Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Scary Subway Ride
The ride to work today was SO COOL!!! Today the doors opened to the N train and I entered a car without electricity. Generally when I enter a car in Mid Summer and there's no A/C, I get out at the next stop and move to a "cooler" car. In Mid November A/C is not a factor but the lights are...I could tell that the lights were out when I entered the car. However, it didn't matter too much because the subway is above ground in Queens. So, the sunlight adequately lit the car.
We were on our merry way UNITIL we hit the tunnel. Now we are submerged in darkness. There are quick flashes of light darting through the car from the tunnel safety lights creating a strobe effect. It looked like a cross between Madonna's Ray of Light video and a dozen horror movies I've seen. I thought it was fantastic.
There was complete silence. Nobody said a word. Most people tried to continue what they were doing before it went dark. I noticed a lady continuing to stare at her newspaper as if she could make out the words on the paper. Most just stared at the ground. I wanted to scream and run through the car just for fun. Instead I chose to stare at the others. Then the tunnel lights disappeared and the car went completely black. That's when it got a little uncomfortable. It doesn't feel good to sit in the dark in New York City. Maybe it's the movies or maybe it's the news but for whatever reason, the ride had gone too far.
And then it ended. The train approached Lexington Ave. I exited and went up the escalator to enter a well lit 6 train. Although, I was relieved that nothing scary actually happened on the train, today's commute was better than coffee.
We were on our merry way UNITIL we hit the tunnel. Now we are submerged in darkness. There are quick flashes of light darting through the car from the tunnel safety lights creating a strobe effect. It looked like a cross between Madonna's Ray of Light video and a dozen horror movies I've seen. I thought it was fantastic.
There was complete silence. Nobody said a word. Most people tried to continue what they were doing before it went dark. I noticed a lady continuing to stare at her newspaper as if she could make out the words on the paper. Most just stared at the ground. I wanted to scream and run through the car just for fun. Instead I chose to stare at the others. Then the tunnel lights disappeared and the car went completely black. That's when it got a little uncomfortable. It doesn't feel good to sit in the dark in New York City. Maybe it's the movies or maybe it's the news but for whatever reason, the ride had gone too far.
And then it ended. The train approached Lexington Ave. I exited and went up the escalator to enter a well lit 6 train. Although, I was relieved that nothing scary actually happened on the train, today's commute was better than coffee.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
My One Person Show
In New York it seems like everyone has a one person show. Often it's a running joke. "I'm working on my one person show", usually ending with a laugh. But after several failed attempts at writing a stand up routine. I decided it was time for me to write a one person show. I didn't know what to write about at first so I started with writing about art. I've always been an art admirer but I have a specific love for Monet. This love was sparked on a field trip with The Girl Scouts to The National Gallery of Art in 7th grade. That is where I first laid eyes on The Woman with the Parasol. You might be familiar with the painting of a woman standing in a field with her son holding a parasol. To me, this woman is the most beautiful woman.
So, that is where my piece began with The Woman with the Parasol. I didn't know how to construct the piece so I hired a clown teacher to help me put it on it's feet. Eric Davis has turned out to be more than just a director on this project. He has really helped mold and bring out what is truly great about me and the piece on stage.
Last night was my second preview of the show. It's a really fun show. I run through the audience talking to people, telling stories and attempting to create the portrait of my life. The feedback is so positive and yet with a one person show I can't help but wonder, is it really worth it? Everybody does a one person show. What makes mine unique? I feel like it's the best work I've done since I moved to the city. For now, I am content in knowing that that is enough to make it worth it.
So, that is where my piece began with The Woman with the Parasol. I didn't know how to construct the piece so I hired a clown teacher to help me put it on it's feet. Eric Davis has turned out to be more than just a director on this project. He has really helped mold and bring out what is truly great about me and the piece on stage.
Last night was my second preview of the show. It's a really fun show. I run through the audience talking to people, telling stories and attempting to create the portrait of my life. The feedback is so positive and yet with a one person show I can't help but wonder, is it really worth it? Everybody does a one person show. What makes mine unique? I feel like it's the best work I've done since I moved to the city. For now, I am content in knowing that that is enough to make it worth it.
