YM

Today’s dress is vintage wool from Nordstrom. I can’t remember where I picked it up. It’s definitely warm, but I’d prefer to sell this one. I like the blue but it’s a bit too conservative for me. I worked as a journalist for a few years during and after college. I had so many internships. This was a time when I really feel major publications were taking advantage of unpaid interns. Everyone was going to a good school and this felt like a stepping stone we all needed. I had worked at the New York Post during high school. I had a byline as an 18 year old. I felt like I was doing pretty well. but that made it hard for what came next. Interns aren’t always given so much responsibility. I had some difficult internships where I didn’t feel like I got to live up to my potential. But more on that another day. YM was a popular teen magazine when I was growing up. I loved it. The title stood for young and modern at the time. When I was 20, in 2003, I got to intern at YM. There were a number of positions available. Beauty intern, features intern, etc. Then there was online intern. At the time, that was pretty uncool. Online was for nerds. But it was all that was left so I took it! It turned out to be the best thing ever. It meant I got to write content most days. The other interns got published once a month, if at all. I got to have lunch with Joey Fatone, go to parties, and pitch ideas regularly. I remember asking if we could interview Lindsay Lohan, but it didn’t happen. She might not have been famous enough yet. The people on my team were pretty cool. I liked going to work. I also met some great people who I still admire today. My supervisor Sara Lyle is still a friend. I used to go to lunch with fellow native New Yorker Rachel Tavel, who is now a physical therapist. The blackout of 2003 happened while I was there. I walked most of the way uptown. In cowboy boots! It was almost 20 years ago, but I remember that summer fondly. It sort of went downhill after that. If only they could have all been like YM.

this week I pitched an article to a few Jewish publications. I got some feedback, some rejections, and some questions. In the end, I didn’t have time to pursue this story. But it made me realize that I can still do this. I can write and report and share my ideas. For years I’ve been a little freaked out about trying to be a journalist. My confidence had taken a beating over the years. I don’t handle rejection very well. But I realize it’s part of being a writer. I want to keep trying. not for a career, but because I enjoy it.