I'm not a huge shopper, but living in a town of 20,000--even one as cute as Ashland--really builds up my usually manageable shoe & purse urges. So after a night on the town, I got up to go shopping on 5th Avenue. I found cute items at H&M & Zara and then moved on to meet a friend for lunch at the MOMA cafe.
The friend I was meeting was someone I had worked with at A&E for several years. About a month after I left, she moved on also to a VP job in the legal dept of Lehman Brothers. It was so good to catch up and she looked relaxed and infinitely happier than the last time I'd seen her. There were at least 10 employees I know of who left A&E about the same time I did. It's a shame, really--they were all very smart people...most of whom took with them quite a bit of history. That's the kind of knowledge that can't be replaced, but hey, change is good, right?
This is Dina:
After lunch, I really really really had to get my hair done, so I went to my usual place, Miwa Alex on E. 22nd St. I really shouldn't have waited 5 months. Was I scared of getting my hair done in Oregon? Yes, I am a wimp.
I ended up working a little after all--the company that manages our paid keyword campaigns, 24/7 Media, is based in NYC, so I met the two key people on my account for a drink at the ever-stylish, art deco Flatiron Lounge. Chris and Konny admitted to me that the next day would be spent at a company bonding event in which they would have to perform in groups. Chris was performing FAME and Konny would be singing the Roy Orbison hit, "Crying." Whoever at their company came up with this is obviously sadistic and cruel. Since the show was going on though, I figured at least I should be able to partake in a picture of the momentous event. The person doing the lift below is Chris. He smartly chose an image that doesn't show his face, however, I have asked him to send me a replacement photo...
I don't want to live forever, but I did want to live long enough to get to dinner. I was meeting Agnes, a friend of mine who is in charge of HR at Court TV which was recently bought by Turner. She is honestly one of the nicest people I know. We gabbed for hours at dinner (the lovely Spanish restaurant El Cid in Chelsea) and closed down Bar K on W. 10th and Hudson St in the Village.
At that point, I felt like I was getting a second wind, so I called Mike and he came down to meet me. We went down the street to the jazz institution Smalls, a basement joint known for being an after-hours place for musicians after their regular gigs. It was in danger of closing a year or two ago, but thankfully, it's still around. In a true NYC moment, we were sitting at the bar listening to the band when I looked over and saw someone I thought I knew, so I whispered to Mike, "Hey, I think I know that guy." Then the band called the guy to the stage and shouted, "Look who's with us tonight?! Jazz legend Jon Hendricks! Come on up and sing a tune."
Now, Jon Hendricks looks amazing for his age and still has a great voice and style, but he is no spring chicken. So it was really inspiring to see him up there on stage, singing his heart out and having a wonderful time. And best of all, I felt like my life had come full circle.
When he was finished singing and the set was over, I went over to him and I said, "Jon, I'm sure you don't remember me, but I met you 12 years ago when I worked for Wynton at Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was my first real job. I was backstage at Blood on the Fields, typing up your last minute lyric changes!" Jon was so nice--he said. "Wow, that was 3 years of my life! It is so good to see you" (as if there was any way he could have remembered me). We chatted about his wife and living in Ohio (where we're both from) and then I got our picture taken. He gave me his card so I could email it to him. What are the odds of coming back to NYC for the first time and out of millions of people seeing someone I knew from my very first job? It was a really nice moment.
For those of you interested in trivia, Blood on the Fields was the first jazz composition to win a Pulitzer Prize and it won in the category usually reserved for classical music.
After all of that, I bet you can guess...I was hungry. So off we went to one of my favorite places in the city, Corner Bistro. I know it's dirty and dark and old, but I love it anyway and they have great fries at 3AM.
When we got back to the apartment, I of course deemed it time to take lots of pictures of ourselves just because we could. Herewith, a lovely photo of me and Jeff's friend, Mike, who really was such a great sport to put up with me.
