Leap and the net will appear.

I'm leaving this city in less than a week. As a matter of fact, at this time next week, I'll be sitting around with my dad in San Antonio, probably doing laundry and petting the dogs and trying not to be too heartbroken. Today, some scary things happened that reminded me that New York City isn't perfect, and it's a little dangerous, but some other things happened that reminded me that when you take the leap, the net will appear. Tons happened this past week, and unfortunately, I can't go into super-detail with some of it, because I think it's supposed to be a little secretive. Still, I'll give you what I can.

The work week was great this week. I met up with Erica and talked about how she got to where she was, plus any advice she could give me for my own future. I'm going to stop by HR this week to make sure they have all of the paperwork they need to keep me on file for a possible position in the future, should one open up. I'm also planning on getting a l'il somethin' for Erica, because she has been the best boss I could possibly ever imagine. Working with her is stupendous, because she's super supportive and sweet, but she also has high expectations of us which pushes us to do our best. We had our last luncheon this week, at which we got tons of hilarious and fascinating stories about the stars behind the Rolling Stone covers.

Thursday was unreal. All I can disclose is this: Adam Lambert walked by me while I was sitting at my desk, and then another celeb was in the office because he was in town, and if you want to know more, you'll have to ask. Even then, I can only say so much until stuff from that interaction becomes public. I know, super cryptic and I am so sorry, but just know this - it was the best imaginable cap to this incredible summer at Rolling Stone. I've still got three final days, but I consider Thursday's events to be my send-off, and what a send-off it was.

I woke up at 1:45a.m. Friday morning to go with the roommate and her pal Pam to wait outside of the Today show for the second time - this time, it was for Jason Mraz. He performed beautifully, despite being a bit sick/losing his voice a little, and he was so generous and sweet to fans, signing autographs and taking pictures. Toca was still Toca, which made my heart happy, as he is the only one from the original clan to be with Mraz. For those who missed the show, the J-man performed "I'm Yours," a reggae'd-out "The Remedy," and "Make It Mine." Freakin' awesome. Then, I trudged home, slept for three hours, and headed back out to meet Caroline. We met up outside of the RS office, and then took the F train to Brooklyn. I love the trains to Brooklyn, because they take you above ground, which is always my favorite part. We hopped off at 7th Ave, and wandered around looking for a good-looking pizza place with seats. We found one, chowed down, and then wandered back up to Prospect Park. The neighborhood we were in was fantastic, really beautiful brownstones. Caroline guessed they were 12 million bucks, which is just PAINful. Still, gorgeous! Anywho, the park was beautiful and there were chairs set up for the "free" ($3 "donation" they pretty much guilt you into) Celebrate Brooklyn! show, and we ended up as close as we could possibly sit, in the smack-dab middle. Sitting on chairs felt SO nice, and then the music began. Jones Street Station was pretty OK; there were 5 guys who could each play their instruments very well, but they were a little too cutesy and the lyrics were a little airy. Then, the band we were kind of there for came on - Deer Tick. They were the same kind of folk rock/alt country band, but with much more grit and more life-stained lyrics, which is exactly what I wanted. They were fantastic, just brilliant, and the best part was that the lead singer proposed to his also-singer girlfriend when she joined him to sing a duet. SO. CUTE. I've never seen something like that before, and it was magical being a part of it. Then, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals came on, and Grace is amazing. She's like Duffy, if Duffy sang Jenny Lewis' tunes. She has this incredible voice that just booms out of her, but her music is much more Nanci Griffith-ish (instead of bluesy pop like Duffy's.)

Then today, I got up early so I could work out and then head to Greenwich to meet up with my pal Jason Soudah. It's always a complete treat to spend time with him, and we waxed poetic on life while we wandered around the city. We tried on numerous hats, and one fit me PERFECTLY and was SO begging for me to buy it, but I didn't have the cash on me and I am really having to pinch pennies here at the end, so I'll just have to wait until I get home and find something equally stupendous. I definitely feel like I'd like to start wearing a hat or something - just some kind of accessory, since I never wear anything but jeans and tees and stuff. The scary parts of today were these: apparently, a plane and helicopter collided over the Hudson, which is super sad and scary, and then when I was just about to walk into my building this evening, a block and a half away, two cars hit each other and I think possibly even hit a pedestrian (it's hard to say, but an hour later I walked past the collision on the way to the grocery store and got chills when I saw a baseball cap just lying in the street). It definitely reminded me to be aware of my surroundings.

I am definitely a bit exhausted from all of this activity, so tomorrow my plan is to sleep in, take it super slow in the morning (read/stretch out/watch TV/other relaxing things) and then, if I'm feeling up for it, go for a run, and then grab what will hopefully be my last batch of groceries. On the list: cereal, yogurt, bagels, spread. The first two are for breakfasts, the second two for lunch. I've tried to pack sandwiches, but I've just ended up hating the types of bread I've been buying. Hopefully the bagel idea will help me out with this. My brain is all kinds of scattered right now. I have loved this summer more than I can stress, and I will miss this place terribly. On the other hand, I'm incredibly excited to see where life will take me next. Will I move straight back here? Will I end up in a brand new city that I've never explored before? Will I travel around? Will I write for a big publication, or do everything at a start up? Will I work for a record label, or managing a band? Will I be in a band? Will my drum lessons lead to a crazy and incredible music career? The only things I can guarantee are, I will do something I love, I will spend as much time as possible with the people I adore, and I will be open to it all. "There is no 'someday,' life is now. This is it."