Sunday, August 01, 2004
My First One Bedroom Apartment
Today was the first day in my brand new apartment. I LOVE it! Well, the apartment is great but I absolutely love living by myself. It's really a good feeling to have my on space. My friend Sabrina moved to Michigan and I got her place. I'm soooo lucky. We had an extremely humid move in today but the apartment looks very promising. Once I figure out the streets in Queens I'll be golden.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
My yellow umbrella
My umbrella is gone and my heart feels broken. I know it sounds ridiculous but I feel more sad at the loss of my umbrella than when I lost my cell phone. Phil gave me that umbrella at the beginning of our relationship. It's the only present he's ever given me and now it's gone. It was the perfect umbrella too. Just small enough to fit in my purse. It was a bright yellow and it came with a sleeve.
I remember I thought it was the kindest gesture. He was on his way to my house but he stopped at The Gap first. While he was there picking out clothes he called to see if I needed anything. He asked if I would like an umbrella. I thought it was strange at first but I said, "Sure I could use and umbrella". That's when he bought me the prettiest bright yellow umbrella. It was perfect. He said that he couldn't buy all this stuff for himself and not buy me anything. We had just started dating and I thought it was the sweetest thing. I treasured that umbrella.
I remember hanging it on the back of my chair when I went to Vintage last night. I didn't realize it was missing until an hour later and by then the bar had closed. I went by to check and see if they had it today and the bartender said no. She offered me a replacement umbrella but I said it was a gift and I went on my way. My heart felt immediately broken. Whomever borrowed it will never know how much that little thing meant to me. I feel foolish but it's true.
I remember I thought it was the kindest gesture. He was on his way to my house but he stopped at The Gap first. While he was there picking out clothes he called to see if I needed anything. He asked if I would like an umbrella. I thought it was strange at first but I said, "Sure I could use and umbrella". That's when he bought me the prettiest bright yellow umbrella. It was perfect. He said that he couldn't buy all this stuff for himself and not buy me anything. We had just started dating and I thought it was the sweetest thing. I treasured that umbrella.
I remember hanging it on the back of my chair when I went to Vintage last night. I didn't realize it was missing until an hour later and by then the bar had closed. I went by to check and see if they had it today and the bartender said no. She offered me a replacement umbrella but I said it was a gift and I went on my way. My heart felt immediately broken. Whomever borrowed it will never know how much that little thing meant to me. I feel foolish but it's true.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Memorial Day Fears
As I approach the upcoming Holiday, I am struck with fear. I couldn't figure out what I should do this weekend so I thought maybe I'll go to the park? I haven't been to Inwood Park in awhile. If you haven't been there, it's the most beautiful park in the city. It's the only natural park left on the island. It is completely preserved in it's close to original state and in many areas you can't hear anything except nature. It's a beautiful site and it's only a quick "A" ride away.
Two days ago I heard that they discovered the body of Sarah Fox in this very same park. At first I was confused, I had seen missing persons fliers all over Times Square this week but I didn't know the whole story. It turns out that she left her house around 5:00pm on Wednesday, May 19th to go jogging in the park. When she didn't come home for a few days, her roommate Patrick Dall'Occhio called the police. Search parties were immediately organized all over the city. Signs were posted on every intersection. I even noticed the signs through all the enormous advertisements in Times Square. On Tuesday, I read an article that they had found what they believed to be her body. On Wednesday I found out that her roommate was Patrick, a friend of mine. Well, I don't know him well but we have a lot of mutual friends and we partied in Louisville which is more than I can say for most of my friends.
Plus Sarah was a drama student at Julliard. A 21 year old actress who moved to the city to follow her "dream". It really hits close to home.
Also, now I'm hearing stories about how women should never jog in the park alone. Like this happens all the time, in broad daylight! I guess I sorta knew that but while I don't jog I enjoy wandering around the city by myself. It's nice to find solitude in this incredibly noisy city. Sometimes it's important to just block it out.
