There'll be smooth sailin' 'cause I'm trimmin' my sails in my top hit and my white tie and my tails

What a 180 I've pulled from this time last week. In the last two days, I have switched residences, gained employment and been able to buy myself a stable full of new clothes in a 48-hour period. All things I simply never could have predicted would be happening by now at the start of the month.

Start with the new place. Aviana graciously helped me move a full cab's worth of my crap to my new digs, which continue to impress and excite me with each passing moment. The fact that my bedroom is legitimately bigger than my dorm is one detail I can never outlook, but having a TV with digital cable, a living room, fully functioning kitchen and a bathroom shared with three people as opposed to 30 are all definite plusses too. And I can finally drink booze in my own room again! To celebrate, I washed down my inagural meal on Friday with a Dos Equis from the Mexican joint down the street.

The rest of Friday was of course spent sharing the incredible news of my sudden employment with friends and family, all of whom were impressed if insanely jealous. Most notably Jason, who was searching for all sorts of vices I could develop from having a well-paying job in New York City.

"Well...you're going to become a drunk because of all the booze you can afford now!" was one.

To which I replied, "But see, I've weaned myself off of alcohol this fall because I wasn't able to afford it for so long, so I really don't see that happening. Plus I've learned that nasty hangovers are sooo not worth it past the age of 22."

"Well, you realize they own you now. Don't be surprised if you have to work on a weekend burning midnight oil!"

"Oh yeah, Jonah mentioned I might have to fly out to like L.A. or San Francisco for a conference some weekend. Which would, you know, suuuck..."

Bragging aside, he was still very proud for me (as I'm sure all my friends are deep down beneath their raging envy) and reassured me that I got the job due to my hard work and journalism skill, etc. etc. And that's the most satisfying part — I came in through the back door as an intern, worked my ass off and got a full-time spot after 2.5 months not because I knew someone or was so-and-so's kid but because I was legitimately qualified and had a demonstrated ability to do the job.

The celebration continued into work at Kidding Around yesterday (which I've decided to not quit till after Christmas, unless it looks like my Christmas visit will be limited to five days or less due to both jobs, in which case it's adios Susan and Uma). I got to leave early, though, because it was time for SATURDAY NIGHT FRIGGIN LIVE!!!!

The event I'd been looking forward to since winning the tickets back in September had finally arrived, and it was nearly overshadowed by my tremendous news from earlier in the week. Luckily Lorne Michaels and Co. pulled out all the stops to ensure that the show stood out in a competitively awesome week.

For starters, being in Studio 8H was a tremendous experience. Seeing all the sets and hearing Lenny Pickett & The Saturday Night Live band play in-person conjured so much nostalgia for me of watching the late-80s, early-90s casts on Comedy Central during my high school days, particularly during the Christmas marathons.

Secondly, it's hard not to feel claustrophobic with the way everything's crammed into such a tight space. Watching the sets change frenetically is stressful enough for me to watch from the audience -- I can't even walk down the marble stairs of my new apartment building without fear of tripping and cracking my skull. Imagine trying to run across the soundstage to your next skit as giant walls are being moved all around you and chairs are being rolled out from every direction.

Then there's the fact that every seat in the house is a good one, just at different times. The skits are held in all corners of the studio, so while your view of the opening monologue may be obscured by, say, a spotlight (as I was), you could also have a front-row seat for a humorous sketch in a Brazilian night club -- or, best of all, TONY mothafuckin' BENNETT! That's right, he was the surprise guest during a "Tony Bennett Show" skit where Alec was doing a dead-on impression and decided to bring out his favorite impersonator, who just happened to be the real guy. Mr. Bennett is in my list of Top 3 People I Need to See Before They Die, along with Eartha Kitt and Woody Allen. Not only did I see him live with Alec Baldwin, I also got to take in a duet between him and Xtina. Seeing him sing "with my top hat and my white tie and my tails" gave me goosebumps. I nearly cried when it was over I was so overjoyed.

Steve Martin (!!!) was also there for a really funny sketch about how Alec was one show away from tying his hosting record. The dress rehearsal was much more natural and funny, but the live taping also had Martin Short and Paul McCartney (!!!), so I missed out on at least one awesome thing, I suppose.

And if you haven't already, go to NBC.com and check out the skit with Amy Poehler as Britney Spears. They may not have coined the phrase, but it was the first time I heard the expression "panty crickets" and I was nearly comatose from laughter.