Cry Me a River

Fuck, this post goes against everything I stand for. I don’t know where I am going to be in 10 years, or 5 years, or even next year. I DON’T WANT TO KNOW EITHER. I don’t want to think about life goals and accomplishments. My goal is to go with the flow, be spontaneous, and take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way and sounds interesting. Hence why I CURRENTLY HAVE SIX DIFFERENT JOBS/INTERNSHIPS while finishing this semester. Am I crazy? ABSOLUTELY. Do I love what I am doing? ABSOLUTELY. Do I have any idea where it will get me in 10 years? HELL NO.

One of my bosses that I have worked for on campus the last two years recently told me one of my best qualities is that I’m unpredictable and always on the go. She even said that she has no idea where I could possibly end up in just 5 years; something she can picture for just about all the students she interacts with. And she’s right! Cookie-cutter careers and lives don’t fit on me; I blaze my own trail!

I would love to go to a fortune teller or psychic to hear what they might say about my future and just laugh at the possibilities, but where’s the fun in actually knowing the future? That would take the adventure out of life. I can see myself having about 20 different jobs that diverge and converge in some general direction, forming the sort of career path that looks like this braided river system:

My Path ~ Braided River

I’ll probably be in some kind of sports/entertainment/events/management career in my early thirties, married at least once, chasing a couple of kids involved in a thousand activities like I always have been, and living in my sixth or seventh state or province (Canada would be nice). I’ll probably still be reffing hockey, seeing as that’s about the most consistent thing in my life thus far (going on seven years!) and still have an extremely short attention span and a love for country music and hatred for technology dependence.

Foggy River at Sunrise

Even though my future is about as clear as a river in the early
morning, I can tell you for sure what I won’t be doing in 10 years:

1. Rowing competitively

2. Regularly working 9-5

3. Living at home

4. Acting like I’m still in college

5. Doing anything creative

Imagination was never my strong suit. I learn the rules of the game and play them unconventionally well, but I’m not about to make up my own. I’ll find my own way to “success” and I’ll be happier than you. Guaranteed.

A day in my life (2023)

December 25, 2023.

3AM.

It is the early hours of Christmas morning. My alarm goes off – I know that I have to put the presents underneath the tree for the children. I turn to my husband and say in my cutest voice, “Honey, can you please do it? I will love you foreverrrrrr!” He grunts, gets out of bed, and starts bringing down the piles of presents. I turn over and quickly fall back asleep.

6AM.

“MOMMY, MOMMY!!,” my children scream as they burst into my bedroom, “WAKE UP IT’S CHRISTMAS!! SANTA WAS HERE!” My daughter is 6, and my son is 4.  I think to myself, “Wow, if only I still had that much energy. I can’t believe I am almost 32 years old.”

We are hosting my entire family at our new house in Charlotte, North Carolina. My husband was promoted a few years back, and we were finally able to buy our dream house. The one I had always imagined – red brick with black shutters. It has a large backyard for our two Labrador retrievers to run freely, and a giant swimming pool.

The pool is closed this time of year, of course. But even though it’s Christmas, there is no snow on the ground. I am starting to miss the snow. It always makes it feel a little more like Christmas when there is a blanket of white covering the yard.

The children run downstairs to find my parents already awake and sipping their coffee. Just like my mother had always done while I was growing up, I too have started the Christmas tradition of cooking a large Christmas breakfast for the family. My mom graciously helps me out. It is much easier to cook now then it was 10 years ago, considering my smart kitchen basically cooks the food for me. All we really need to do is press a couple of buttons indicating what we want, and in about 15 minutes, it is all ready.

Today, however, I was in the mood for some old-fashioned cooking. For the first time since my son was a baby I cooked from scratch! Aunt Jemima pancake mix, eggs, milk—mixed it all together and put it on the stove. My mom helped me flip the pancakes, since she has barely ever used her smart kitchen—the older generation is still stuck in their ways!!

Thank goodness for our housekeeper—we just got the new Nanny500! It is the first robot housekeeper on the market. Saves me so much hassle! I am just as lazy as I was back in college…

January 3, 2024.

8AM

Wow, I can’t believe it’s 2024! How time flies…back to work once again. I am the head exec of media relations for ESPNU. It is a sister network to ESPN dedicated to coverage of college athletics. Not only did I get a major pay raise when I switched to the company, but it is also headquartered in Charlotte (my dream town), which is one of the main reasons I took the job.

I pack my children their lunches, kiss my husband goodbye, and the three of us hop into my new Audi SUV. The great thing about this car is that it drives itself. I can’t believe that I actually used to have to pay attention when I was driving. Now I can catch up on work, sleep, or anything that I want really. Yep, the car handles the steering, gas, and brakes, with no input from the driver.

