Home is Where the Heart Is

And my heart, even after months away, is in NYC!

I'm back in my apartment this morning, and so ends my adventure and this blog.

I'd rate the overall experience at about a 70% success, so I'll give it a passing grade.  I have my book about the Hogan family firmly on its foundations and ready to put up the sheetrock. I've traveled to Maryland, Phoenix, North Carolina, and Africa.  I feel refreshed and ready to return to work.  I've pointed my career in a new, more suitable and exciting direction...even if I am not chosen for the BNYM position in training, I'll continue to look in this field.

I look around my apartment after having been here an hour, and it is home again.  So, when you're home is where your heart is, and you're as lucky as I am in my life, you really can go home again.

XO to readers who have followed and shared my adventure, and here's hoping we meet again soon.

Mary

The Embassy Suites

I love this city.  Anyone who knows me knows when I say that, I'm talking about New York.  I'm in the Embassy Suites downtown in Battery Park City near the World Financial Center.  As the name implies, the room is a suite that's probably bigger than my apartment.  The 5th floor walkway near my room faces the Hudson, and the activity outside is inspiring.  I've noticed this in past years...I am much more apt to exercise here because there are so many more people doing it.  In fairness to the Vineyard, it was just coming into its prime when I left, but there's something special about a walking city that makes you want to be part of it.  When I first moved to NYC 8 1/2 years ago, I wanted to get involved in the city.  I feel that again very strongly now.  It concerns me that I wasn't able to get involved with people on Martha's Vineyard, so we'll see.

There was a walk this morning on the Promenade along the Hudson for research on Liver disease.  I wonder if that's a way to get involved.  There are tons of walks in the city.  If I get involved in even 25% of them, I'd be walking all the time, and I'd be involved and meet people.  That's what I'm thinking of, anyway.

No More Waiting!

Well, I guess I didn't have to wait very long!  I now know when my next interview stage will take place (6/16), and tomorrow I go back to New York!

I rented a car today hoping to get as many last-minute photos as I could.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate (what else is new?!).  I didn't let the fact that it poured all day stop me from driving around and taking a few photos between the raindrops.  I finally get it.  On my last full day on the Vineyard, I understand why people think it's beautiful.  At this time of they year, it's gorgeous.  The rolling meadows and stone walls of West Tisbury and Chilmark remind me of Ireland.  The boats in Menemsha filled the harbor, and all the fresh seafood restaurants were open.  I'm glad I had today to say good-bye to the Island.

The Waiting Game

Garden Gate and Azaleas 

(taken with my cell phone on my walk into town this morning)

I don't have any news about my prospective new job since my phone interview with a manager in Texas last Friday.  The next step in the process was to have the "finalists" (apparently me and 2 others) meet in New York and then separately design and deliver a mock training session.  Though I have no idea what the parameters of design might be, I've done some general prep work.  I sent a thank you to the manager on Friday and a follow up to the HR rep on Monday, but nothing yet.  Now it's just a matter of waiting to hear.

It's June 4th and I leave the Vineyard on Monday, 6/8.  It's been rainy this morning, but I have hopes that it will clear.  I'm almost finished packing, and now I am waiting on my landlady to stop by and decide if she wants to buy any of the items I'm planning on donating to the local thrift shop.  It's all good stuff...I just don't want to mess with, or pay for, shipping it home.

Home!  What a strange word that is.  It will take a little getting used to being home, or will it?  No, I suspect the moment I walk in it will be home again.  After a very interesting 8 months away, back home in my little Upper West Side nest.  Excellent!

Oak Bluffs Cottages

Today was another pretty day.  Breezy and a little cool, but certainly beautiful by almost any standards.  I've finished sorting through those items I'll take back with me to New York, and those I'll either donate or sell here.

I'm trying to take photos of Martha's Vineyard now that it's so much prettier and stores are open. I took the #13 bus to Oak Bluffs to photograph the Methodist Camp cottages.

Back on 14th Street

One of the loneliest places to be is out of hearing range of something that has sound.  It must be hell to be deaf.

I was sitting out on my front lawn tonight for the first time this season.  It was 8:30 but still light enough to see.  Looking through my cottage window, I saw the television playing but couldn't hear the sound.  Immediately I was 15 and back in our front yard on 14th Street in Cottonwood.  We had an old telephone pole lying on the ground near the street, and when you sat there, you could see the drive-in.  Many, many nights I sat there and watched movies; watched the images flicker soundlessly on the screen.  So many of my schoolmates were actually inside the drive-in, laughing, loving, hearing from the speaker in the car window. Back then, I didn't feel I had the power to change things in my life.  Tonight, I stood up and walked inside leaving the lonely adirondack chair alone in the growing darkness.  I walked inside, to the light and sound, as any normal person would do.

