The saga continues

My friend Rachel McCullough (daughter of my host parents) is away in Pennsylvania for a weeklong training session at that Quaker camp she spends all her summers at. She left on Monday, the day before my plane was scheduled to take off. On Monday morning I was running out the door to an interview at a literary agency, and Rachel was downstairs drinking coffee. "Will I see you again?" I said.

"I'm afraid not," Rachel said. We hugged goodbye. "Good luck in California," she said.

Boy, will she be surprised when she gets back. Not only did I not leave for California, but I also scored about 21393 interviews and an apartment on the Lower East Side while she was gone.

Just kidding... I've only gotten three interviews in addition to the apartment.

First, the apartment: I'm staying in the (huge, empty) apartment of a family friend who's in LA for the next two weeks or so. It's on Second Ave and 5th St, right by Yonah Schimmel's Knishery and the radical bookstore known as Bluestockings and the biggest Whole Foods in the USA. It's the perfect solution to the problem of staying in New York after I'd already checked out of the McCulloughs'. Cheryl and Gene have been kind enough to let me stay a few extra days, but I'm excited to move out, in no small part because the McCs are currently redoing the floors, and for the past few days I've been woken up by the violent sounds of nail guns and strangers banging around the house.

I am the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side!


Yeah, this is a big change in plans, I know. I didn't make the decision to stay in NY until about 24 hours before my plane was due to take off. Here's what happened:

My interview on Monday went so well that I was invited back for a second interview on Wednesday. Yet I was skeptical. I've been on a ton of interviews, good and bad, none of which have gotten me a job. So I was thinking, a 2nd interview is potentially great news, but it's no real reason to cancel my flight.

That's when I got calls from two other publishing houses inviting me in for interviews.

So I decided, that's it, I'm stayin!!!!!

Tune in next week as the serial of my life continues.