Week 2: The Workin' Girl, My Internship Begins!

The creature peered up at me with beady eyes before scurrying away into a corner. It had been days since he'd eaten, and nothing could deter him from digging his paws, and teeth, into the cheese that sat atop the kitchen counter. This furry beast has not taken over my apartment. And luckily so, as roommate Elsa and I would be too crippled with fear to return to a rodent-infested home. But I am spending most of my days with this little guy, and he may be one of my best friends in the city. His name his Henry, and this mouse is the hero of the children's book I am editing at work every day.

This summer I am working as an editorial intern at a literary agency. One of my main responsibilities is to work with authors in developing their stories from the initial manuscript to a complete book. Unfortunately, because the book is in the process of being published I can't share any details about my mouse-friend Henry, but as soon as it is in stores I will let you know. I can't wait for you to read it! Suffice it to say that Henry is about the cutest animal I've ever seen, and I hope that the kids who read the book will love him as much as I do. As I edit books I am having so much pitching plot twists, playing with poetic prose and creating characters that readers will root for. For once my obsession with the rules of grammar comes in handy, and I am thrilled to be feeling at home in the book publishing industry.

I am now on Day 17 of living in Manhattan, here are some pictures from my second full week in New York City:

A picture of me on my first day of work. This serves as an official confirmation that I am turning into my mother. My penchant for cheeseball first-day photo shoots was definitely inherited from Lynnie. Thanks Mom!

Proof that even workin' girls take lunch breaks. Out of all the office buildings in New York, my friend Michelle from USC just happens to be working in a cubicle across the street from my own near Madison Square Garden. To celebrate this luck, we got a taste of California fro-yo for lunch at Red Mango.

I feel so blessed that the wonderful Alexis Shaw, who is also an Annenberg student at USC, lives in New York because we have had so much fun exploring the city together! During the week we go on whirlwind lunch dates, and last Saturday she showed me around her beautiful hometown in Long Island. Here we are at the beach. I am so glad to have a good friend like Alexis to spend time with in the city this summer.

Even though we've been in the city for a few weeks, the tacky tourist streak will not die! But I am not ashamed, because it means we get to go on fun adventures like the Sex and the City tour! It was fabulous. We toured Manhattan in a charter bus (can I get an amen for air conditioning?) and gushed over landmarks from the series such as the New York Public Library, where Carrie and Big almost tied the knot. This means next-to-nothing to Logan, who I kept sending text messages in an excited flurry, but the girls and I had a great time feeling like celebrities and reliving some of our favorite TV moments. Here we are in front of Carrie Bradshaw's apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood on the West Side. The rent for this beautiful 3-story brownstone is about $11 million...per month! Oh Carrie, you definitely couldn't have managed this on your journalist's salary, but we enjoy the fantasy so we'll let it slide. I wonder if the current resident needs a roomie?

Thank you so much for reading, and keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I would love to read some of your comments, please let me know what you think about the blog! This weekend a special guest is coming to town and we're going to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! Every Thursday I will have a new blog post with stories and pictures so come back often to find out what happens! Thanks for reading.

With Love,

Kelsey "The Intern" Clark