this is the first time i've ever gotten to write something from bed. it's very luxurious. i'm lounging in my tiny new bedroom in brooklyn. i just finished a cup of tea and decided to write.

steve says that he's glad he recorded his first months of living in new york in great detail. i think diaryland is a good place for me to do this, because no one (honestly, no one ever) reads this diary. and yet somehow i like the idea of my thoughts being out there, ready to be read by people i don't know. i don't know.

the first two weeks have gone smoothly, though i've been back to my parents' place twice already. i'm going back again on wednesday for thanksgiving. after that i'd like to try to stay up here for awhile, but it's hard, because sales meetings keep dragging me back down. and when i'm not getting paid to work full-time, it seems like a waste.

today i hung pictures and paintings on the walls. i still have to make a big painting for the living room. that will have to happen before steve and i throw our "winter sucks" party in january. i'm excited to make new art, though.

as for being in new york, i got a haircut in manhattan yesterday. it cost a lot ($72 with tip) and the girl cut more off than i wanted her to, but it should grow out to something kind of cool, i think. it's very layered. if i had straight hair it would probably look pretty hot.

i've met a number of new people. l's friend k seems to be interested in me, but i'm just one of many women on his roster, so i'm not too worried about it.

cowboy and i are in the middle of deciding whether to stay together. i don't think we're quite prepared to decide what to do yet. maybe we have to see what happens with me in terms of my life here. i could see myself staying here for a few years, but cowboy will still be in school then. i don't know. it's unlikely that i'll be accepted to a graduate program to start next fall, but i should probably try.

i also have a job interview tomorrow, and the job wouldn't be bad, but living on the salary would still be tight, because i'll have to buy my own health insurance. egh. it's a contract position at columbia university. i think, nonetheless, that it would be a good opportunity. but i'm not going to get my hopes up too much.

socially, i didn't go out much last week. i want to wait until i have a reliable income. even then, though, i will still have to be cautious. i would like to have some kind of savings -- i'm 25 and should have a retirement account. yeah, we'll see. anyway, there are lots of people out there and i'm sure i'll meet some of them.

one lesson i've learned is not to be in bars alone. i went to one two weeks ago to wait for l to arrive, and three men semi-hit on me. one just told me i looked "very nice." one asked me if i was from scotland. and the third was pretty old and asked to sit with me. he was from iceland. we had a kind of awkward but not bad conversation. still...

anyway, my goals for the coming months are:

- find a job

- see if there are any opportunities for me in the local art scene

- make new friends

- generally do things i wouldn't normally do

yeah. i think being here will be a good thing.