So, while I thought of maybe going to Inwood or Central Park or maybe to the Botanical Garden I will most likely find solitude in my room and be thankful for my health and so called freedom.
Two days ago I heard that they discovered the body of Sarah Fox in this very same park. At first I was confused, I had seen missing persons fliers all over Times Square this week but I didn't know the whole story. It turns out that she left her house around 5:00pm on Wednesday, May 19th to go jogging in the park. When she didn't come home for a few days, her roommate Patrick Dall'Occhio called the police. Search parties were immediately organized all over the city. Signs were posted on every intersection. I even noticed the signs through all the enormous advertisements in Times Square. On Tuesday, I read an article that they had found what they believed to be her body. On Wednesday I found out that her roommate was Patrick, a friend of mine. Well, I don't know him well but we have a lot of mutual friends and we partied in Louisville which is more than I can say for most of my friends.
Plus Sarah was a drama student at Julliard. A 21 year old actress who moved to the city to follow her "dream". It really hits close to home.
Also, now I'm hearing stories about how women should never jog in the park alone. Like this happens all the time, in broad daylight! I guess I sorta knew that but while I don't jog I enjoy wandering around the city by myself. It's nice to find solitude in this incredibly noisy city. Sometimes it's important to just block it out.
So, while I thought of maybe going to Inwood or Central Park or maybe to the Botanical Garden I will most likely find solitude in my room and be thankful for my health and so called freedom.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
40 Ways to Know that you are a New Yorker
My friend sent me an email forward entitled "40 Ways to know that you are a New Yorker". Normally I read these, maybe crack a smile and hit delete. But, in this case, I saw it as a way to get back into my writing habit. Needless to say, I have been having trouble feeling inspired with a lot of things lately. So, this might be just the push that I need. I have given myself an assignment. I will pick my top ten favorites and for the next ten days I will expand on each of the topics to show how it affects my personal life. Hopefully I don't bore you guys too much.
Here's the complete list. If you have any favorites, let me know.
1. You are going home from work by subway and you know exactly where
on the platform the doors will open that will leave you right in front
of the stairways at your home station.
2. You refuse to eat any pizza slice that can't be folded in half so
that you can eat it while you walk.
3. You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston St. like the city in
Texas. (it is pronounced House-Ton)
5. You get upset that a cabbie is obeying all the rules of the road
(speed limit, turn signals, etc).
6. Someone passes out on the train - you mistakenly think he is dead
and think, "Why does he have to die on MY train because this is going
to make me late for my appointment."
7. You cross the street anywhere but in the corners, yelling at the
cars for not respecting the fact.
8. You move 8,000 miles away...spend 10 years learning the local
language and yet when you open your mouth to speak people still say,
"you're from Brooklyn aren't you?"
9. You return after 10 or more years living outside NYC, and the first
food you want are real pizza and White Castle sliders.
10. You start thinking that a 500 square foot apartment is large.
11. Your co-worker commutes 45 minutes by train to a 2,000 square foot
house in the suburbs that was the same price as your 500 square foot
apartment that you commute 35 minutes by subway to... And you think:
"sucker."
12. You know the differences between the various Ray's Pizza
establishments.
13. You see Harrison Ford walking down the street and nobody seemed
to care to look at him.
14. You know who Dr. Z is... (inside joke...us NYCers get it)
15. You have at least 50 menus in your apartment, two thirds of which
you have neither ordered from nor even heard of.
16. You know that the off the shelf insecticides work as laughing gas
to the super resistant cockroaches in your building.
17. You get ready to order dinner every night and must choose from the
4 major food groups: Chinese, Mexican, Italian or Indian.
18. You wouldn't dream of going to Times Square on New Year's Eve.
19. Your internal clock and daily calendar are permanently set to know
when Alternate Side of the Street parking regulations are suspended or
in effect.
