11/11/2004
If You're Into That Sort Of Thing.
"Topic Drift" is an odd and very funny blog. There's a link over there on the right. Just don't forget me once you get there!
Dave.
My neighbor upstairs Dave walked to the train with me this morning. And we rode together until I had to catch the "6" at Lexington Ave. I hadn't seen him since he got back from tour. I don't know if he was on tour with the regular group or somebody else. Nonetheless, he was saying the tour wasn't exactly what he'd hoped or expected it to be (which was "relaxing"). The artists had taught master classes and worked with school aged musicians all along the way. And in the end, he found it quite rewarding, because what is the purpose of any kind of success if it's without "giving back" to the world?
I thought it was a curious conversation to suddenly arise between me and this practical stranger.
He also said he was on Conan O'Brien with Josh Groban last night, and Josh had to sing perfectly live. That Ashlee Simpson SNL debacle has got everybody singing live these days.
I thought it was a curious conversation to suddenly arise between me and this practical stranger.
He also said he was on Conan O'Brien with Josh Groban last night, and Josh had to sing perfectly live. That Ashlee Simpson SNL debacle has got everybody singing live these days.
Uh Oh.
I saw something on Monday that made my heart sink.
A job. A job in Nashville. A job in Nashville at the one place I had secretly hoped would have a job for me. But it never seemed like it would happen. So I continued with my plan to go to New York and pursue display and design. Here I am. And that place has a job in Nashville!
Rocketown is a youth club. I've heard it best described as if the YMCA were starting up today, Rocketown would be the model. There's a few music venues, a coffeeshop and a skatepark. I volunteered in the Sixth Avenue Skatepark skateshop for about a year and a half, since the club opened in January of 2002. I'm a poser. I can't skate. But I admire the amazing kids who do it at Sixth Avenue.
To be honest, I got involved in Rocketown for two reasons. The first reason being that I'm not particularly interested in having kids of my own, but I like kids and think they need good adult guidance, sometimes from people other than their parents. The second reason being I was skeptical. I didn't think the youth club plan was going to fly. I thought it'd be the usual fare of Christians wanting to be relevant to modern day youth culture but going about it in all the wrong ways. I was shocked by my disbelief in the vision. I was ashamed at myself. And then I was drawn towards the opportunity because I knew I couldn't shoot it down as it failed unless I was the differing factor. I knew how I thought the thing should work, and I knew I couldn't place blame if I didn't get involved.
Things started off a bit rocky. And there was a changing of the guard, so to speak. It started getting better. The bands that played at Rcktwn got cooler. The volunteers and mentors were pretty cool. They were making a difference. It was confirmed when a post-high school age girl at work overheard me talking about the club. She said she knew somebody there and they'd really helped her younger sister out while she was pregnant. This was not the type of girl to suffer foolish Christians gladly. I realized the staff and volunteers and Rocketown were actually doing what they'd set out to do, guide youth. Not by preaching at them, not by requiring religious commitments of them, not by asking them to be who they are not. They were guiding youth by being there for them and influencing their lives by being the kinds of people those kids would want to grow up to be.
I've made some calls. A resume and letter are on all the right desks. Now it's time to wait.
A job. A job in Nashville. A job in Nashville at the one place I had secretly hoped would have a job for me. But it never seemed like it would happen. So I continued with my plan to go to New York and pursue display and design. Here I am. And that place has a job in Nashville!
Rocketown is a youth club. I've heard it best described as if the YMCA were starting up today, Rocketown would be the model. There's a few music venues, a coffeeshop and a skatepark. I volunteered in the Sixth Avenue Skatepark skateshop for about a year and a half, since the club opened in January of 2002. I'm a poser. I can't skate. But I admire the amazing kids who do it at Sixth Avenue.
To be honest, I got involved in Rocketown for two reasons. The first reason being that I'm not particularly interested in having kids of my own, but I like kids and think they need good adult guidance, sometimes from people other than their parents. The second reason being I was skeptical. I didn't think the youth club plan was going to fly. I thought it'd be the usual fare of Christians wanting to be relevant to modern day youth culture but going about it in all the wrong ways. I was shocked by my disbelief in the vision. I was ashamed at myself. And then I was drawn towards the opportunity because I knew I couldn't shoot it down as it failed unless I was the differing factor. I knew how I thought the thing should work, and I knew I couldn't place blame if I didn't get involved.
Things started off a bit rocky. And there was a changing of the guard, so to speak. It started getting better. The bands that played at Rcktwn got cooler. The volunteers and mentors were pretty cool. They were making a difference. It was confirmed when a post-high school age girl at work overheard me talking about the club. She said she knew somebody there and they'd really helped her younger sister out while she was pregnant. This was not the type of girl to suffer foolish Christians gladly. I realized the staff and volunteers and Rocketown were actually doing what they'd set out to do, guide youth. Not by preaching at them, not by requiring religious commitments of them, not by asking them to be who they are not. They were guiding youth by being there for them and influencing their lives by being the kinds of people those kids would want to grow up to be.
I've made some calls. A resume and letter are on all the right desks. Now it's time to wait.
11/10/2004
Oh, I Almost Fergot!!
This morning I was distracted because my "N" Train had to stop in the middle of the tunnel to wait for another train to pass an emergency exam. I think it got an "A" but we still had to wait awhile and I was extra late to work.
Anyways, I was going to say, New York has many different aromas. Sometimes it smells like a dog. Sometimes it smells a bit trashy. Last night it smelled like snow. But, this morning, Queens smelled like Ramen Noodles. The chicken flavored kind.
You buy the scents of New York now. But I don't think they carry scents that occur off of Manhattan.
Anyways, I was going to say, New York has many different aromas. Sometimes it smells like a dog. Sometimes it smells a bit trashy. Last night it smelled like snow. But, this morning, Queens smelled like Ramen Noodles. The chicken flavored kind.
You buy the scents of New York now. But I don't think they carry scents that occur off of Manhattan.
11/09/2004
Purple America.
County-by-county breakdown of how we voted. Blue for all democrat, red for all republican, shades of purple for the rest of us. See the original thing here:
Raf.
So I only had a $20 bill this morning. A bit much for just a $1 coffee.
"Hi Raf! Can you break a 20?" I ask.
"Of, course, Amy." And he takes the bill and pretends to chop it up.
"Funny guy," I say as he gets my coffee ready.
"You only like funny guy," he replies and hands me my change.
"Yep."
"Have a good day, love," he says.
"Thanks, good day," I say.
"Hi Raf! Can you break a 20?" I ask.
"Of, course, Amy." And he takes the bill and pretends to chop it up.
"Funny guy," I say as he gets my coffee ready.
"You only like funny guy," he replies and hands me my change.
"Yep."
"Have a good day, love," he says.
"Thanks, good day," I say.
11/08/2004
An Oasis.
One stop beyond the Queens Target store (a regular haunt of mine), I discovered the Queens Center shopping mall. Macy's, J.C. Penney, Pacific Sunwear, Express, Gap, McDonald's, all the mallish things a heart desires.
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And on my way in, I saw a job opportunity?
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Indeed! Indeed! For right inside the mall door was a very nice looking young man at a table that said, "Now hiring: Urban Outfitters." Oh goody, goody!! Unfortunately, he said they already had a visual manager for this particular store. But don't fear, there are 30 other locations in the area, fill out an application.
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The application was like the 3rd degree of my literary and shopping habits. Surely I passed. I am literary and shopperary.
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I would LOVE to get out of my temporary cubicle town and return to dressing windows and championing an army of mannequins. I will accept broken fingernails and bruised shins in exchange for not sitting on my behind at the computer all day.
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