Advise is Precious

I really wish I had a talent to give good advise all the time. It's hard to be comforting and understanding all the time. I admire psychologists who can listen and give humbly advise constantly.

My friend Brooke had her show this weekend and she was not happy about how it turned out, so much that she was beating herself up. I just wish I would have been able to give her better advise and make her feel better about herself and her show. It really was a funny show, yes some of the comedians were not team players, but that wasn't her fault. They are professionals and they should act like it.

My positive for this blog entry is the admiration I have for people who are give unconditional advise to folks in need. The people that people go to when they need to talk and know they will feel better about themselves afterwards. I wish I had that ability and I'm grateful for those kind of people that exist. Maybe one day I will have all the correct answers, I will strive to be that attentive and understanding.

Pain Relievers

Any medication that takes away pain for even a short amount of time is a blessing. I had the worse stomachs cramps last night, so bad that I was up at 5am, 7am, 9am, and then finally woke up at 12pm. I took Pepto a couple times and the pain would subside enough for me to get a couple hours of sleep here and there. Jason went out and got me Gas-x and since I took two of them my pain hasn't come back. I'm now heading to NYC for a short trip to see Brooke with my Gas-X in hand. I think I'll be alright, thanks for pain relievers.

Brooke, my Motivational Speaker

I got to catch up with my friend, Brooke, today when I decided to give her a ring during the kid's nap time. It was great to finally talk to her. I knew that she was back in NY and really busy pursuing her dreams, but I didn't know all the details. So here you go: she's currently interning for Bust my favorite magazine, she is producing her own comedy shows around the city and in Jersey, she doing art shows presenting her handmade light boxes, and she's back bartending and waiting at a NYC night spot. I really admire her tenacity, she never gives up and will always be an amazingly talented, unique individual. She keeps herself super busy, which is very motivational.

Even with all the things she has going on she kept talking about what my next steps should be with my photography. I wasn't in a rut quite yet, but I could see myself getting there. But now after our talk I feel more self-confident and have new motivation to stay positive as I pursue my photography and my teaching aspirations. Brooke and I are very similar in our work ethic and dedication and I just have to remember that everyday. Miss and Love you Brooke, break a leg!

Comedy and Friends in NYC Part 2

The next morning Brooke was very hung over so Al, Burn, and I decided to hang out together and go to the Guggenheim Museum. Ironically a movie or TV show was being shot around the corner from Lara's Apt. I told the ladies that I would like to walk by it just to see if I know any of the crew. I got some pictures of Burn and Al with the trucks and set, but I did not see anyone I knew. It's been 5 years since I was there working so plenty of new faces were involved now. Comes to find out they were shooting the TV show, Gossip Girl.
The Gug was just 10 blocks away so it was a perfect time to walk through the city. We stopped and ate lunch outside somewhere along the way. We all ordered the same salad- it was easy, cheap, and delicious. The Gug had a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit that day and it was pretty cool to see all the existing blueprints of his creations. We also got to see some great Jackson Pollack's and Kandinsky's.

The best part about the Gug was the actual building's interior and exterior design. I got some amazing shots. We then decided it was time to get back to the Apt to see how Brooke was doing. It was already about 5pm.


When we got there Brooke was still resting. We got her butt up and decided to chill a little as we decided what we would do that evening. Brooke invited one of her comedy NY friends out with us. Her name was Alana and she was a wonderful down-to-earth lady with a fantastic energy about her. She fit right into our group and was a great addition. Brooke decided we should go to the Restaurant/Bar she used to work at, so we could see all her old co-workers. The place had a wonderful decor with great moody lighting. We sat at the bar and ordered a bunch of five dollar tapas and margaritas all around. It was Mexican cuisine. We chilled there for hours, it was great company, food, and drinks.

We left and went to the next chilled bar. It was gorgeous. Had a great outdoor ambiance, white wood benches and the lighting and energy was great. We all had champagne and listened to the crazy 90s jams coming from the bar. It was a very posh place with 90s music playing, very funny. I think I heard Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. We had some great laughs, it was wonderful not to have any worries and to just live. We traveled to a beautiful wine bar after that. We sat at the gorgeous outback deck. The owner yelled at me for taking photos of his establishment without permission. It was ridiculous. Burn and I decided to pretend we worked for Food and Wine Mag, her the journalist and me the photographer. He came over to apologize and we told him our story and he was our best friend after that and I took all the photos I wanted. We headed home after that. It was a perfect NY night.

