Valentine's Day- 2012

Ben and I had already decided that we would celebrate Valentine's Day on Saturday. He had a lot of things to get finished for his MCAT class and Tuesday is in the middle of the week and it would just be more convenient that way. So, when I woke up this morning- feeling pretty rad for having a cold, I was not planning on spending the day with my boyfriend. In fact, I was planning on getting to my internship, filing, emailing, organizing, hopping a train and two buses to rising stars to celebrate Valentine's and then spending the evening with Elizabeth so that Ben could have the apartment to himself to film his teach-back. HOWEVER, the universe must have been conspiring to have us spend this special day together, even if it wasn't for a particularly romantic reason.

This morning, I managed to experience something that I don't think most people can add to their list of bragging rights. I, Mandy Fahey, fainted on a SEPTA bus going into Center City. I was feeling really warm and like I might get carsick, and then I woke up on the floor of the bus, wondering why I was looking at everybody's shoes, which was scary. Fortunately, the 27 makes a stop directly in front of Hahnemann University Hospital. Even more fortunately, I was on a bus of the nicest people in the world, including a nurse and a social worker who helped me off the bus, called Ben, and made sure I was situated in a room before continuing on with their respective days. Ben got there quickly- I think half expecting me to still be unconscious, and I changed into the most confusing hospital gown EVER (there were snaps where there should be sleeves....it took a couple tries). By this time I felt totally fine again, just a little shaken and stuffed up, but I was at the ER, and they needed to make sure that there was nothing wrong with my brain or my heart, AND that I wasn't pregnant (apparently many women find out they are pregnant from passing out...? News to me, but I guess I wouldn't doubt it....). But my brain is fine, my heart is fine, and, according to my nurse, my urine was "pristine," so no babies. It was just as I had suspected, my fainting was a result of not feeling well, being dehydrated, and feeling overheated on a crowded bus. So after ingesting an entire IV bag of saline and watching The Price Is Right on the hospital TV, I was allowed to leave. Ben positioned himself to be able to catch me if i fainted on the bus ride back (I didn't), and I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking seltzer, watching Frasier, and reading cosmopolitain while Ben read up on his chemistry for his next class- how romantic! But we still might celebrate on Saturday...

And so, that is how Ben and I managed to spend our Valentine's Day together. It's also how I acquired a very bizarre experience to my life story. According to my co-worker, Doretha, I am the only person she has ever heard of passing out on a city bus. I'm sure I'm not the ONLY one, but I'm probably in a select few!

Happy Valentine's Day, all!

the networking mystery---solved!!

For some reason, I've always imagined networking to be something that only happened in posh mansions in southern california. The only people who were ever known to "network" were very rich people who spent their evenings standing by a swimming pool with some kind of alcoholic beverage in hand, discussing how difficult it is to be rich and busy and important. Obviously I wasn't too clear on the whole "networking" concept, unless you count having a facebook page and posting inside jokes on the walls of my friends, which I don't. But this weekend- I think I might have ACTUALLY experienced it. And there wasn't a swimming pool or alcoholic beverage in sight!

I recently accepted a position with a small production company called Tiny Dynamite, whose claim to fame is the relatively new "a Play, a Pie, and a Pint." Basically, for $15, you get a beer, a slice of pizza, and a 40 minute one act play on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening in Society Hill. It's a pretty sweet deal. I will be their production intern, which means that I will help the stage manager find props, assist during tech rehearsals, and schmooze with audience members before the shows start. I won't be paid, but I WILL get free pizza, beer, and plays, and have the opportunity to meet some really great people. And I figure- the more things I can get on my resume that aren't paid, the closer I can get to actually BEING paid. It's all winning.

So this weekend, I hopped a train to Narbeth, Pennsylvania for our first production meeting. I was half expecting Narbeth to be some kind of scary suburb, as so many of them are, but this place was actually really nice. There was a quaint little main street, with specialty shops and a french bakery where I stopped for a cup of earl grey. And then I made my way to the nicest house on earth, full of the nicest stuff on earth, and some of the nicest people I've met in a while. And all of them were so wonderful and wanting to help me and were just-- GREAT. I had a wonderful time. And that's that- networking is no longer a mystery, and in fact, it was kind of fun! I'm looking forward to working with these people. And on the train back, I had this overwhelming feeling that everything is getting better all the time. Cue the Beatles. WOOHOO weekend!

:)