Central Park Conservatory

WOW! I know these pictures are beautiful, but you all should've been there! I had an amazing time. The day was beautiful!

I just thought I'd share my experiences and photos!

I think I was a fish in another life or a mermaid...a mermaid would be better, otherwise I would have a fish-face and that's not pretty. Everytime I am by water I feel more at home, I am calmer, and just want to write and paint. It is a feeling of familiarity.

LOVE IT

someday I hope to retire on the Oregon Coast with my Jason and whatever pets we own. I want to have a room that's all white where I can write, paint, and do whatever my little heart desires.

Of course, we will have some sort of recreational thing around there for Jason:)

Anyways, NY is beautiful.

NYC Subway music and yearning for rain boots...

Well, first let me say that this blog, again, was initially set up to follow my TODAY SHOW happenings, but due to my uncertainties about what is okay to write and what is not, I have made this more into a NYC blog of my adventures around the city...with a little "salt and pepper" of the TODAY SHOW when I know that it is okay to write about it.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO onto the city of everything:

I find that instead of being compelled to give to bums on the street or in the subway, I have found many talented/interesting musicians in the subways- especially high-transfer subways like 59th and 42nd...even 34th. LOVE IT! Last night while out with Lindsay, a fellow intern, we came across an amazing blues band. These guys were not messing around! They had a whole set up with drums, guitars, amps and a harmonica...and by the time I left, I had not only placed $1.00 in the open guitar case, but was "feeling the blues" in the best way possible.

On numerous other occasions, I have stopped to enjoy musicians in the subway...now this is a big deal, because the city is hustle and bustle...it doesn't stop and in the bigger subways when you are racing to catch the next train and trying to weave through the crowds, to be stopped by anything is a big deal.

The music takes me out of my trance...a couple weeks ago there were 2 musicians dressed up in Elmo and Cookie Monster outfits playing the guitar and chello....no joke.

On Monday there was a girl with her guitar in the subway singing blue grass and her voice was so unusual that it was good...it cracked and she had a hard time holding a note, but it was really good :) While she was playing a rat came running up and people stared gasping and a few screams let out...I'm just glad I saw the rat so I knew what the commotion was about. I, of course, moved quickly out of the way and jumped on top of a seating area, and immediately thought of my mom. I haven't told her this story and do not plan on it until after her visit to take me home, so that she will not be staring at the ground in the subway looking for them. (I'm sure my dad and rest of the family can see this happening).

Today it is raining...again. I took my rain boots home this last visit because I thought it would be good to start taking things home. BAD IDEA no WORST IDEA EVER. It is raining and it is the sticky rain that makes sloshy puddles and before you know it you are ankle deep in them which is awful because you are blocks from your house and you can't go back because you haven't gotten to the store yet to buy those groceries or soap you really need. So as you continue walking with the squishy sound of your sock rubbing up and releasing water into your shoe (which does not go anywhere, but lingers) you can only think about those beautiful rain boots...missing them. BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS KEPT YOU DRY.

I am lucky enough to be by the river though...it is really amazing, because the rain makes it smell so good. SO GOOD.

If you go down further into Times Square the rain does not make anything smell good, but worse. It's like all of the smells from the food carts and subway now are stuck to the ground by the rain and instead of floating smells...you now have heavy, sticky smells. LOL it's bad.

I am in NY at the best time of year, the trees are blooming and it is not hot enough to make the subways smell and people sweat because there is no ventilation down there...can you imagine? I have heard from my roommates that summer is fun, but the subways are awful because people are sweaty and smashed into the train cars and you are stuck up against not only smelly people, but sweaty, smelly people...ahhhhhh.

I would really love to see my DAD on one of those cars...it would be like his worst nightmare, besides breaking a hand or something that would stop him from playing the guitar...except at that point he would learn to play with his feet or teeth or something...I'm not sure that anything would ever stop him :)

SO ANYWAYS, NY in the Spring is amazing. AMAZING. The trees are starting to turn pink, purple and white and the grass is getting green and the weather is perfect for walking everywhere. It's like the city is coming alive and I am falling in love with it more and more with each passing day.