20. You know what a bodega is.
21. You freak out because a stranger says hello.
22. Someone bumps into you, and you check for your wallet.
23. You pay no attention to the nice lady walking down the road having
a perfectly normal conversation with herself.
24. You pay "only" $530 a month to park the car.
25. You watch the show "Sex and the City" as a documentary about the
people you know.
26. You visit friends out of town and you can't get to sleep because
the quiet freaks you out.
27. Your reaction to a presidential visit isn't "oh boy, what an
honor" but: "oh no, what a pain traffic is going to be."
28. The names Crazy Eddie, Tom Carvel and Joe Franklin bring a smile
to your face.
29. When as the announcement comes on the PA on the subway platform
you turn your head, cock your ear, and when it's over you walk to the
stairs to a cho! rus of, "Wait! Wait! What did she say??!"
30. You can take a catnap on the subway and wake up when your stop is
announced.
31. You looked forward to riding the subway to read the next
installment of Marisol and Julio.
32. The deli guy gives you a straw with any beverage you buy, even if
it is beer.
33. You understand that the plural form of you is youse.
34. You cheerfully make left turns from the right-hand lane, and give
old ladies the finger as they cut you off in traffic, but would NEVER
make a right turn on a red light.
35. You know that if a parking space looks too good to be true, it is.
36. You're making $70,000 and you're "scraping" by.
37. Nothing is north or south it's uptown or downtown.
38. Almost everyone you know has a story about how he finally got
home after the WTC fell.
39. Killer Bees are not just insects anymore, but the taxi cabs that
try to run you off the road.
40. You take harsh criticism of the city by a non-New Yorker as a
personal insult, but readily accept and often agree with the same
criticism coming from a fellow New Yorker.
Here's the complete list. If you have any favorites, let me know.
1. You are going home from work by subway and you know exactly where
on the platform the doors will open that will leave you right in front
of the stairways at your home station.
2. You refuse to eat any pizza slice that can't be folded in half so
that you can eat it while you walk.
3. You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston St. like the city in
Texas. (it is pronounced House-Ton)
5. You get upset that a cabbie is obeying all the rules of the road
(speed limit, turn signals, etc).
6. Someone passes out on the train - you mistakenly think he is dead
and think, "Why does he have to die on MY train because this is going
to make me late for my appointment."
7. You cross the street anywhere but in the corners, yelling at the
cars for not respecting the fact.
8. You move 8,000 miles away...spend 10 years learning the local
language and yet when you open your mouth to speak people still say,
"you're from Brooklyn aren't you?"
9. You return after 10 or more years living outside NYC, and the first
food you want are real pizza and White Castle sliders.
10. You start thinking that a 500 square foot apartment is large.
11. Your co-worker commutes 45 minutes by train to a 2,000 square foot
house in the suburbs that was the same price as your 500 square foot
apartment that you commute 35 minutes by subway to... And you think:
"sucker."
12. You know the differences between the various Ray's Pizza
establishments.
13. You see Harrison Ford walking down the street and nobody seemed
to care to look at him.
14. You know who Dr. Z is... (inside joke...us NYCers get it)
15. You have at least 50 menus in your apartment, two thirds of which
you have neither ordered from nor even heard of.
16. You know that the off the shelf insecticides work as laughing gas
to the super resistant cockroaches in your building.
17. You get ready to order dinner every night and must choose from the
4 major food groups: Chinese, Mexican, Italian or Indian.
18. You wouldn't dream of going to Times Square on New Year's Eve.
19. Your internal clock and daily calendar are permanently set to know
when Alternate Side of the Street parking regulations are suspended or
in effect.
20. You know what a bodega is.
21. You freak out because a stranger says hello.
22. Someone bumps into you, and you check for your wallet.
23. You pay no attention to the nice lady walking down the road having
a perfectly normal conversation with herself.
24. You pay "only" $530 a month to park the car.
25. You watch the show "Sex and the City" as a documentary about the
people you know.
26. You visit friends out of town and you can't get to sleep because
the quiet freaks you out.
27. Your reaction to a presidential visit isn't "oh boy, what an
honor" but: "oh no, what a pain traffic is going to be."
