I made some type of investment this week. Not really the real grown up kind, but like a savings account that does more for you than a savings account. I did it through the grown-up company Vanguard which I thought was a vacuum cleaner company until I learned they are not as I was transferring one thousand dollars to them. One thousand dollars is their minimum investment amount which is what I chose and now I have a very real fear that I’ll never again see 4 digits in my bank account balance. I was really proud of that thousand dollars. “But what about your savings?” you ask? I don’t have any. THAT’S RIGHT. I DON’T HAVE ANY SAVINGS, OK!? OK!?? Well, I have my tax refund. Which I have vowed will be the beginning of my glorious savings. People (my age) are now saying things like “well, I’m considering going on that trip but I’d hate to dip into my savings” to which I respond by nodding with a neutral face. Did someone give out a packet about this in high school that I didn’t get? Or maybe I got it and ignored it and threw it away because sometimes I do that. But I would have followed directions if I had known. I wonder when those people found out they were supposed to do that…
So anyway, I decided to open some type of investment account. Through a long series of complicated events, my roommates and I got 2 months free rent on our apartment and I was worried I wouldn’t have the discipline to save that money which lead me to try and figure out how to do this investment account thing because I heard it’s harder to get your money out quickly. I would tell you if it’s a money market or a bond or stock or ETF or a Mutual Fund or an Annuity but I can’t because I have no idea which one it is. I just learned all those word when I saw them on the website. I picked Vanguard because my Mom told me to. I thought she was silly because she meant to tell me the name of a bank but instead told me the name of that Vacuum cleaner company, but it turns out she had the right name. There were only 4 options of things with a minimum of $1,000. The rest had a minimum of $3,000 and I don’t have $3,000 so that made the process a lot easier right there. 3 of the options were “Target Retirement” options and one was a “STAR Fund”. Now it seemed like I had only 2 choices. Retirement or STAR. Retirement feels like a long way away and Star was one of the few words I recognized on the Vanguard site and I like Stars so I picked it. And gave the stars $1,000 of my dollars. And put a gold star on my mirror in my bedroom to remind myself not to forget I have $1,000 somewhere. Out of sight, out of mind, you know. So there you have it. I have an investment (fund? Account)… something. I figure worst case, it will be a really great $1,000 financial lesson.
So if you’re in the same position, wishing you had savings to “try and not dip into” … let me know. I can’t give you advice, but I have 28 gold stars left on this sticker pad if you need one as a reminder. And then I will go out for drinks with you.
Keeping you posted-
-d
Friday, May 31, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday Reminder
My friend Brooke texted me these quotes this morning. Snippets of the conversation happening between two girls behind her at the airport:
“She is such a loser that even this picture of her kissing Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t make her cool.”
Jealous.
“You’ve met her roommate, right? She’s the worst. She’s just like so insecure that she can’t even carry on a conversation. But she was like really nice. Yeah, I mean SO nice…”
But she’s so nice.
“I can’t wait to get a cortado like they have in Spain. But aren’t we going to Miami? Yeah, I mean, they like have it in Miami too.”
Aren’t we going to Miami? No.
If you were one of these girls at Laguardia this morning, all I have to say to you is “No, ma’am.”
Just a reminder to keep your feet on the group, folks. Don’t be that girl.
Happy Friday :)
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Don't Look Down When You Get to the Top
My supervisor is on vacation this week ("Is that why you're blogging during work hours, Drew?") which means I'm a Lone Ranger for a while.
The first time Danielle (my supervisor) went on vacation, I was terrified. Granted, we were very busy at that time and we're only a two-member team, but I really didn' think I was going to make it. I came in early and stayed late every day and over-prepared for everything. A couple of times, questions came up with both clients and vendors that I had NO idea how to address. They would call and say things like:
"Could you do a week-over comparison on today's wrap and let me know if we should take out a two-by-seven on the Times for Friday?"
"Absolutely!"
"Do what you can to get a discount."
"You bet."
Then I would immediately Google Search "week-over", "wrap", "two-by-seven" and "how to get a discount with the New York Times." ASTOUNDINGLY, Google is not (yet) personal enough to tell me how to interact with clients (or build a relationship with the New York Times in an hour), so occasionally I would have to reach out to real humans who have been doing this longer than I. Sometimes I would get short, semi-helpful answers, and sometimes I would get answers like this:
"This is not what I do. I could help with this, but not today. Unless YOU want to handle Bring it On and Tyson post-openings for me."
(That's real. I copy/pasted.) I didn't know if I should be embarrassed or pissed. Yes I was mad, but I still didn't have an answer! Then I got an email from a woman on this same email chain saying “Ignore him. He’s obviously having a day. This is what we’ll do….” I almost cried I was so relieved. She ended up being my mentor for the week. She was patient, helpful and encouraging. It was a big huge deal in and of itself that she took the time to do that for me, but to give you the full picture I need to tell you a bit about her. She’s not another AE who’s been here a couple years longer. She’s currently the Editorial Director of our Interactive department. She and her husband owned a digital agency that is now a part of Serino/Coyne. Believe me, of all people, she had better things to do that week. But she never seemed exasperated or annoyed; she would just say “Don’t apologize, let’s figure this out” and then we would. To her, I’m sure it really was no big deal because that’s her nature. But to me it meant everything. It not only meant that I could get through that week on my own and actually do a GOOD JOB, but it also meant that there are people who have been at the top, in a Manhattan ad agency, and still remember what it felt like to be the little guy – and not only remember but CARE about the new little guy in the office. It matters. It's easy to forget that it matters, but Laurie didn't forget and I'm not going to either. I gained more confidence in that week than I had in the 3 months leading up to it - and Laurie was a big part of it.