My first MOS with TODAY

OK- today was officially one of the coolest days at TODAY for me as a journalist! I had my first MOS (Man on street) shoot. I had a camera man (who is also a producer and amazing) come along as I stopped people on the street and asked them questions for a spot airing this Friday from 10-11 on the Kathie Lee and Hoda show! I'm pretty stoked! I got to say, "Hi, I'm Kim and I'm with the Today Show, do you have a few mintues to answer a couple of questions about..."
It was AWESOME!!!!!
I was out in the field, around 30 Rock and security came up and asked, "Are you with NBC?" and I said, "Why yes, I am. I am with the Today Show, here's my badge."

It was so official.

Very cool day.
I also worked with the PMs (Production Managers) who really are all stars!

Jason's birthday was today. He's 26.
I'm bummed I missed his birthday, I never have before. That was a bummer, but I will be there for his party this Saturday (which I am throwing!)
HOLLA!

zzzz zzzz

Today I met Martina McBride and Reese Witherspoon as they were both in our studio today. Amazing women. I am co-producing a piece with one of my favorite people at the show and am very excited about that. I have been so busy, I can hardly remember anything outside of work lately.

Things are amazing here in the city. A lot of great weather has been coming, but then it goes. (But I know it will come back)
I'm pretty overwhelmed with everything that is going on. I am doing a lot of writing on my own time. I intended for this blog to go on and on about my experiences here, but unfortunantely, I have to be so careful as to not violate any policies at the Today Show that I just can't say a whole lot. But, for those of you who read this, I have something that I have worked on on the show every day. Seriously. Whether it's research, screening, coordinating, shooting or anything else, I have left my fingerprint on a lot of things.
This is such a cool experience, but man I am tired at the end of the day.
I'm hooked on caffeine.
There I said it.
I'm hooked.

groceries bags, bathrooms, and my bedroom window

All 3 inconvieniences.
First- grocery bags- a luxury item we all take for granted. I have purchased reusable cloth ones that have NY on them (touristy- maybe, but it's all they had).
Problem #1: I cannot carry these with me all the time and never really know when I will have a sec. to stop by the store, thus my problem is that I never have them, but had really good intentions when I bought them.

Problem #2: Whether these little grocery bags are reusable or not, the grocery store is 6 blocks from my house. Now this is very far when you have groceries to carry--or when you are stupid enough to think that you can carry it all, because it's not that far, but then your shoulders hurt so bad by the time you get home and you are dripping with sweat that this activity has now taken place of you going to the gym.

Second- DAMN YOU BATHROOMS! OK, now this is the worst! Imagine if you will that you are out exploring the town with your friends, enjoying the fresh air and you decide (due to the constant wind) that a cup of hot chocolate would be so fabulous- you just have to have one...
2 pumps cocoa
1 pump white mocha please!

TO GO!

What a fabulous day it is. Ah, the window shopping, the amazing rush of the city...
AND THEN IT HITS.

The bladder is screaming and all of the feelings come to a halt, you must find a bathroom. It's as if the entire world has come to halt and you now have tunnel vision...must find toilet.
Of course, no place around here let's you use the bathroom. NO ONE.

You cannot enjoy the chit chat with your friends, you cannot enjoy the rest of your 2 pump cocoa, 1 pump white mocha- YOU NEED A BATHROOM! It has gone straight through you.
MAN DOWN!
oh wait

GIRL DOWN!

Seriously, help a girl out. Help a guy out. This is ridiculous. I am not a scruffy looking person. I am a good citizen, I pick up trash, I recycle, I try to do good deeds: all I ask is for a BATHROOM! A public restroom, not one that I have to pay $14.95 for to purchase my way in by buying one of your ridiculous items off the shelf. Is this how you are making your money?

THIRD:
My bedroom window is odd. It is bigger than me and opens from the top AND the bottom. I couldn't reach the top before and there is a fire escape out my window.

Problem #1: Opening the window from the bottom at night, when it is dark is hazardous for a couple reasons. The most obvious leading into problem #2: The fire escape goes to the ground, which means someone could climb up it and into my window.
The top is hard to reach, because as I said the window is taller than me, so for me to reach it I must become a gymnast or a balancing act...both really.
It's a pretty picture for those across in the other building who can easily see me due to the fact that I do not have a cover for my window.

That's right, I get changed in the corner of my bedroom, where no one can see.

I am not complaining...I promise.
I have a great place to live and great roommates. AND an internship and the Today Show...but hey.
A girl needs her shoulders back, a bathroom, and a cold room to sleep in every now and then.

