The rest is still unwritten.

I meant to write in this blog more, but I've failed once again. But since I'm home alone on a random Saturday in March, I figured why not go back to it? In December, I was in a Zoom meeting and someone who doesn't know me very well asked me, "What are you passionate about?" I said, "Broadway." Later in the call, he told me that when I said it, I didn't sound excited or like I had any feeling. Of course, I stayed true to myself and clapped back in the most respectful way possible, and apologized if that didn't show in my initial response. I've been lucky to have had a journalism career that has allowed me to turn passion into my job, even though it has bitten me in the ass (and left me to be unemployed) several times, whether it was my fault or not. As I drown in this constant confusion of having no idea what kind of career I want next or who to turn to for help, I've been trying to think about what got me to this point in the first place....

Dear Everyone, Words can't explain how difficult the last sixth months have been for me. While I'm grateful to be alive and healthy, being laid off from my most recent job at Dexerto in June has taken an emotional toll on me. Even though it wasn't my fault, it's been the third time in a row that I've been fired/let go/laid off from a full-time job. In addition to that, I was also let go from another temp job in 2018 after only being there for a month. I didn't expect this to hit me so hard, but it's more about the bigger picture than the actual situation. For five years, I built a journalism career all on my own and worked my ass off to do it, not knowing where it would lead me. I interviewed Broadway stars, Bachelor stars, and wrote more reality TV articles than I can count. Getting laid off from my job confirmed the not-so-harsh reality that a journalism career isn't stable. The constant plagiarism, quantity prioritizing quality, cutting employees, and...

I'm back at it again! I know I owed anyone who actually reads this blog an update but I've been too exhausted to write. If you can believe it, I've been at my new job for three months now. I passed my first review and it went well! For some reason, because of everything I've gone through I'm unable to accept a compliment, but I'm glad that the people I work with actually seem to appreciate me. I also got a nice personal message for International Women's Day that was written for each of the female employees, which was really thoughtful! I'm grateful to be at a job that I'm not miserable at. But like any job, there are things that annoy me about it. The people here are chill. Like, way too chill... the opposite from my other job. Sometimes it takes awhile for them to answer messages and I try not to let it annoy me, but it does. Also, I got mad at my mom before I started the job for telling me that I might get upset because I'll be going from an ed...

About two months ago, I was let go from my Editor job three days before my birthday. Things were going downhill there, and I hit my breaking point. I was both shocked and not shocked at the same time. Even though I hated the job, I felt devastated, defeated, and lost. A little before that happened, I had hit a really low point and decided to finally sign up for therapy. I made the appointment right before I lost my job (which happened to be scheduled for the day after my birthday) not knowing what would happen. When I finally lost my job, the timing couldn't have been better. I was finally able to work through the trauma I was carrying from my negative experiences at different jobs. I'm grateful to have found such a great therapist who is supportive and not judgmental. After I left my job, I once again questioned my career path. Unfortunately, being unemployed is a road I know well. I thought this time would be easier because I had gone through it before, but for some reason it...

  August 18, 2023 was the day I had been waiting for not just for three weeks, but basically since I was a teenager. I bought a ticket to meet Idina Menzel at a CD signing in at Barnes & Noble in NYC for her new album, Drama Queen. I've been a fan of Idina since I saw her in Wicked at 11 years old, and always dreamed of meeting her someday. I actually met her two other times before at the stagedoor for If/Then and Skintight, but never really talked to her because I mentally blacked out. Also, both times I waited at the stagedoor, she wasn't allowed to take photos with fans (even though I'm grateful that she came out at all!) So back to two days ago... I didn't sleep the night before (shocker) and I was EXTREMELY nervous. I felt like I had already fucked up before by not talking to Idina the other two times I met her, and was also sad about not getting a photo. I didn't want to ruin my opportunity this time because I would never forgive myself. It helped that I ...

Once again, I apologize for abandoning this blog. I recently started reading the book  A Hundred Other Girls  and it inspired me to write again. (BUY IT!) I owe it to whoever reads this to give a brief life update. In April, my sister got engaged in Paris. Traveling is one of the top things that gives me serious anxiety, so I was nervous to go. I've never been to Europe, and I'm only used to going on cruises and stuff. I haven't really been abroad since I went to Israel in 2013. I also had to use PTO that I literally COULDN'T afford. But I went, and I ended up having a great time, even if it was difficult first. And it was priceless to see my sister's reaction when my family surprised her because she had no idea we were coming. I'm not going to explain the details of the whole trip (maybe I'll save that for another entry if anyone cares), but it was one to remember for sure. It's weird that my sister is engaged because it still seems like we're kids....