That night and morning were not very pleasant for me. I won't go into detail, I'll just say I got very, very sick. Burn and Al left around noon to head back to Jersey to visit with family. It was so great hanging out with them, I really feel a strong connection to that whole group. I hope I get to hang with them all again soon. Thanks for all the great talks ladies! Brooke stayed with me, we got to have some one on one time. She like us all is having big life decisions to make. We got to chat about our lives. I really love her and hope the best for her. I would love for her to make it as a comic, but first and foremost I want her to be happy. I caught my bus to Baltimore at 2:15 and said my goodbyes to Brooke, who was also heading back to Jersey.

Thanks Lara for letting us all crash at your pad, you are amazing and hope we all get to do it again soon.

Comedy and Friends in NYC Part 1

Have you missed me?! So sorry to ruin an amazing stretch of continuous blog entries since the beginning of the year. I left for NYC with the thought that a computer would be around somewhere for me to do my entries on and I was quite wrong about that. We stayed at Lara's apt. in the Upper East Side and she kept her laptop at work and no one was high tech or rich enough to have a Blackberry or iPhone. Well, enough for all my excuses, I will do my best to make up for all my lost days. 3 or 4 if I include today's entry.

Let me start by saying this was my favorite NYC visit to date. It was just perfect - great conversation with amazing new and old friends with the beautiful city surrounding us. We stayed at Lara's great NYC one bedroom apartment. She is one of Brooke's lifelong childhood friends. Har place was beautifully decorated. I love when people use small spaces so wisely. I ended up staying there both nights with Alison aka Al, Tracy aka Burn, Brooke, and Lara of course.

The bus ride in was a completely painless and easy venture. To think I was so nervous, it's so ridiculous how worked up you can make yourself about the easiest duties. I guess it had just been a while since I explored my adventurous nature. Well, now that that's out of my system, going again we be no huge undertaking. On the trip I got into a new book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, and listened to my new iPod, it was very relaxing.


Got off the bus at the NYC Penn Station and had a call from Brooke letting me know the plans had changed. She wasn't going to meet me early in NY anymore, but that she woulf see me at the Comedy Club at 5pm. It was about two and I decided I'd grab something to eat and take photos while walking to Caroline's, the comedy venue Brooke was performing at, showtime at 7pm. It was a bit hot with two bags and my camera, but I managed, and it was great being in the center of the city again regardless of the conditions. I got some great shots and ate half a turkey and brie sandwich and a cup of corn chowder for lunch. It's easy to find good food in NY. The mission was to spend as little as possible on my trip.


When I got to the club, it was about 5 and I decided to chill there and wait. I had a reservation and asked if I could come in early. No luck. They couldn't allow anyone in until 5:45, so I waited in my sweaty bus clothes. I really wanted to get a chance to change, so I started scouting out for a bathroom. Found one in a lovely Starbucks. I didn't even get a beverage, they've taken enough of my money before and will continue too. I went back to find another girl my age just chilling in front of the club. I had a funny feeling that she was with our group. The deal was these were friends of Brooke's from all different parts of her life. Most were from New Jersey where she grow up and some were from when she lived in NYC for a few months a few months back. I had met Burn a couple times and Lara once before, but everyone else were new acquaintances.

I went in around six when a text from Brooke came in letting me know she was already in the club. Weird, she must have gone in when I was in Starbucks, I thought. Anyways I go to the bar and start talking to that girl from outside. Turns out we were both there for Brooke. She felt like we had met before and was sure I was "a Brooke supporter". Her name was Alison, but everyone calls her Al. She was just a joy to be around immediately. It was like we had known each other for years. We had a beverage. She said that she'd just driven in from DC, but would soon be moving to Arizona. Too bad since she right down the way from me. Anyways we waited as more folks came in, and we met up with Burn, Lara, Lara's brother, and a few other ladies from Brooke's life. They were all great, down-to-earth people and since they all knew each other it was easy to just jump right into conversation. We all sat together and anticipated Brooke's performance.

All the comedians were hilarious. Brooke came up about seventh, and she looked great in her jelly shoes, which became part of her act of course. Brooke just has an amazing comedic delivery. She is a funny lady even when you're having a normal conversation with her. I was so proud of her. I couldn't stop taking photos, which has its drawbacks when you want to pay all your attention to the performance, but I got a few great shots. She was so confident on stage. She did this impression of her uncle that was priceless. I love you darling, and I hope the absolute best in your endeavors, we are all rooting for you!

There were a couple guests comics, namely Darrel Hammond (from SNL) and Judah Friedlander. It was a great surprise. I've seen Judah on Comedy Central a few times. I walked in during his session and he started talking to me. He gave me a sexy nickname, it was awesome. He stopped me at the end of the show and asked me to send him the photos I took, how cool.


