To Teach a Man (or Nik) to Fish

Jarrett asked me if I wanted to join him and the rest of the salmon seining crew of the Pamela Rae for the trip from Seattle to Alaska. While I had no idea what that would actually entail, I knew I wanted to go. As the date neared and no job prospects were imminent I reserved my flight from New York to Seattle. Figuring I'd be spending about a week with guys who wouldn't be showering or changing their clothes that often, I took the opportunity to pack light. So with my polkadot rain boots and a small back pack, I left for the west coast.

By June 4th Jarrett was driving me to Ballard where the boat was docked and being prepped for the season, and I met the rest of the crew: Tommy, Jen (yup, a female--pretty badass too), Magnus and Matt (the captain), and also hitching a ride for the fun of it was Matt's lawyer friend Donny. The crew was really great. They all had great senses of humor filled with sarcasm, ridicule, and dirty jokes--I fit right in. Other than some crudeness, they all defied fishermen stereotypes--including that they all hold college degrees. Well, not Magnus. He hasn't graduated from high school yet.

By the evening of the 6th, we were on our way to Alaska. We rode up with the Favorite, an older seining vessel captained by a friend of our crew, and it was a good thing we did as they needed some help on the four-day journey.

It was an awesome trip. We enjoyed some of the best weather and conditions that Matt could remember through the inside passage--I didn't reach for the dramamine once--and the scenery was beautiful. We cruised between the green peaks of islands dotting our path and watched as more of them became snowcapped the further north we went. Most of my time was spent hanging out in the top house laughing and talking with the crew while keeping an eye out for whales, seals, otters, and dolphins all of which we saw.

I helped with different tasks around the ship including driving, learned how to tie a few knots, and was generally educated about a world I'd never seen. I even felt like I was a part of it, but mainly as a mascot. The crew enjoyed having me around, so when they invited me to stay longer and watch them actually fish, I couldn't resist.

Everything happened so quickly on deck with the lines (ropes) and crew all doing different things. And while it seemed chaotic, it was obvious that all the moving parts were working together to haul in the quarter-mile-long net and its catch. I liked being on deck and a part of it whether I was pursing the net or just helping where I could.

I killed some salmon myself--I won't go into the details of how--but felt it was important to do to maintain my philosophy of eating what I personally would or could kill. And we coined the term wild-caught-itarian to describe my dietary habits.

Some dungeness crab fell out of our net, but we're not supposed to keep them, so I can't tell you we ate them or that they were delicious. We did keep and eat the smallest King salmon we caught, which was still a huge fish (13 lbs?) and shared some with the crew of the Favorite. That was probably the most expensive free meal I've ever had.

This crew impresses me daily. They seem able to fix anything, they perform very physical labor for hours and stop fishing at 11 because "that's when it starts to get dark," (Oh, Alaska) and wake up to start again by 3am, not that it's light then. It's a job that, no matter how many times someone explains it, you just won't fully absorb until you live it. To be around such hardworking people with so much expertise and skill is humbling and inspiring. For all their toughness, they spend most of their time joking and laughing. And as with most jobs, it's the people around you that make all the difference.

After seeing one haul dump over a thousand pounds of fish onto the deck and the next haul pour nothing but jellyfish and flounder, I can better understand why some fishermen hold to superstitions; searching for some explanation of or pattern to nature's unpredictability.

I'm happy that my being unemployed (or a "member of the leisure class" as the crew likes to call me) allowed me to accept Jarrett's invitation. And even though, the crew has invited me to stay longer, I think it's time to make my way back east and get my own job... One that lets me sleep normal hours and doesn't make my muscles ache.

Like a poster of a cat from a branch, I'm hangin' in there

I have been putting off the next post until it could be filled with good news.  But I figure it’s best to just keep you updated no matter what.  Bad news quick like a Band-aid: I did not get into NYU, and I still don’t have a job.

I think my application to NYU didn’t properly demonstrate my analytical abilities, so I’m currently studying for the GRE’s and plan to take an economics course this summer, both of which should help me if I choose to apply again.  I did, however, get into The New School’s program, and they even gave me a merit-based scholarship.  Unfortunately, the scholarship is not enough for me to be able to afford their program.  I have one more school deadline on May 15^th to the City University of New York (CUNY), which is not only an affordable program, but is one of the better ones in the nation.  [Fingers crossed]

In the meantime, I’m still applying to jobs and using my network to keep their eyes and ears open for me.  In fact I just interviewed this past week for a position that I think I’d be great at.  I’m also in touch with some temp agencies who can hopefully find me a position in the interim.  At the moment, I’m cooling my heels with my parents in Connecticut for the holidays and to seclude myself while I study for the exam.    

