get a parking space? What kind of BS is that?” When I asked a parking attendant what I should do, he suggested I carpool (which I couldn’t, I had a full-time job that I went to immediately after class) or that I take the bus (which I couldn’t for the same reason above and also because the bus didn’t stop in my town.) Needless to say, I was pissed. After that I began researching where I could transfer to for the spring, which brings me to my current situation.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice (Haaren Hall)

I found out that John Jay College had a combined bachelor/masters program in Forensic Psychology, my major, and naturally, I was psyched. None of my credits had transferred into my community college and I had started over there as a freshman, so I’ve been almost an entire year behind. (Not quite because I’ve been taking summer classes for the last two summers.) Getting a combined bachelor/masters degree would knock an entire year off of my education, save me a ton of money (seeing I had already wasted enough) and would allow me to graduate almost on time, not to mention saving me all the hurdles of applying to grad school. Finding the school was the easy part, but actually getting to attend was more difficult, since it required getting my dad on board because I needed to live in New York City. Even more difficult was the fact that John Jay doesn’t have its own housing. Most students either live in/around the city or live in City College housing, which is located in Harlem, which is where I live now. Another hurdle. Needless to say, my dad was less than excited for me to live in Harlem, one of the crime capitals of the universe.

Somehow, I did it. I am here. (Well, not quite right this second, I’m on the commuter train coming back into the city from a weekend at home) I’m not homeless or destitute (not yet at least, I need to find a paying job ASAP!) and Harlem isn’t that bad. (Besides that it’s way the hell out-of-the-way of everywhere I need to go and it takes me an hour to get to the West Village to see my friends for a drink.)

Well, New York, I hope you’ll have me, it took me long enough to get here (and I hope I can find a more convenient apartment in you for the summer) because this girl ain’t going anywhere.

xo, E

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How I ended up in NYC…Part 1 of 2

Date: February 8, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

“It was like I had stepped out of a boring silent film and into the greatest musical of all time, with Radio City Rockettes kicking to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s, ‘New York, New York,’ while seven-thousand angels cried, ‘Kelly, you are home!’ …On midtown’s crowded streets, I felt electric, vibrant, and alive.” (Cutrone, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside, pg. 4, 2010)

Just pages into this book, it became clear to me that Kelly Cutrone and I were extremely similar people. Just like me, Kelly grew up in a small town with strict parents and never felt like she had a place there. Since my blog is about moving to and living in New York City, Kelly’s account of her first trip to NYC for her sixteenth birthday, reminded me of my first trip for my 13^th birthday—the trip that made want to move to the Big Apple in the first place.

I’m not sure exactly how it came about but in my early teens, just like Kelly’s, I must’ve been watching MTV when I first decided I wanted to take a trip to New York City. On a whim, I mailed in a postcard requesting tickets for LIVE: Regis & Kelly and got an answer just a few weeks before my thirteenth birthday that my ticket request had been granted. My mom decided that my thirteenth birthday present would be a day trip into the city; that we would go see Regis and Kelly and do a little shopping and then head home.

ABC studios, W66th between Columbus Ave & Central Park West

The morning of, was a Friday in late October and I believe it was two or three days just before my birthday. Even though we “had” tickets for R&K the seats were not guaranteed and we had to be in line by six in the morning to make sure that we’d get inside. My mom dragged me out of bed around two-thirty in the morning and told me that I needed to “dress nicely” because people in New York City always dressed nicely. I wore a pretty sweater, nice jeans (against her judgment) and a pair of heels (big mistake). We left the house shortly after took the train from New Haven into the city around four. By quarter to six, we stood in the Columbus Circle area, where the studio is located waiting in line with tons of other crazy fans who had risen at the crack of dawn as well. Once inside, we received our seats, sat down and waited for the show to begin.

Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa

A noteworthy thing about the studio is that on TV the studio appears to be huge, but in person, it is tiny! The seating was comfortable and cozy and it made you feel as if you were sitting in a living room with them, just hanging out. During commercial breaks, Regis and Kelly get their makeup retouched and read through scripts, which is normal, but they also come through the crowd and shake hands and chat with their fans. Regis came through our side of the crowd but wasn’t quite near us so my obnoxious mother had to embarrass me and kept yelling to him to come over. He ignored her several attempts for his attention until she finally yelled that it was my birthday. (Embarrassing, much? Plus, I was only thirteen then) Regis finally turned around to see where the shouting was coming from and wished me a happy birthday.