28. The names Crazy Eddie, Tom Carvel and Joe Franklin bring a smile
to your face.
29. When as the announcement comes on the PA on the subway platform
you turn your head, cock your ear, and when it's over you walk to the
stairs to a cho! rus of, "Wait! Wait! What did she say??!"
30. You can take a catnap on the subway and wake up when your stop is
announced.
31. You looked forward to riding the subway to read the next
installment of Marisol and Julio.
32. The deli guy gives you a straw with any beverage you buy, even if
it is beer.
33. You understand that the plural form of you is youse.
34. You cheerfully make left turns from the right-hand lane, and give
old ladies the finger as they cut you off in traffic, but would NEVER
make a right turn on a red light.
35. You know that if a parking space looks too good to be true, it is.
36. You're making $70,000 and you're "scraping" by.
37. Nothing is north or south it's uptown or downtown.
38. Almost everyone you know has a story about how he finally got
home after the WTC fell.
39. Killer Bees are not just insects anymore, but the taxi cabs that
try to run you off the road.
40. You take harsh criticism of the city by a non-New Yorker as a
personal insult, but readily accept and often agree with the same
criticism coming from a fellow New Yorker.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
I hate roommates!
You know how you get mad at someone for something that isn't really their fault but then it escalates and by the end it most definitely is their fault? Well, that happened today.
I woke up early because I had to sign up for an audition before I came into work and I didn't want to be late for work. So, I got up a half an hour early. And, not to mention, I had to pee really bad. And my roommate who is subleting for a month was in the bathroom. Did I mention I had to pee really bad? I sat on the couch trying to suck it in when I suddenly realized he was going to be in there for awhile. I squirmed back and forth looking for a cup wondering if I should just go to the roof when finally I buried my head in my pillow trying to breathe through the pain.
Then all of a sudden my other roommate who's subleting for three months walks to the bathroom and opens the door on him. I couldn't believe it. Didn't he see me sitting there? I said, a little too loudly, "Nelson is in there! I have been waiting for 25 F'ing minutes!" At which point the 3 month roommate retreated to his room and Nelson exited the bathroom.
I enter. Determined to still sign up for my audition even though I now know I am late for work. I turn on the shower and whatd'ya know...HE USED ALL THE HOT WATER!!! He was in there that long. That's crap. You don't take a 30 minute shower during peak hours. I have to go to work. He's a freelancer.
It would be different if he was consistently in there when I needed to get ready for work but he's not. He just has bad timing. Whenever, I need to get in there he's in there for at least 30 minutes. Perhaps that's what I should discuss with him? Then again it hardly seems worth it since he's moving out in 10 days. I can't wait!
I woke up early because I had to sign up for an audition before I came into work and I didn't want to be late for work. So, I got up a half an hour early. And, not to mention, I had to pee really bad. And my roommate who is subleting for a month was in the bathroom. Did I mention I had to pee really bad? I sat on the couch trying to suck it in when I suddenly realized he was going to be in there for awhile. I squirmed back and forth looking for a cup wondering if I should just go to the roof when finally I buried my head in my pillow trying to breathe through the pain.
Then all of a sudden my other roommate who's subleting for three months walks to the bathroom and opens the door on him. I couldn't believe it. Didn't he see me sitting there? I said, a little too loudly, "Nelson is in there! I have been waiting for 25 F'ing minutes!" At which point the 3 month roommate retreated to his room and Nelson exited the bathroom.
I enter. Determined to still sign up for my audition even though I now know I am late for work. I turn on the shower and whatd'ya know...HE USED ALL THE HOT WATER!!! He was in there that long. That's crap. You don't take a 30 minute shower during peak hours. I have to go to work. He's a freelancer.
It would be different if he was consistently in there when I needed to get ready for work but he's not. He just has bad timing. Whenever, I need to get in there he's in there for at least 30 minutes. Perhaps that's what I should discuss with him? Then again it hardly seems worth it since he's moving out in 10 days. I can't wait!