It's been about 2 years now, and this week has been a heck of a lot smoother than that one was. Laurie just stopped by my desk, left a piece of chocolate and said "Remember how nervous you were when Danielle went on vacation for the first time?"
There are a hundred things a day that we do/say without thinking, but they matter to someone. When you're short with someone because someone else made you mad earlier, when you decide not to say "thank you" because you're in a rush, when you put someone else down (even subtly) to look a bit taller in front of co-workers... those things matter. And when they stack on top of one another, they start to matter a lot. Don't forget how that feels as you rise in the ranks. Acting like a big-shot won't take back those times someone made you feel like crap when you started. Be kind, be helpful, be understanding. The work will be better, and it will means something.
I'm going to do whatever it takes to remember. Let's all be a 'Laurie' when we grow up.
I'll keep ya posted,
- d
The first time Danielle (my supervisor) went on vacation, I was terrified. Granted, we were very busy at that time and we're only a two-member team, but I really didn' think I was going to make it. I came in early and stayed late every day and over-prepared for everything. A couple of times, questions came up with both clients and vendors that I had NO idea how to address. They would call and say things like:
"Could you do a week-over comparison on today's wrap and let me know if we should take out a two-by-seven on the Times for Friday?"
"Absolutely!"
"Do what you can to get a discount."
"You bet."
Then I would immediately Google Search "week-over", "wrap", "two-by-seven" and "how to get a discount with the New York Times." ASTOUNDINGLY, Google is not (yet) personal enough to tell me how to interact with clients (or build a relationship with the New York Times in an hour), so occasionally I would have to reach out to real humans who have been doing this longer than I. Sometimes I would get short, semi-helpful answers, and sometimes I would get answers like this:
"This is not what I do. I could help with this, but not today. Unless YOU want to handle Bring it On and Tyson post-openings for me."
(That's real. I copy/pasted.) I didn't know if I should be embarrassed or pissed. Yes I was mad, but I still didn't have an answer! Then I got an email from a woman on this same email chain saying “Ignore him. He’s obviously having a day. This is what we’ll do….” I almost cried I was so relieved. She ended up being my mentor for the week. She was patient, helpful and encouraging. It was a big huge deal in and of itself that she took the time to do that for me, but to give you the full picture I need to tell you a bit about her. She’s not another AE who’s been here a couple years longer. She’s currently the Editorial Director of our Interactive department. She and her husband owned a digital agency that is now a part of Serino/Coyne. Believe me, of all people, she had better things to do that week. But she never seemed exasperated or annoyed; she would just say “Don’t apologize, let’s figure this out” and then we would. To her, I’m sure it really was no big deal because that’s her nature. But to me it meant everything. It not only meant that I could get through that week on my own and actually do a GOOD JOB, but it also meant that there are people who have been at the top, in a Manhattan ad agency, and still remember what it felt like to be the little guy – and not only remember but CARE about the new little guy in the office. It matters. It's easy to forget that it matters, but Laurie didn't forget and I'm not going to either. I gained more confidence in that week than I had in the 3 months leading up to it - and Laurie was a big part of it.
It's been about 2 years now, and this week has been a heck of a lot smoother than that one was. Laurie just stopped by my desk, left a piece of chocolate and said "Remember how nervous you were when Danielle went on vacation for the first time?"
There are a hundred things a day that we do/say without thinking, but they matter to someone. When you're short with someone because someone else made you mad earlier, when you decide not to say "thank you" because you're in a rush, when you put someone else down (even subtly) to look a bit taller in front of co-workers... those things matter. And when they stack on top of one another, they start to matter a lot. Don't forget how that feels as you rise in the ranks. Acting like a big-shot won't take back those times someone made you feel like crap when you started. Be kind, be helpful, be understanding. The work will be better, and it will means something.
I'm going to do whatever it takes to remember. Let's all be a 'Laurie' when we grow up.
I'll keep ya posted,
- d
Monday, May 6, 2013
Think Pink
I’m trying to be the kind of girl who wears “pop of color lipstick”. It all started Friday when one of my co-workers was wearing this awesome red lipstick and said she was trying to be someone who wears red lipstick. So now I’m trying to be that person, too. I always tell my sister not to say she can’t “pull something off” because once you’re wearing it, you’re wearing it. There are just people who wear “that” and people who don’t, and if you are wearing it and not apologizing for it, you’re pulling it off. So I’m wearing pink lipstick today. Like – PINK, ya’ll. It’s 1986 and I just walked into an aerobics class pink. I’m not quite “believing it” yet, but step one is putting it on so I’m starting there. I do feel empowered though. Like, ‘that’s RIGHT you’ll hold that door for me – my lips are PINK! HOLD that door! PINK!’ So, we’ll see. Sometimes (most of the time) it's the little things, right?
In other news, my roommates and I moved apartments this weekend. It’s still a mess, but we’re getting settled and getting excited. Here’s a sneak peak. I’m most excited about this mirror above my bed because Gabe and I screwed it into the BRICK WALL like GANGSTAS! BOOP BOOP HOOP YEAH!
Also had a great conversation with a friend I haven’t talked to in a long time. She had some great thoughts on relationships, commitment, general “how the hell do we establish ourselves” –es. You know, same old J More on that later.
I’ll let you know if the pink lips are a success. Or if I get fired for resembling a hooker.
Keepin ya posted,
- d
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