Taking a breath

TODAY- what an amazing and inspiring day I had! First things first, I am at my new place on 92d and Riverside, so I had to take a different subway this morning to get to work, which requires me to transfer. Before I took the B at 81st and CPW all the way to 30 Rock. Now I have to get on the 1 (which is the express line) which doesn’t run to 30 Rock, so I have to transfer at 59th Columbus Circle and transfer to the B or the D to get down to Rockefeller Center. So my commute is about 7 minutes longer on average. It is snowing here, so much that there are actual drifts on the sidewalk. Now a girl from Boise would definitely have boots for such an occasion to make sure and trudge across like a pro. THIS girl had no boots, but flats, that also had no traction, so I slide my way to the subway and by the time I set foot on dry pavement underground I was leaking water onto it with my soaking wet socks and pants. It was a sight- this was another case to show that I really was not from New York, everyone here has boots for such an event.
By the time I got to 30 Rock, I knew I was in for a busy day. I immediately started prepping questions for our sit down with Matt Lauer tomorrow. He has done so many amazing things with his career and this is my chance to pick his brain, what an amazing opportunity! I spent a lot of time making sure I had very concise, open-ended questions. Next, I was actually conducting an interview today with my favorite producer for the article we have the choice of writing as a part of our internship. I wanted to make sure to emulate the amazing presence she has and how she is just so inspiring, so I had to make sure I structured my interview well enough that I would be able to get a nice flow out of it.
After this, I was assigned to another producer(who I worked with on the work-out segment for infomercials) to log an interview for her with a very “difficult” person. His answers were 3 minutes long, and when you are logging, that is almost ¾ of a page. He also wouldn’t directly answer the question he was asked. It was hardly amusing to listen to him bounce around her questions, but I was so impressed with how she was able to continue pressing him until she finally got her answer.
After this was finished, I got to start on my interview with the producer I chose. This took up most of my afternoon as we spent a lot of time just chatting off the record. It was so amazing how she is just so honest with her answers. We talked a lot about having a spouse and juggling your career and family. One thing she said that really stuck out to me was that she knew when she interned that this was it for her, and she learned over her time as an intern what it would take to work there and how much time she would have to put into her job- so she knew what she was getting into working there. She KNEW what it would take. I see what it will take for me to pursue a career at the Today Show and I questioned if I could move from Idaho with Jason all the way over here. However, after talking to her and she came from California, I know that it can work and you can have what you really want, you just have to sacrifice and work hard and things will happen.
I have been working so hard to get the most out of my experience here, I know that I will only get out of it what I put into it. So I have to put my whole heart into this, all of it so I will know that I put myself completely out there, and will then know where I will want to head after all of this is done and I graduate. Maybe Jason and I will decide to stay in Idaho or go to California or New York, but at least we can make an informed decision as to what will be next. I know he will follow me anywhere and I know that right now my heart is always with him, but this place is so personally fulfilling. It just kicks you down and beats you up, but when you conquer it, when you come up on top and take a breath it is the most exhilarating experience. I cannot describe what it feels like better than that.

Right now I am taking a big breath, and I know that tomorrow I may be back down on the ground, but I know now that I can always come back up for air.

Fresh off the press...

So, I spent most of my weekend moving and unpacking into my new apartment. This was an unexpected move of course, but nonetheless, moving in NYC is a nightmare!
Today was a great day! I had a lot of fun at church and really just enjoyed finding myself again. I find I do have to re-center myself and collect my thoughts. There is always so much going on in my life and around me that it is easy to get caught up and swept away in it all.
I have discovered a lot of artists (music) that are playing around here through a fun little website on facebook! I'm really excited because a lot of these artists are indie, so they are cheaper to get into and just such an amazing experience! They write their own stuff and are normally so thrilling to listen to...but my dad is still the best, duh!
www.jameslancaster.com

I am still discovering so many things about myself as I stay in the city. So many strengths and weaknesses, so many new thoughts and passions, so many things it's hard to keep it all straight. But I am so blessed to be able to go through this experience right now, I mean I am really coming into my own and it feels so good.

I never thought I would be where I am. I am so glad to have so many people behind me supporting me, I mean I have my amazing husband and my entire family, friends, the Idaho Youth Ranch, BSU, and other people too. AMAZING when I sit back and realize everyone who's got my back.

INSANE

I live on Riverside now, which is on the opposite end of the Upper West Side, I was living on the west side and now I am living on the east part of the UWS. It is a nice area and the Hudson River is outside our building. It's weird to think that I am half way done now...

Things are going by pretty fast and I can't wait to see what happens next!