Friday, January 4, 2008

My first day at Women's Health...

...was a success! I got to work at 9:30. My commute is about 30 minutes, since I'm coming from uptown (111th and Lenox/Malcolm X Blvd.). I take the train from Harlem to Times Square and then transfer to Grand Central. Rodale, Inc. is on Third Ave., conveniently next to a Starbucks and a few blocks from good shopping.

A lot of today was settling in, because I did get to visit before. I ventured around the building and sampled delicious organic tea. I was very impressed that the company lives up to its image of having a good life and being eco-friendly. All of the snacks in the break room are organic and healthy, the teas (and there are so many!) are organic and delicious. Even down to the cleaning supplies and silverware choices---everything is sustainable. Think nontoxic soap and post-consumer recycled cups. I'm more conscious of these things now because I work at Natural Home in Topeka, a sustainable living magazine.

Everybody in the office is so nice. One girl, an intern turned EA, is from Florida and recognized KU's journalism program. My direct supervisor is very friendly, and of course, Executive Editor/KU alum Alison Gwinn is great. She gave me a cover lines project today and I spent all day on it, and I will have to spend part of Monday on it, too. I'm researching and recording cover lines of magazines to figure out what works and what doesn't and what kind of tone WH should take with its cover lines. I think it is a great assignment, especially since I had publishing last spring and remember all this stuff. I have another project lined up for Monday about book organization---like, how the departments are arranged in the book and whether you should have lead-in pages or not, etc. etc. I am so happy to be able to use my skills already and help shape some of the research that is going into WH.

I work on the sixth floor at Rodale, and I have a nice view of the avenue from my window. The walls are a light shade of green (got this green theme going on here) and the beauty closet.....oh, the beauty closet. I walked past it a few times today and it looks like heaven. I plan on meeting the beauty editor during my time here, because that's a job that I would like to have one day. I read her page all the time when I get my WH, and it was just so cool to actually see her in person today!

Sorry this post is more diary-like and rambling...just trying to get it out...I'm tres tired. Adios, amigas!

Kimmie

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