After a long day of work, I head on home to meet up with my personal trainer for a gym session over a new hologram interface system. It’s great! He can see me, and I can see him. It is exactly like being in the gym, except he can work with me from his house, and I can work out in the comfort of my own home. Life is so much easier now, I don’t know how it could ever get better than this!! Things really have changed since my college days.

Dear Diary 4.23.23

Dear diary,

In a few minutes my family will be at my apartment to visit!  It’s been a few months since I last visited them, and I’m excited to see them for the next couple of days.  I already went shopping and checked off all of things on my to do list before they arrived: buy groceries, clean my apartment, and buy a new dress.  Here’s what my day looked like.

First I started with the groceries.  I had to wait in the car for over an hour, but at least I had the television on so I wasn’t bored.  The air conditioning is blasting since it is so hot outside.   I remember I kept looking at my watch, afraid I wouldn’t finish in time.  I love my new watch; it’s the apple one that is almost clear so it looks like you are not wearing anything on your wrist at all.  I slid my finger over the “slide to unlock” bar and play some music.

My car doesn’t have a radio since they are essentially obsolete.  Everything I could need, the news and my music is all in my watch, so I can take it anywhere.  It’s okay that I didn’t pay attention to the road, since my car is completely automatic.  When I enter my final location in the GPS it drives me to my destination without me having to use the steering wheel.

Once I arrived at the grocery store, I found a parking spot in front.  The minute I opened my car door, I was hit with a wave of heat.  It’s April, but its already 102 degrees.  I walked quickly into the grocery store, hoping to escape this extreme weather.  Once inside, I went over the mental list of grocery items in my head.  All of the food in sight organic, so I am able to find healthy options quickly.  I chose the food I know my family will enjoy, and then I went over to the pill section.

Although they are small, the meals as pills are a great way to get the nutrients I need.  Even better, I don’t have to prepare them and I don’t have to worry about calories.  The pills release different flavors that are close to the taste of real food.  I also don’t have to worry about preparing my meals or accidentally adding the wrong ingredient.  I have a great meal instantly that I know my parents will enjoy.  I purchased a few variations and paid in the front of the store.

After I got my meals in pill form, I drove to the clothing store to buy a new dress.  I didn’t have to worry about trying the clothing on, because there is an assimilated mirror that will show me what I will look like in the outfit without changing.  I picked out a few things, and saw how they look on me in the “mirror.”  It’s not exact, but it’s pretty similar to how I would look in the clothing if I had actually tried it on.  I chose the ones I liked best and paid automatically at the front desk.  There is no one there to ring me up, but one swipe with my credit card on the little machine is all it takes to purchase my dresses.

Since all my errands are done, I am now home.  I unpacked the pills and put on one of my new dresses.  I already cleaned my apartment and set up a guest room for when they arrive.

I just heard the doorbell!  I’ll write later.

