Aug. 29 was my final day as an intern at The Associated Press.
On Aug. 30, I became a full-time employee.

My boss pulled me aside about a month before my final day, wanting to
know my plans for the future. Hoping she was hinting, I replied, “No
plans!” And she said, “How would you feel about staying on?”

“Yes, please!”

So with that, I began to plan for my future. I scoured Craigslist for
the second time this summer for a new apartment (I only had my sublet
for August). It took five visits, each more depressing than the last,
before I found a place to live. My life experience has shown me that
things do tend to work out. So I decided on an apartment with an
unfurnished bedroom. I had one suitcase load to go and one night left
in my August sublet. I was sitting in the living room with my roommate
at the time, and we were talking about our various plans. I was only
half-listening to her because I was back on Craigslist looking for a
bed. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her I needed a bed.

“Twin-size?” she asked.

“Gosh, I don’t care,” I said.

She had an extra one, and she and her dad even moved it up to my new
third-floor apartment for me. On their way out, she asked me if I was
looking for any more furniture.

“Maybe a desk?” I said, glancing around my still almost empty room.

I got a free desk that evening. Since then, I’ve purchased an IKEA
side table on Craigslist for $10, my new roommate pulled an extra
bureau out of her closet for me to have, and I’ve raided Target’s
now-discounted college dorm collection.

My room looks fabulous. Who would have thought I came to New York with
just two suitcases?

And work is great. I was hired through the end of the year, and my
boss will re-evaluate the budget to see if they have room for me next
year. In the meantime, the AP continues to regionalize its copydesk.
They are in the process of breaking the New York national desk into
four regional hubs. Atlanta’s been up since spring this year, and
Philadelphia is next on the list. I plan to apply for that, and I
greatly look forward to being Dr. Trayes’ neighbor. But I’ll only take
walks with him if he brings Mrs. Trayes to break his pace.