As we were leaving, Kelly, who is about a foot shorter than me in a pair of 4-inch Manolo boots (I’m only 5’6) was hovering around the studio floor where the audience has exit. She was chatting and taking pictures, signing autographs and whatnot, when she actually ended up right next to me! I was too embarrassed from my encounter with Regis to do much more than smile, but my mother was intent on everyone knowing it was my birthday and immediately informed Kelly that it was my birthday. Kelly was extremely sweet, wished me a happy birthday and asked how old I was. When I told her I was thirteen she said, “Wow! You look much older! I wish I looked like you when I was thirteen.” She made my day. (I would later find out that my mom had gone through great lengths to tell everyone it was my birthday because she wanted them to announce it on air. Apparently, she had sent a letter and an email to the producer asking that they announce it since we would be in attendance. Thank God they never did. I would’ve been mortified.)

The one thing I explicitly remember is hailing my first cab. I watched a few people step out into the street and throw their hand out, which I had seen on TV before. Everyone had a different way of doing it—either by waving or putting their whole arm out—apparently anything could work. My mom mentioned we needed one and off I went. I jumped out into the street somewhere outside the Regis & Kelly studios and flicked my hand out. Before my mother even noticed where I had gone, a taxi had zipped over to the curb. She was impressed but yelled at me later on for “being so reckless.”

The rest of my day is sort of a blur. I remember walking miles and miles and miles through the city until I was in tears because my feet hurt so badly from wearing those high heels. (And by the way, no one really “dresses up” in NYC anymore than they dress up anywhere else in the world. Jeans and flats would’ve been more than acceptable, thanks Mom.) I finally convinced her to buy me a pair of sneakers at a shoe store we passed and despite the fact that I no longer had to traipse the city in those heels, the damage was done.

Rockefeller Center

The other thing I remember, and hopefully this doesn’t gross you out, are the million and one restrooms I had to use. I must’ve consumed an exorbitant amount of liquid or my bladder hadn’t been well-trained enough because I literally had to pee every five minutes, everywhere we went. I vaguely remember a trip to Rockefeller Center and to Times Square, but I don’t have the slightest idea what we did there, other than the fact that I found bathrooms to pee in.

That night, on our train ride back to New Haven, I expressed my love for New York City, but my mom dismissed it, “it’s a fun place to visit,” she proclaimed. Just a few months later, I would drag her back there for another trip, which would include a romp with the Naked Cowboy and a $90 breakfast at Lindy’s.

That was the trip that I knew for sure that someday I would move to New York City.

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What To Wear for Valentine’s Day!

Date: February 7, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

With Valentine’s Day approaching faster than one can fathom, you might be wondering: what in the world am I going to wear?!

Lucky for you, here are few looks that can easily be pulled together in no time for any of the plans that you might have

BCBGMAXAZRIA Mock Two Piece Dress at Nordstrom $177.9

that night!

For a romantic dinner:

This sexy LBD by BCBG Max Azria looks like it’s actually two pieces, but really is only one! Thanks to the different fabrics and gorgeous embellishment at the waist, you’ll look like you pulled out all the stops for the night in this dress and you’ll definitely leave him wanting more…

For a cocktail party:

This ultra-flattering dress is party-perfect in romantic Coral. Throw on a few simple accessories and a pair of pumps and you’ll be good to go…the delicate pleating all over the dress will do all the talking for you! (Plus, who can resist the price tag?)

Angelfish Dress in Coral at Lulu's $53.00

For dinner with his parents:

With sweet scalloped trim around this cardigan and the gorgeous lavender color, his parents will think you’re a sweetheart, even if you forget to help his mom cook dinner!

Pair it with this Bb Dakota Trousseau Top at ModCloth $69.99 and this Twelve by Twelve Pleated Bubble Skirt at Forever 21 $29.00 and Mom will love you as much as your man does!

Trousseau Top at ModCloth $69.99

Twelve by Twelve Pleated Bubble Skirt at Forever 21 $29.00

Olallieberry Cardigan at ModCloth $42.99

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“Don’t sublet from a 60 year-old Buddhist Acupuncturist you found on Craigslist.” (And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You) -Kelly Cutrone

Date: February 3, 2010 • By Erika • Comments 0

While that’s really good advice, it wasn’t the best advice that Kelly Cutrone gave tonight.

Just a few hours ago, I attended Kelly Cutrone’s book signing for her first book, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You at Barnes & Noble in Lincoln Center. While I was excited to meet Kelly, since she is my idol, I’m also very excited to read the book. Kell had promised us via Twitter that there would be a reading and a signing. (And that her 7 year-old daughter, Ava, would be there; that she would be dressed in all black; and surrounded by interns, all of which she was.)

Unfortunately, idiot me, had to get locked out of my apartment just as I was trying to leave early so I could get a seat. Since I wasn’t going to be back in time for my RA to let me in at 9pm, I waited until almost 7 (when the signing started!) for my roommate to come back so I could get my keys and unfortunately couldn’t get into the main room where Kelly was speaking. Thankfully, they had monitors on and speakers so that we could hear and see what the “Queen of Mean” had to say.