Aim Higher

Hmmm, where will I be in 10 years?  Gosh, that’s a scary question.  As of this moment ten years is equivalent to half of my lifetime, and A LOT has changed since I was 12.  I guess my hope would be that I am either living in NYC or LA, with a family, and a career in fashion merchandising.  The following is a response to the question: Who are you now in comparison to who you were when you graduated college?

~~~

It’s 6:30am and I have just been jolted from my peaceful slumber by the loud siren that is my alarm clock.  Groggily I turn it off, although I would like to throw it across the room.  What ever happened to the days of “Mom, just five more minutes…”.  I guess that’s what happens when you grow up.  I am now (and have been for the last ten years) a real, live grown-up.  Yes, I was “technically” a grown-up in college, but not really.  Missing class isn’t like missing a day at work and now I have to juggle all of my own responsibilities on top of the responsibilities of my family.  Don’t get me wrong, it has been an incredibly empowering experience; however, I was shaking in my boots when I first took the reins that May of 2013.

Looking back on my life during that period I would have to say that my most significant accomplishment has been the creation of my own boutique retail business.  I have always been interested in fashion and attended a master’s program for design and strategic management just out of college before venturing into the professional world on my own.  While those two years of school were definitely challenging the experiences that I gained by interning at Valentino and Chanel were invaluable.  Armed  with this knowledge I was able to get a buying assistant position for a small line of boutiques located in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London.  For those first couple of years, I, like most young professionals just starting out, did not have the most glamorous job.  Yes, I helped pick out clothing that was to be sold in the store, but I also mastered the art of ordering coffee and scheduling appointments.  Hey, everyone’s got to start somewhere right?

Although, after a five at this company I was promoted to head buyer.  This was an enormous accomplishment.  I now had people running my errands (who would’ve thought!) and I was actually able to focus on the more interesting and creative sides of the business.  This is exactly what I had always wanted, to be able to pick out clothes for a living.  However, my ambitious appetite was not yet satiated.  I still longed to do more.  Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs I had always been told that I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it.  When I was a young girl I dreamed of owning my own line of boutiques, just like the one I was working for.  Yes, I was basically doing the same thing types of tasks at my current job but the company wasn’t mine.  It had not been built on my vision.  I found myself feeling stifled and as though there was something missing from my life.  This is when I decided to take my seven years of experience and start my own retail business.

Today, we currently have two locations, one in my home city of NYC and one in Boston.  While both stores are still young they appear to be flourishing and I am hopeful about the future.  Within the next five years we hope to be able to open at least two more locations, one in Los Angeles and one abroad (hopefully Paris!).  This whole experience has been such a journey for me.  I feel so lucky to be able to pursue my passion at this level.

However, my career is not the only thing that has changed since graduation.  Four years ago I married the love of my life.  We currently live in downtown Manhattan with our two dogs, but hopefully we will begin expanding our family very soon.  Both he and I have very busy work lives at the moment, which makes it difficult to contemplate the possibility of adding more responsibility/craziness to our lives.  I also hope to move out of the city and into the suburbs.  Being raised in a small town myself I have always envisioned raising a family in the country.  Don’t get me wrong I LOVE New York, but I don’t think that it is the best environment to raise children.

Well, there you have it, my life current life in a brief blurb.  A lot has changed since I accepted my diploma on May 19, 2013, but at heart I am still the same girl that refuses to take no for an answer.

Photo Credit:

Future City Life

April 23^rd 2023

Today was an ordinary day for me. I woke up at 6 am after snoozing 5 alarms. Even though I am 30 years old, I am still not a morning person. My friends laugh at me for still using an old fashion alarm clock that runs on AA batteries. I like the simplicity of using an alarm clock even if it is outdated. Although I do use many of the new technological advances of this decade. When I roll out of bed, my feet are greeted by the feeling of the heated rug beneath them. Once of the best inventions in my opinion. My shower automatically turns on since I have the timer set at 6:10 am to the perfect temperature that I like it. After my shower, I go to my walk in closet and shuffle through my wardrobe using a digital screen on the wall. I finally settle on an outfit for work after a few minutes of shuffling. As I finish dolling myself up, my senses are filled with the smell of pancakes, eggs, and bacon coming from the downstairs. I walk downstairs to find my husband cooking breakfast and I think to myself thank god I married someone who can cook. The last time I tried to cook, I almost burned the kitchen down. I turn on the digital projection machine which basically is what people used to call a “television”, but now it is a digital screen on the wall above our stove. I browse through the channels while waiting for my breakfast to be finished. I flipped past all of the crap shows and eventually found a channel that had the Best of the 1999s program running. I started laughing to myself when I saw mp3 players, cds, and all of the outdated technology. DVDs and CDs are even outdated by six years now. All new music and movies get automatically downloaded to all of your devices after your pay for it.

After eating my delicious all organic breakfast, I drove to the train station so I am not late for work. I held up my train card and walked through an automatic security portal to make sure that I do not have anything dangerous in my possession. I take the high speed train because New York City passed a law a couple years ago that prohibited people to drive vehicles in the city.  The city was focusing on the problems of overpopulation and pollution that still plague the city. So many people flocked to the city over the past five years that the city need the room for new buildings. There are no more parking garages and the roads were constructed into small buildings. Now there are several high speed trains that run every five minutes from the suburbs into the city and make stops at every five blocks. People living in the city can only work or take a train to travel places. After New York City passed this law, people were either forced to sell their cars or have them stored outside of the city. Since I live on the outskirts of the city I only have the option to take the high speed train into the city. My husband luckily gets to drive his sporty car to work because he works outside of the city. Since these trains travel up to speeds of 200mph, I get to my stop in ten minutes. My work building is four blocks away, but thankfully it is a beautiful day out so I don’t mind walking. By eliminating cars in the city, people actually can smell the fresh air and hear themselves think. There is no more angry cab driver honking or the need to run across the street quickly before the light turns green. Crime rate has also decreased even though the population has majorly increased in NYC. Instead of dirty streets, there are small pathways for people to walk surrounded by green grass and water fountains. The city is so much cleaner and beautiful without cars and buses.