So THIS is a Beach Community...

I've been living on Martha's Vineyard for 7 1/2 months, and today is the first day that it actually feels like a beach community.  There are tourists (some, but not lots), mopeds, power boats, sail boats, ice cream stores, and fudge.  What a transformation.  The weather is gorgeous for a change, and I spent several hours walking around Vineyard Haven photographing it.  I sat out on the dock near the Black Dog, and a guy sailing past waved to me.  Someone riding a bike past me on the way home said hello.  These are unusual events!  I suppose those who vacation on the Vineyard think everyone here is so friendly!  I'm pretty sure, though, that both people who spoke to me were visitors.  The black lab was doing his run back and forth on the beach in front of The Black Dog Tavern.  He must be the most photographed dog in New England!  You have to laugh at him, though, because he runs back and forth, then digs in the sand, then jumps in the water and starts digging there.  Now that's a creature who's happy to be alive.  :-)

My last day here will be 6/7...I leave on 6/8 unless I get a call for my next interview step with BNY Mellon.  If that comes before 6/8, I'll leave then.  My landlady is interested in buying some of the things I want to leave behind, so I think we'll be able to work something out.

On the Train to Providence

Impy relaxing at Aunt Glady's.

It's been two weeks since my last blog entry.  Ha!  That sounds like the beginning of a confession...forgive me, Readers, for I have sinned, it's been 2 weeks since my last blog entry.

Lots going on.  The most important things are related to my career.  1) I passed the CPLP exam - that stands for Certified Professional in Learning and Performance.  Before I get my certification, I must write a "white paper," the topic of which is yet to be determined.  I will get instructions in the next month regarding the requirements.  A white paper poses and argues a solution to a particular problem.  For instance, my white paper may be something like, "Getting Employees to Attend Training - If You Build it, They Will Come."   That's a silly title, but you get the idea. Anyway, once I submit my white paper and it's accepted, I get my certification.  2) I've completed the first round of interviews at The Bank of New York Mellon for a position I really want:  Senior Trainer.  I interview with the next level of management tomorrow afternoon.  The position is in New York, I would keep my seniority, benefits, and years towards retirement at BNYM (I've already been there 8 years).  I have a reasonably good feeling about yesterday's interviews, so we'll see how tomorrow goes.

I'm headed back to the Vineyard today via train, bus, and ferry.  As far as I know, I'll be there until the end of my time off (and the end of this blog) on June 8th.  On that morning, I take the train back to NYC and move back into my apartment.

All is well.  People I love are healthy.  I've spent the past 8 months on vacation.  I'm moving back to the city I love in less than 2 weeks.  I have a reasonably good prospect for a job that I will enjoy and in which I'll excel.  I'm sad, though.  Perhaps it's anxiety about a new workplace. Perhaps I'm sorry to be getting back into a routine for work.  Or perhaps happiness is something we seldom can grasp.  It seems to slip through our fingers like sand or sunbeams.

Learning and Development

I'm studying for my certification exam in training and development.  This material comes more easily to me than the project management did, but I still have no idea how I'll do in a week and a half.

It rained torrentially this morning but by noon things had dried up.  The sun isn't showing its face yet, but tomorrow should be brighter.

I went for lunch at the bagel shop today.  The old man and his son that I see walking around Vineyard Haven came in after me.  Thankfully I had my study papers I was working on, because when the son was helping his dad sit down, it reminded me so much of Dad.  I had a hard time keeping from bursting into tears.  I could use a hug from him right now.  Guess the emptiness never really goes away.

100 Articles

Today I published my 100th article.

Here are the latest:

How to Evaluate Employee Performance in 15 Easy Steps

How to Get Yourself Promoted

How to Get Free Pfizer Drugs through MAINTAIN

How to Replace Nutrients Lost During a Workout by Eating Cereal and Milk

eHow Updates

Laurie left the Island yesterday and my cottage seems really empty.  We had such a great time and laughed, as we always do, like we were still 16.

Since I haven't posted the eHow articles I've been writing for awhile, I'll catch up now.  I hope you enjoy reading!