I still love being back in New York and with my friends.  I had a great birthday party and got to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while.  I’m very happy I made this decision and this move, and I want to stay here and make it work. 

Hopefully, I’ll be able to post again soon with good news.  If not, know that I’m hanging in there, and I’m still committed to making this happen.

So Far So Very Good

The reason Jarrett and I drove from Syracuse to New York on a day where everyone was worried about a huge, incoming winter storm was because I had a job interview on Wednesday at NYU for an administrative assistant position at the Middle Eastern Studies department.

I interviewed with them, and I think it went pretty well.  Also, I have a few other job prospects at NYU that look pretty strong.  More details to follow.

So phase 2 of my plan is looking good: "get job, preferably at school I've applied to."

And a quick recap of phase 1: "find a (temporary) place to live." I'm living with my friend in Queens, and I love it. I'm just a few blocks away from a plethora of restaurants, grocery stores, and at least three bagel shops. (If you've never had a New York bagel, you don't know the potential for bagel deliciousness.) I'm close to a laundromat, two subway lines (half an hour to NYU), the main thruway (for those who may drive in), and the airport bus stop. There's even a diner nearby that was supposedly "voted best diner in New York by Daily News." (I'll let you know how it is.)  So basically, I. Am. Set.

Phase 3: "get into a public policy grad program in the city" is still in the works. One application is complete (NYU), and I hope to find out in March if I got in. The New School and CUNY applications are almost done. Ideally, once I get a job at NYU, I'll get into their school and go there. However, if I don't get into their school but still get a job, then I'll go to CUNY, which is much more affordable than New School.

So far things are going very well for me here. Even though it's cold and snowy and I only have one moveable arm, I'm stoked about how things are turning out. Thank you all for your support during my move. I hope you'll come visit me!

The move keeps on moving

I figure enough has gone on since I’ve arrived on the East Coast to warrant another update so here goes.

I got to New York City on January 11th and by the 16th, I had left again. I met up with Jarrett at Newark Airport after he flew in from Hawaii, and we rented a car and head up to Connecticut so that I could pick up my winter clothes and such. While we were there, an ice storm made us lose power for a night. Luckily, Jarrett “saved my life” by lighting a fire so we were able to stay warm until the power came back on. We had a nice time in Durham and Middletown. We ate out a few times, went to the movies and played Super Nintendo--my usual CT routine.

From there, we went to go see Jarrett's friend in Springfield, MA on the way up to Syracuse to meet his family. We went to Sunday pancakes at his grandfather's place, bowling, four-wheeling, and hung out a lot with his two (and a half) year-old nephew Jake. Jake and Teldyn Skyped one day, which was fun.

We spent a few days inside because single-digit temperatures kept us in hibernation, so we were excited and eager for a Day O Fun of snowboarding and a Syracuse basketball game. Jarrett is a skier, but after considering my knee problems, we decided to both look goofy by attempting to snowboard. We got to the slopes, purchased lessons and didn't want to sit around doing nothing for two hours until the lesson started, so we decided to give the bunny hill a foolhardy shot. Unfortunately, that was when I fell, put my arm out to stop my fall and POP out came my shoulder--"severely dislocated." I asked Jarrett to put it back but since neither of us had experienced anything like that before, we ultimately opted for professional medical attention. His Mom who works as a nurse came with us to the ER. So after four hours and some intravenous drugs, my shoulder was back in place and immobilized, and I was insistent that we try to salvage our Day O Fun with the SU game. We ended up attending one of the worst games Jarrett remembers seeing. The best part of the day was grabbing drinks after the game at the Blue Tusk bar nearby where my friend recommended the bloody marys. It was pretty good. Not as good as Emalee's, but then again, nothing is.

I stayed in Syracuse for another week to see a specialist about my shoulder. In that time, Jarrett and I were able to meet up with my good friends Lee and Connie who I knew in Hawaii and have since moved to Kingston, Canada, an hour north of the US border. The four of us shared a great dinner and reminisced about Hawaii.

So I saw the specialist on Tuesday, and he said that everything seems fine, but since I tore some ligaments in my shoulder, I have to wear the immobilizing brace for the next two weeks until they heal. Then I’ll be in physical therapy for three more weeks, and I should be back at 100%!

So finally on Tuesday (2/1) after my doctor’s appointment, Jarrett and I started making our way back to the city. We stopped in PA to see his friends on the way.

For those of you keeping track, Jarrett and I have been to Hawaii, Oregon, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania together in the past four weeks. So when people ask me how I like living in the city, I can't really say I've done a whole lot of that, but from the time I've been there, I've definitely liked it.