I arrive at my work, ESPN, where I work as a senior production manager in the NYC office. I just got the promotion a month ago so I still find myself working into the late hours of the night. I flash my employee badge as I walk through another automatic security portal. I ride the elevator up to the 78^th floor of the building. Skyscrapers are even bigger now that I feel like I am on the level of clouds as I look out of my office. I am terrified of heights so I was scared as I moved from the 10^th floor to the 78^th floor when I got my promotion. Work was long and tiresome as I had so many meetings that I did not have time for lunch. By 6pm, I come to the realization that I will actually be able to get home at a decent time. I take the high speed train back to my town. I am thankful for the auto pilot button in my car because I can sleep and not worry about getting into an accident. The car automatically sets the route back to my house and I can sleep after a very exhausting day.

Rounders: Living the Dream

I woke up in my sweet at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino after a night of hitting the Strip. By the way, did I mention I live in Las Vegas, well there you go. I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit hungover right now, but I was out on the town with my friends and my fiance last night. We recently just celebrated the engagement of one my close friends. Must have dropped nearly $10,000, which is absolutely nothing to me. You might ask what I do for a living then if I can wake up each morning not caring that I spent a $10,000 last night? Well, ever since I graduated college, I made it my life’s goal to one day become one of the greatest poker players on the face of this Earth. Without bragging, I accomplished that goal.

       

I currently sit at #4 in the world and #6 on the all-time World Series bracelets list with 7, behind the legends Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Daniel Negreanu. They called my quick rise to fame a miracle, I called it just playing my game. I was 24 when I left my family and  job in New Jersey. I had spent the first two years after college in investment banking, but I had spent my weekends sitting $100/$200 at the casinos in Atlantic City each weekend. After a year and half, I was making more income in poker than I was in investment banking. The day I told my father that I was leaving to go pursue a professional career in Las Vegas was one of the saddest and angriest conversations we ever had. When I paused the argument and showed him the brand new Mercedes I just bought for him, he realized what my true calling was.

      

I has spent the first year of my stay in Las Vegas playing the tables everyday with the likes of high-tier professionals like Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Antonio Esfandieri, Phil Laak, and Mike Matusow. I quickly learned that I could hang with these guys. I began my tournament career at the 2016 World Series of Poker Championship, cashing in at my first tournament appearance and coming in 25th place. I knew at that point that I would have a long career playing cards and doing what I love to do. That next year, I toured around the country playing in the WSOP Circuit. I won two bracelets early in that year alone, climbing the leader boards of Player of the Year. I was beginning to be recognized by some of the top professionals of the worlds.

It all changed though at the 2017 World Series of Poker Championship. At this point, my net worth was $2.7 million with 2 WSOP bracelets and a couple of World Poker tour final table appearances. I was determined to win it all this year. After days and days of grinding it out, I wound up back in the last 25. Making moves and bluff left and right, I found myself in the last ten, only one more gone and I was sitting in the November 9. Waking up with Aces, I immediately moved All-In, and was luckily called by someone with Kings. I had made it, I was a part of the November 9, but only one problem remained, I would have to face the all-time great and my idol Phil Ivey.

The months leading up to November, I had played and trained everyday. When I sat down at that table, Phil Ivey sat across from me and I starred him down. One by one players fell left and right and I sat with a chip stack of more money than I could ever bare. Eventually, I found myself heads up for the title, but against the Tiger Woods of Poker himself, Phil Ivey. IVEY! IVEY! IVEY! ran through the stands. The clear fan favorite with a 2 to 1 chip advantage. We had played heads up for nearly two hours, stacks going back and forth. It was the ultimate challenge and the hardest game that I ever played. I found myself as the chip leader at one point, up only a million chips, nearly identical stacks. I starred down at my cards and found myself holding Pocket 9’s, or two 9’s, a very strong handle when playing heads up. Ivey opens under the gun with a strong raise, but one that quickly raise back immediately. Ivey easily calls and we go to the flop.

2, 7, 4 rainbow; safe flop for my 9’s. Ivey bets and I raise. The crowd is silent. Staring at me and me staring at him, I hear him utter the words, “I’m all in.” I was stunned, did he have an over pair? Was he slow playing me from the start? I breathed easily and looked over at his face. A simple twitch of the eye on the face that is considered to be the best poker face on the planet. “Call!” I said. Ivey sighs and flips over his Ace King, completely stunned that I caught him on his bluff. With two cards coming and his two over cards, the game wasn’t over. Crowd cheering for Ivey. I wait in fear as my life was about to change by these two cards. I turn around to see my Dad, who I didn’t know was coming, was walking towards me. He put his arm around my shoulder and told me, “Win or lose, you bet the best in the world, and I’m proud of you son.” Turn card, Jack of clubs. Crowd goes crazy and I stand their unable to watch the table. And here’s the river…………

8 OF CLUBS! I had done it. I immediately hugged and my Dad and walked over to Phil Ivey. “Congrats kid, you were the toughest opponent that I have ever faced. I’ll see you down the road.” I had beaten the best player in the world, my idol, and took home the World Series of Poker title. I had won $9.4 million and my life has never been the same. Since that time, I have won a combined 9 World Series of Poker bracelets and 3 World Poker titles. I had earned the respect of my fellow professionals and became a household name in the poker world. I am truly living the dream and at 32, am on track to become the greatest player that has ever lived. Let’s see what the next 10 years has in store. Later