New eHow Articles

How to Create a PDF File in Microsoft Publisher

How to Run a Dog Kennel

How to Start a Private College

How to Write Your Performance Appraisal

How to Take Digital Photographs of Graduation

How to Get in Shape for Summer

How to Vacation in Las Vegas - Cheap

How to Prevent Cervical Cancer

How to Recognize Melanoma and Help Prevent Skin Cancer

How to Write an Internship Letter to Get the Interview

How to Write a Great Career Objective for Resumes

How to Compare Health Insurance Rates

How to Vacation in Arizona

How to Throw a Big Party in a Small Space

How to Begin Investing in the Stock Market

How to Make Chiles Rellenos Casserole

How to Build Your First Campfire

How to Change Your Life for Good

Flowers in Maryland

Dogwood tree in Greg and Debbi's yard

Lilacs in Aunt Glady's backyard

The Peanut Farm

Silos on Rob's future Civil War Museum (formerly a peanut storage plant)

Rob's future Civil War Museum in Carson, VA

Billy's Confirmation

Billy Campbell ready for confirmation

Wilbur & Orville (aka Imp)

Wilbur (left) and Imp on Aunt Glady's bed

Wilbur hanging out on the breezeway

Justin's Turkey

Justin, Greg, and Billy with Justin's Turkey

Justin Campbell with 20 lb. turkey

Catch Up

Inside Currituck Lighthouse

Currituck Lighthouse

Can't believe it's been a full 3 weeks since I posted a blog entry.  I've been busy the entire time, but rather than write a lot, I'll post photos.

Good-bye to Corolla

We're staying on the beach in Corolla, which is the next town over from Duck, NC.  It has been an amazing week.  Of course, I've been wet twice fully clothed in the past two days, but who cares!!  Yesterday we went kayaking.  It was a glorious day, all sun and just a soothing breeze.  Good thing since I went straight into the water trying to get into the kayak!  But I'm more often hot than cold, so the next two hours of peaceful (and sometimes vigorous) rowing was really wonderful.  We leave the beach today, so I went down to lay out and listen to the waves crash and enjoy another sunny morning.  I watched carefully and thought I had the waves all worked out, but as I was lying on the sand, up came a particularly ambitious wave and I was soaked.  Again, who cares!  It is so beautiful.  The photos here tell the story.

New eHow Articles

How to Remove a Scratch from Leather

How to Hire a Temp for a Business Project

How to Land an Ultralight Aircraft

How to Make a Pie Chart with Microsoft Excel

Outer Banks

The beach here this morning was so gorgeous.  I took a 45-minute walk and, although it had rained last night and it rained throughout the day, it wasn't raining when I walked.  I admit, this is what I had in mind when I wanted to spend 9 months by the ocean.  Not the size of the house (8 bedrooms, 3 stories), but the location.  The huge picture windows look out across the dunes to the restless waves.

Tomorrow was supposed to be clearing, but now they're calling for more rain.  Rain isn't a problem when there are 15 people and 2 dogs in the house!

New eHow Articles

How to Use Digital Scrapbook Templates

How to Make a Wood Floor Cleaner

How to Carve Rock or Stone

How to Make Stamp Pad Ink

How to Write Employee Evaluations

How to Travel To and From Martha's Vineyard

How to Die a Happy Death

Now THIS is Spring!

Statue of Liberty and Battery Park City

Tulips in Herald Square

Today was an amazing 63 degrees and sunny.  It was breezy, but it felt so good to get outside, I didn't mind the wind at all.  I started the day with my 45 minute walk, going up Sixth Ave. from 35th St. into the bottom of Central Park.  That means I walked about 3 miles in that time, round trip.   Then a friend called and invited me to lunch downtown, so we talked, ate orange beef and pork fried rice, and walked by the harbor.  Tonight I've ordered Maryland ham barbeque from Virgil's...they'll deliver it to my hotel room.  I'm happy.

Tomorrow I'll take the train from Penn Station to DC.  I look forward to the next 4 weeks.

New eHow Articles

How to Make a Sliding Saw*

How to Write a Suspense Novel*

*requested by eHow editors

In the City I Love

My hotel is kitty-corner to Macy's

Monday night, I decided I needed to leave the Vineyard and spend a few days in New York before heading to DC.  So, right now, I'm sitting in bed watching CNN (no cable at cottage) and eating a Greek salad I got from around the corner.  (Did I mention I had 4 places from which to choose just by walking down the block!)

On the writing front, my eHow articles are earning about $1 a day (which is 10x what they were making last month, due mostly to the volume of articles I've written).  Textbroker is ok, but I put a lot of effort into writing the article for a minimal pay, with no residual benefits.

Wishing my friends a Happy Passover.

New eHow articles

How to File Papers for Selling a Gifted House*

How to Make Anniversary Invitations*

*requested by eHow editors

Latest Textbroker Articles

International Business - Product Life Cycle, 3 Main Reasons Countries Fight for Industrialization, Types of Tariffs   (I'm pretty sure this was someone's homework assignment!!)