About Amanda
I’m a disgruntled LIRR commuter by morning, real estate journalist by day, insomniac by night, and cancer butt-kicker for life.
Where To Find Me
E is for Exercise
Published January 9, 2012 | A Writer’s Book of Days (01/09) – Write About A Ceremony
I have a knack for remembering vivid details of my childhood – some from when I was as young as three.
Kindergarten – 1988, St. Mary’s School – has plenty of snippets. Like the time I burned my hand on the hot plate when my teacher, Mrs. Stephens, made tomato soup for our class. Being supremely jealous of my classmate Michelle, who had a box of 64 Crayola crayons and I only had the 24-count box. Playing “Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?” on the alphabet carpet in room K-A. Having a tooth fall out during nap time, causing disruption for the entire class. Having the bus driver forget to drop me off at my stop. My classmate Brian yanking down his pants in front of me and getting in trouble. Playing with the giant parachute and fleece balls in gym.
One particular memory that stood out for me was my kindergarten graduation ceremony. My sister Alyse, brother Aaron, and I had just got over a bout of chicken pox. Alyse, who was a year younger then me, refused to go to her pre-school graduation because she still had a dot on her nose. I wasn’t as vain.
It felt so much more grownup than pre-school graduation. Instead of just wearing a cap, we had dark blue gowns, our school color. We marched down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance,” just like we had practiced in the days before, and took our balloon-adorned seats on the stage-slash-altar (Catholic schools multi-tasked). The biggest moment, besides receiving our diplomas, was the recitation of our alphabet poem. In groups of three, we walked up to the front of the stage. I was the letter E, and had to recite, “E is for exercise and a good one for you is touching your toes without bending your knees” (while doing the very same). I still remember that line clearly. Any time I exercise (particularly the stretching part), I silently recite it in my head.
I’m still friends with many of St. Mary’s classmates – and some as far back as pre-school. We spent many ceremonies together on that stage: yearly awards presentations, First Communion, Reconciliation, our fifth grade DARE graduation, Confirmation, and finally, our eighth grade commencement. I wonder if any of them still remember their kindergarten poems.
The Best Rejection Letter
Published January 2, 2012 | A Writer’s Book of Days (01/02): Write About A Time Someone Said No
The best rejection I received was from my first choice for college – I was wait-listed at Villanova University. At that point, I was applying for scholarships and couldn’t hold on to the hope that I’d get in at a later date. Instead, I semi-reluctantly sent in my acceptance letter for my second choice, Fordham University. I grew much warmer to the school as August came closer, but there was still a nagging “what-if.” I’d really loved Villanova.
A week after I started classes at Fordham, a plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center and the world turned upside down in an instant. But unlike many of my new friends, I lived closed to home – something that turned out to be very important to me during that tumultuous first year of college. Many weekends were spent back on Long Island as I dealt with the stress of 9/11, a horrible roommate, and the worst two semesters of my entire educational life. This is something I wouldn’t have been able to do had I been anchored to the Philadelphia area.
I sometimes wonder if I would have stuck it out at Fordham if I didn’t have that escape. I soon found my place there by joining the school newspaper, The Ram, where I started as a news writer and quickly rose to the ranks of editor and eventually editor in chief. The latter position secured me quite a few interviews post-graduation, and I quickly settled into the world of business journalism.
I wonder where I’d be today had it not been for Villanova’s rejection. Would I have lived in New York? Would I be a journalist? Would I have had all the great experiences of the past 10 years? Would I have traveled to as many places? Would I have such a diverse, wonderful group of friends?
I wouldn’t trade what I have today for all the Villanova acceptance letters in the world.
When Google Takes You Elsewhere
Published January 1, 2012 | Preface: A few months ago, Lexcie and I were in a Goodwill store in Connecticut when I picked up a book called A Writer’s Book of Days by Judy Reeves for 25¢. The book is full of great writing inspiration and has a prompt for each day. I’m going to try and write from a prompt as many days I can this year (although my brain sometimes gets fizzled out since I’m constantly writing for work). I need to get my mind focused on more creative writing again.
A Writer’s Book of Days (01/01) – Write About Sunday Afternoon
New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday this year. Although it has probably fallen on many Sundays in my lifetime, this is only one I’ve remembered. What made it different was the absence of the annual Tournament of Roses parade on TV. Each year, I’d sit in my pajamas and watch it on TV, noshing on the previous night’s leftovers. But Pasadena, Calif. has a city ordinance that doesn’t allow the parade to be held on a Sunday, so it will instead be held tomorrow.
This change led to slight boredom this morning. But Mom, in her annual New Year’s Day calls, found out that my cousins were going to the Bronx Zoo for the afternoon. Perfect! We haven’t been to the Bronx Zoo in quite a while and would join them. (Last week, we went to the Central Park Zoo, which is considerably smaller, and the animals decided it was too cold to be out and about.)
Mom, Lexcie, and I made the hour-long drive to the Bronx. It was a clear, warm day, and despite being a holiday, there wasn’t much traffic on the road. We’d traveled this route to the Bronx often when I was a student at Fordham University – Southern State Parkway to Cross Island Parkway, across the Throgs Neck Bridge to the Bronx River Parkway. Usually, we encounter some sort of delay, but today, we zoomed across the bridge and the tolls. A giant green sign greeted us: BRONX ZOO PARKING. We turned right. Continue reading
$380 Million
Published January 5, 2011 | I, like 99% of other Americans who played Mega Millions last night, did not win the $380M jackpot. Or even part of it.
But what the heck would I do with that much money? I can’t even decide what to do with $38 in my pocket sometimes.
Lisa Brewster
So, I thought about what I’d do (after making sure people around were taken care of properly):
- Donate significant portions to my three favorite cancer charities: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Journey to the Cure, and I’m Too Young For This!
- Donate a significant portion to Stony Brook University Cancer Center as a thank you for treating me
- Establish scholarship funds for Fordham University and St. Mary School, so students who can’t afford to go to either school could have a chance like I did
- Upgrade The Ram‘s office and technology, and upgrade the technology in Fordham’s Communication & Media Studies department as needed
- Likely a pipe dream, but convince the Sisters of St. Joseph to reopen The Academy of St. Joseph and upgrade the school so it can properly compete with other private schools on Long Island
- Buy an abandoned movie theater – preferably Islip – upgrade it, and name it “A Theater Near You” (which I thought was the name of every theater when I was three years old)
- Buy a house, preferably with a pool and near a library
- Make sure every food pantry on Long Island is well stocked
- Build a shelter or transitional housing
- Buy some commercial real estate
- Open up my own bookstore
- Travel the world
I’m sure I’ll think of other things. What would you do with that much money?
Revisting Old Friends
Published September 4, 2007 | So, tomorrow is the first day of school. Not for me, of course, but the Wednesday after Labor Day always floods my memory. Sometimes it still feels strange not waking up at 6:30, throwing on my school uniform, packing my backpack, eating a breakfast of cinnamon raisin toast and waiting for a yellow school bus. Sometimes I’ll walk pass the book publisher in my office building and smell elementary school – a mixture of new textbooks, Crayolas and copier fluid.
Lexcie and I went to Staples a few days ago, and I had a yearning to buy five-subject notebooks, Papermate pens, looseleaf paper and a Trapper Keeper. But, of course, I needed more adult things, like pushpins and CD cases. I told Lexcie my favorite part about having children will probably be the school shopping. He replied that if they turn out anything like him, they’ll go to school empty handed and still manage to pass. Continue reading