Hello again! I've been trying to keep up with this blog, but I've been so busy lately. Since I've been so behind on updates, I figured I'd recap the second half of 2022. July 2022: My Freelance Job At A Newspaper Later in July (shortly after BroadwayCon), I applied for a job at a company that owns "local" newspapers in South Jersey (but not local to me). Even though I originally applied to be a full-time reporter, the Managing Editor basically handed me a freelance position and I couldn't say no. I was kind of desperate at this point and the pay was decent. I'm not gonna lie, this job gave me a little bit of anxiety. I had to call/email people for a story not knowing if they'll respond, and it was stressful. Luckily, the Managing Editor was really nice and I talked to some really genuine people. In the past, I only worked for a newspaper doing legal ads, and it felt really good to be a reporter this time. Sometimes, the stress was worth it. I cover...

I know it's been awhile, but I haven't had the chance to write in this blog so I'm sorry for that. I do feel like I owe everyone (and myself) a BroadwayCon 2022 recap post so here it is! I went to BroadwayCon two weeks ago on July 9th and have been meaning to write an update about the experience, so better late than never, right? The funny thing is, I wasn't even planning to attend BroadwayCon this year until less than a month before. I saw them promoting the convention a lot on social media and convincing people to buy tickets. The journalist in me thought, "Wow, they must need press!" So of course, I went ahead and googled how to apply for a press pass, and submitted an application. Shortly after, their PR company emailed me a press release anyway encouraging me to apply, but I had already done so. I got approved a few weeks later, and was honestly shocked. I did get in trouble for not asking the higher-ups at BroadwayWorld for permission first, but oh well....

Hello, I'm back again! I realized that my last post was a little too negative, and I'm sorry about that. I'm happy to report that this one will be positive. There are so many things to share, and I'm glad that a lot of good things have happened to me recently. I have so much to say, that I decided to section everything off into its own headline so it's easier to organize my thoughts! Broadway at the Barn: Caissie Levy - Shoutout and Meet & Greet Last month, I saw the incredible  Caissie Levy in concert at Holmdel Theatre Company. I saw her on Broadway in Frozen and Caroline or Change, and have never seen her in concert before. I decided to bring my mom last minute, and she actually enjoyed the concert. She even got to meet Colleen for the first time. Caissie is so beautiful and talented, and sang so many amazing songs! Before the show, Colleen always makes a speech before the performer comes out. This time, Colleen gave ME a shoutout because I interviewed her wh...

I'm so horrible at updating this thing but I am BACK!! A LOT has happened since I last wrote in here. First of all, I went on a cruise for the holidays and it was AMAZING. I had the best time and it was so nice to be able to get away. Cruising is a little different now with COVID, but it didn't ruin our trip. However, I did end up getting COVID and it was most likely from the cruise ship. Luckily, I wasn't feeling sick while I was on the cruise and my symptoms started once I got home. The majority of the time that I had COVID I didn't even know it. I tested positive two weeks after I was already sick. (yes, I cried when I found out because this virus sucks!!) My family was sick too, but I was the only one who got a confirmed positive test. My sister originally tested negative (she probably got tested too early), and no one else was tested after the cruise. I'm grateful to have been vaccinated with a booster. Having COVID was bad but not as bad as it could have been....

A year ago, I was fired from my job. I try not to dwell on it, and now it feels like a distant memory. I'm still unemployed. I kind of expected to be because I've been unemployed for long periods of time before. I spent this last year trying to build myself back up. I'm not a completely different person and I've denied therapy when I know I probably need it, but I can definitely say I've changed my outlook on life. Before this all happened, I used to define my life based on a job. But a job isn't your life. It's a  part  of your life that becomes a way to make money. I still believe that it's important to at least like your job a little bit, even if it's not your "dream job." When I was really struggling at my job, my parents told me not to quit or get myself fired because I would lose everything. A solid income, insurance, and a 401K plan would be ripped away from me. They would threaten me not to do it because they thought I would regret ...

