Becoming a New Yorker

Let me just start this blog entry by stating that I love living in New York, because I do own a lot of crazy clothes that were honestly very hard to pull off in the 'Banks, but now in New York I find that they're regarded as interesting and acceptable. This is another photo of me at the "Birdland," it was taken by Steve Doyle, who is the bassist onstage during the open mic. Broadway concert that I have absolutely grown to love. Just prior to the show I found myself chatting it up with Steve because I was actually early and sitting at the bar all by myself. Not only is the entertainment amazing at the "Birdland," but I have found that I feel super glamorous at this location. The bartender actually refers to me as the "Cosmo Queen" and because I always go there with a fun outfit, I find that I am always asked when I'm going to sing.

Part of the quest in becoming a New Yorker is taking advantage of all the free things that are available to the general public. Previously I know that I have discussed how much I love going to the Library for the Performing Arts and this is where I applied for and ended up getting my library card. The Library for the Performing Arts is located in Lincoln Center and it has an amazing film archive, where it is possible to watch old Broadway shows that have been archived on film for research purposes. When I directed and choreographed "How to Succeed...," I watched the Matthew Broderick version of this show three times for artistic inspiration. I actually had to gain permission from the Frank Loesser estate. When I told them the reason that I wanted to watch the archived production, they immediately agreed. Along with the ability to check out books there are a lot of perks attached to this card which my friend Shirley informed me of. A lot of my cultural knowledge comes from Shirley. She told me about the "Birdland," the ability to get cheap tickets, and countless other things.

In addition to feeding my artistic soul, I have found that it is crucial to take care of my mentality as well as physicality. Through my book and just through time learning how to accept and love myself for who I am, it is becoming easier to admit that I am Bipolar 1. This is by no means a death sentence, but it does mean that I have to stabilize myself through medication (which I have to take on a daily basis), I have to sleep approximately eight hours a night, and I have to exercise regularly. This factor also contributes to my creativity and helps me to think outside the box. So anyways, I was able to find a talk therapy group that focuses on addressing just Bipolar issues and one day while visiting my friend on the East side of Harlem made me believe that I could just walk over to the Upper West Side, just a few avenues away. Well unfortunately the park was located right in the middle of my route and at the very moment I hit my stride a torrential downpour began. I therefore felt like Bridget Jones Robert Frosting (I took the path less travelled) making her way through Central Park.

I don't think this picture really captures how wet and uncomfortable I was. Well after I had made it to the other side of the park, unhappily I discovered that I had made a giant circle and ultimately returned to the East side. Finally the rain subsided and I was able to get my bearing and relied solely on GoogleMaps to get me to my group therapy, which I ended up being like 25 minutes late to.

Another part of being a freelance writer is the ability to be fearless when interacting with people and to hand out business cards and make connections. Ron marvels at how I am able to make friends so quickly, but what I should tell him well in the wise words of ABBA "That's the name of the game." When I was a child I started out being extremely shy, but as soon as I developed a fascination for Judy Garland and the arts I realized that I would have to learn to be an extrovert. So just like teaching in Barrow where I was required to be an early riser, I had to practice and live the life of a person who appeared to be larger than life and someone who had thick skin and was like the energizer bunny just "kept going, and going, and going."

Another part of being a New Yorker is learning how to schlepp with confidence. Schlepping is an old yiddish term which refers to carrying around mass amounts of shit. (Sorry kids), but in this case I have become a faithful journaler. Oftentimes I bring my laptop to various locations, and I always make it a point to bring reading material. So as a poverty stricken New Yorker, I always make sure to carry at least a bag along with me. I was at Dunkin' Donuts the other day, after my daily workout at the gym an old Italian guy was advising a young lady to eat an apple and a banana every day and then she would be fine. He also told her that if some rando was hitting on her to tell him that she has two brothers. One who was a doctor and one who was in the mafia.

One day as I was getting up I must have looked pretty down and out and he asked me what the matter was, to that I told him that I was sad due to a guy. To that he just told me to get rid of him!!! I love this city, there's no time for bush beatage!

Part of the "Artist Way" program that I'm doing that was given to me by my friend Shirley is to do a journal entry every day and to attend at least one artistic event by yourself every week. I must say that I am pretty driven and do not typically have a problem going to an artistic event, but as I continue to live here, I am finding it more and more difficult to go to events alone, but this dance festival was all the way out in Brooklyn, so this factor made it easier to slip out of my apartment.

As you are able to see from this blog entry is how many elements there are in becoming a true New Yorker, but something that is able to define any culture is the food. The reason why New York is the greatest city in the world is that its incredibly diverse and there is not one food that represents the culture here, but the cheap pizza in NYC can't be beat! Here is me getting ready to devour a slice of pizza on a late Saturday night. I am hoping that one day I will be able to become an integral part of the writing scene just like I am in the pursuit of cheap food.