Kelly during Q&A

Instead of a reading, Kelly decided to have a Q&A, which was far more intelligible since we were all buying the book and going to read it anyways. The questions were mostly from people looking for jobs/internships with People’s Revolution, or with questions on how to break into the fashion industry. In addition, one of Cutrone’s current interns asked how she could move up in her job, which was a major eye roll for everyone, but Kelly graciously answered all the questions and provided the best advice she possibly could.

Kelly spoke about finding a mentor, reaching out for people and being “real,” a word she used several times. She told us “New York is like a tribe and most of the people who came here did not come with a silver spoon; they all started somewhere. You have to reach out to people, be real. Someone helped them once, so someone will help you.” She also spoke about being humble and remembering where you came from. She told us how she used to work at Big Boy, wore a donut in her hair (apparently it makes a chignon) and had to wear brown. (I can’t even imagine how dreadful that must have been!) To all the fashion-hungry fans who complained they couldn’t find work Cutrone said “get a job, be a bartender like every other kid in New York, don’t live off your parents money. I’ve seen lots of kids whose parents just cut them off like that and they come in crying ‘What am I gonna do?!’”

In addition, Cutrone provided advice about how to make yourself standout. A girl I stood with in line told Kelly she had applied for tons of jobs by email and wasn’t getting responses. Kelly told us to be proactive, “make a phone call, show up in person. You’re a human. You’re not a human in an email.” Unfortunately, this is something my own mother has told me for years, but since Kelly Cutrone said it, I think I’ll take the advice now.

In real-life, Kell’s not as mean as she plays on TV and now that the secret was out, she begged us to still watch new her show (my definition of the best depiction of what the fashion industry is really like) Kell on Earth (Monday, 10pm on Bravo). Kelly lovingly refers to her assistant Andrew as her “son” and as we’ve all seen on The City (MTV, not currently airing, a new season is being filmed) Whitney and Roxy often refer to Kelly as their “mother”. Believe it or not, I felt like Kelly was my “other mother” in that hour she talked and in the 5 minutes I spent with her. She was genuine, caring, helpful and actually listened to what you had to say. She even answered individual questions, dished advice and took time to talk with people as they came through the line to get their books signed, despite the Q&A being long over. The girl behind me in line was a model who hadn’t yet found work for NYFW (which starts next week, by the way) and told Kelly that she was looking for work. Kelly graciously explained that they don’t do casting, but told her to find Andrew and that they’d get her into a show! (Yeah, I’m jealous)

Kelly Cutrone and I chatting

When it came to my turn to talk to Kelly, I introduced myself and from my non-New York accent, she asked where I was from. I told her I had no questions and that I wasn’t coming to beg for an internship, but just to tell her that I loved her and that she was my idol. I got huge “aww”s out of her, her interns, and everyone else standing around. We chatted for a few minutes and talked about how Ava (her extremely intelligent and hilarious 7-year-old daughter) stole the show on last night’s episode of Kell on Earth with, “I don’t wanna dress up for the 3rd row! I wanna sit in the 1st row. It’s not fair!” Kelly then came around the table to take a picture with me, (Something she didn’t do for everyone, so I felt special!) hugged me, said it was nice to meet me and wished me good luck!

Sometimes the best advice is the advice you get from a stranger. (Even though, as I mentioned before, I felt like I’d known her forever, like she was my own mom!) And sometimes that stranger will reiterate things that your own mom has told you before.

So while, “don’t sublet from a 60 year-old Buddhist acupuncturist you found on Craigslist,” is very good advice, “Don’t live in a studio apartment that costs $1600 a month unless you make $50,000 a year. Be realistic,” is better advice, and is something that your own mom would tell you, but that you might not listen to.

While I probably won’t go into fashion these days, (but will always love it) I have discovered that I love PR work and Kelly will always be my idol. I also determined that while I work well with others, I quit my internship this week because I wanted to slap my boss every time she asked me to do something, which Kelly told us means we should own our own business and be the boss. Since I’ve had trouble finding an applicable internship, I should probably humble myself, and although I won’t work at a Big Boi, I may wait tables, or “be a bartender, like every other kid in New York.” In the meantime, I’ll help my friend with PR for his website Current Hip Hop, not only because I want him to be successful, but also because it’s good experience for me and I basically get to work for myself. I’ll also continue to keep up this blog, which is good writing experience and also allows me to be the boss.

Kelly wrote, "Dear Erika, WITCH WOMAN IN TOTAL CONTROL OF HERSELF! No 3rd row! Love, Kelly" (Meredith Bryan, who helped write the book signed on the side)

Who knows, I may even stop in with a resume at People’s Revolution. Since I respect her so, Kell’s the boss I would [maybe] think about slapping (probably how Roxy feels), but would know I could go to for anything.

In fact, I think the “Queen of Mean” and I could work well together and I still have a lot to learn.

xo, Erika

(P.S. I’ll never sit in the 3rd row, only the 1st and 2nd. I promise Kell!)

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