I apologize this is a sort of REALLY late birthday post! Even though I'm partially unemployed, I've still been too busy to write. Usually I freak out over my bday every year, but this year wasn't so bad! I've learned to not put so much pressure on the whole day being "perfect" and I'll actually enjoy myself. Next year is the BIG 3-0 *CRINGE* so I may have to panic about that one. The day was pretty simple. I went to the mall with my mom, opened presents, and went out to dinner with my family later in the day. I got a lot of nice gifts - Dorinda's book, clothes, a carry on bag for traveling, candy, and other stuff too. I always say that I hate attention but I have to admit, when I do get some it feels nice, haha! I've also been fortunate to go to a few more live events lately. I went to NYC at the end of August for the first time since the pandemic! It felt REALLY NICE. I really did miss NYC, even if I didn't want to admit it! I was waiting for ...

  It's been a minute since I've written on this blog! I meant to write but I've been surprisingly BUSY and writing a lot. There have been a lot of life updates since the last blog entry so it's only fair if I recap for anyone who reads this! About a month ago, I was definitely at somewhat of a crossroads with a few opportunities floating around unsure how things would turn out. Like I always say "everything happens as it's supposed to." Well, it did. I had two video interviews for an Assistant Editor position at a theater app/website called TodayTix. The first day was an interview with HR, the next day I interviewed with the person who would be my boss. I thought they both went well, and the potential boss even answered my thank you note, which no one ever does. Since then, I was ghosted. So I guess they didn't want to give me the job? Oh well. It's still annoying how employers do that without any answers, but my take on it is that it wasn't m...

HEY, IT'S ME. I'VE MISSED YOU. (IF/THEN PUN SORT OF INTENDED?) On a serious note, it's been a crazy time as always. I sadly lost a family friend unexpectedly, so that was really hard (and still very difficult) to process. I won't get into details, but it made me realize that life is so short. I'm not going to do anything that doesn't make me happy because it's not worth it. As always, things are still moving along with BroadwayWorld but around the same time as my family friend's death, I kind of hit a wall with it. I was doing three interview articles one after the other (really one per month, but they still felt close to each other) and was getting a little annoyed. I had never done the same type of article in a row like that. I have done reviews, but those are more creatively flexible where an interview is just a Q&A, so it can feel redundant if you're not familiar with the artist you're writing about. I thought to myself, "Is my conte...

  Well.. I'm back again, pouring my feelings into this blog. Life has been interesting. I don't really have a word for it. Being the only unemployed "kid" in the house with my parents is kind of strange. I almost feel the urge to want to work again because it's sort of like being an only child which is kind of boring. To keep myself in check, I think about last year at this time when everyone else wasn't working and I was, and they got to enjoy the pool, beach, shopping, etc. Now I get to do that so I'll appreciate the time while I have it. Of course, all roads lead back to BroadwayWorld because I did something BIG. I got an opportunity to interview Broadway star and original cast member of RENT, Adam Pascal. [ INTERVIEW LINK HERE! ]  I'll be seeing him in concert in July. The interview was pretty amazing. I'm not gonna lie. It helped that I saw him in concert with Anthony Rapp and met him back in 2016 because I was familiar with his personality be...

  WOW, it's been awhile but life has been anything but boring! I am coming to you for the first time LIVE from my new laptop! I've had it for a month and it was about time to get a new one. My old one has been with me since I started college in 2011 and it was on its last leg. I also wrote another article interviewing a Broadway actor whose concert I'm seeing tonight. I can't wait! A few weeks ago, I went on my first family vacation during a pandemic to Florida. It was actually fun and so nice to get away! Traveling during a pandemic is interesting. It wasn't as bad as I expected but at least I kind of forgot there was a pandemic when I got there which could be good or bad? I'm glad my sister was able to have one of the best birthdays ever after last year's was in quarantine. She deserved it. We did a lot of fun things (safely, of course!), ate at a few great restaurants, shopped, went to the beach, and even took a boat tour. I was sad to leave but at least...

I haven't written in awhile. It's been an interesting month. I FINALLY have some decent news! No, I didn't get a job. But I am double vaccinated which means I will be traveling to Florida with my family for my sister's birthday in April. We celebrated her 30th birthday last year when literally EVERYTHING was shut down, so she really deserves this. It's been a hard year and we all need to go somewhere to relax and "attempt" to forget about everything going on (while still being safe of course!). I am a little nervous to be traveling during a pandemic. Traveling makes me nervous on a regular basis so it will definitely be interesting. Speaking last year, I can't believe we're almost a year into this pandemic. It's crazy to think about, but at least my whole family has the vaccine now which gives us some kind of hope. Job update: I did have an "interview" for an Ad Sales position at a TV network that I watch almost on a daily basis. I...