Day Two in the Big Apple!

Little Girl in the Big Apple!

 Day two as Dr. Judy’s intern was slightly less hectic, but just as exciting and fun!  I arrived at Dr. Judy’s office around eleven, per usual. Dr. Judy was busy on a conference call with the media committee planning an upcoming conference this fall in Bonn Germany of NGOs affiliated with the United Nations – how intense and amazing is that! -- while I was fortunate enough to read some of the various chapters and psychology newsletters articles that past interns had published with Dr. Judy during the summer they worked for her. What an amazing opportunity they had. Many of the articles they had published were very media-oriented and also extremely accessible to a broad audience of people who were not directly involved in psychology. Since they were not all formal psychology journals, I was fascinated to note that they were not written in such scientific language that not everyone would understand, as I had expected, making it more possible that I could see myself writing something with her like this; what an exciting opportunity for an aspiring writer like myself.. From the heaping pile of papers and books on her desk, Dr. Judy chirped: “You’re going to be publishing with me, so get ready.” Day two and here I was; I had already been around CNN, had a general conception of the city that never sleeps, and was awaiting the time in which I would be able to begin publishing articles in various books and journals. Winning? I think yes.

Again. How lucky am I?

After I ran across the street to get lunch for Dr. Judy and I, we encountered a minor printer malfunction and dealt with it as best we could (hilarity at its absolute finest). While I was waiting for Dr. Judy to make a few phone calls, so we could catch a cab and attend the annual three-day long BEA (Book Expo America) conferences, I did some obligatory snooping around her eclectic office space. I mean, how could I possibly resist? Every inch of wall space was filled with awards, videos, DVDs, CDs and  bookshelves,  overflowing with books about psychology, relationships, dating, sex, international relations, the United Nations and much, much more. A virtual feast of interesting things. While I was doing my nosey intern searching, I came upon a hilarious deck of cards entitled “Pleasure Playing Cards.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and take a picture. Only Dr. Judy.

Dr. Judy and I at the Andrew McMeel Publishing

Around early-afternoon, we flagged a typical New York yellow cab – one of many I would get into over the summer -- and sped off to the BEA conference at the noted Javitz convention center on 34^th Street and 12^th avenue. As we walked into the large hall of the BEA, I was completely overwhelmed by all the activity and different publishing stations that consumed the venue. Eventually, though, after walking through many of the exhibits and picking up different information about the publishers, specifically the ones Dr. Judy had worked with regarding her books, the whole event seemed more manageable.

Coincidentally, Dr. Judy and I passed the Andrew McMeel publishing station, and I remembered that my mother was actually good friends with a relative of Andrew himself. What a small world, even in the Big Apple.

 At the BEA-in my element.

After walking up and down the aisles a bit more and saying hello to publishers Dr. Judy knew and even bumping into people she had worked with on the radio station many years ago, we decided to call it a day and headed back to Midtown on the BEA bus. When we arrived back at her office, we had coffee and discussed further blog issues and some ideas Dr. Judy had for me to write about regarding my recent breakup with my long-term boyfriend. One of the quotes she said that really stuck in my head was: “By being able to convert your pain into your writing, you are literally processing those feelings and purging the hurt ones.” I knew she couldn’t be more right.

As I was about to walk out Dr. Judy’s office, she hailed me down and handed me a set of keys. The inscription on a bar attached to the chain read, “1^st CLASS SHRINK.” Of course.  That made sense!