We all met up at an old hangout of Lara and Brooke's (conveniently, down the street for Lara's). I had been in contact with Jill, and she met us at the bar. It was great to see her and again all of Brooke's friends got along with her famously.

We hung out there all night, till the wee hours of the morning. New faces kept arriving and everyone was just splendid to be around. Burn, Al, and I are all unemployed waifs, so we had plenty of unemployment woes to share.

This is a first part of the weeks long venture. My adventure continues tomorrow when I pack up to go camping with another group of ladies. The trip is for Lauren's birthday, who is a dear friend of mine also from college. I know most of the girls, but some are from her new production life in NYC where she's been working on film and TV production for the past year or so. I really can't wait, we're staying in a tree house and going hiking and tubing. Love it! I will be indisposed at this time (no internet access in the woods), but come Monday I will be back to work on this positively terrific blog. Coming soon Part 2 of NYC.

Bus Bound to NYC

Okay, so my NYC adventure starts today. I will be taking the city bus to the bus to NYC. It will be great not to have worry about a car, I'll get to listen to my iPod while I read my new book. It will hopefully be relaxing and comfortable. It should take about 3 hours to get there. Then I'll meet Brooke and her friend Tracy on the Upper East Side.

I've never taken a bus by myself for a long distance, but I'm sure it will stir up some good story or entry material. Let's get this journey started. New experiences and good friends await.

Freedom Trip

I'm taking a trip next week that will inevitably be bringing back some fond memories of my old adventurous life. As you all know Jason is now away with his sis and I'm staying here and will get to experience a weekend without Jae (the first in many many moons). I don't necessarily know how fun the weekend will be, I'll probably do very little outside the home, but the idea that I'll be living the single life again is both exciting and scary. I'm going to a party for a very long time family (the Parker's) friend's daughter's college graduation. So crazy how time is flying so fast for us all, I remember when Kathleen just started college and now 4 years later and she's done. It should be fun hanging with old family friends. And if I get overwhelmed with too many unknown faces I can always walk to my Uncle Don's house, since I'll be around the corner. We'll see, either way I'm making my own decisions today.

What was the point of this entry? Oh yea, I'm going to drive to NJ to see my friend Brooke (who's in town from Utah), drop my car off at her parents house, hopefully get to visit with her family for a little bit and then go into NYC by train or Brooke's car. She is doing a comedy act at Caroline's in Times Square. She's been performing for a while, but I've never got to see her live. I'm very excited for her and to see the performance. We're then probably hangin out in the city, drinks, good times, etc. I'm staying with Jill Monday, so it will be great to see her as well. Then staying with Lauren (another great friend from college) both Tuesday and Wednesday night. All other plans are up in the air, hopefully I get to have quality city town with Brooke. Either way I'm doing my own thing with my girlfriends in the city I hold dear to my heart. It's been so long and I've missed the energy terribly. Even if Brooke's not around the whole time (BTW Jill and Lauren will have to work during the day hours, so I'll only be hanging with them in the evenings.) I'll have my camera and a beautiful city in my mist. I will hopefully find a lot of amazing inspiration. And don't worry I'm spending as little money as humanly possible. It will be difficult in such a expensive and tempting city.

I love you Jason, have a wonderful time with Steph. Get your drink on at the wedding and have fun. I can't wait to see you on Thursday!! Love you babe!

Beautiful Redemption

I love witnessing old friends with troubled pasts redeem themselves and become whole human beings with great purpose. My dear friend Matt from college, was once a bit of a recluse. He seemed to never be able to find his niche in the social world, so he tended to let alcohol do most of his talking for him. He was definitely brilliant at his craft, with sound engineering and film-making. But I was always worried about him and wanted him to be happy on all fronts. A few years back Jason and I visited my college home town (Columbia, SC) for my friend Nichole's wedding. I was happy to see Matt there and meet his new wife Ashley. He had found his soul mate and I was so happy for him. She has definitely turned his life around and they are so perfect for each other.

Yesterday Matt emailed his film-making team (Brooke, Nichole and me) to let us know that Ashley was 5 months pregnant and that he was going to be the father of a baby girl named Alice come early December. I told him how incredibly happy I was for him. Matt is proof that life may get you down for a while, but if you open your heart, true happiness can be just around the corner. I wish Matt and Ashley the best. Congrats you two!!

Upcoming Fun

Almost every weekend this month is filled with fun activities. It's great to have fun times to look forward to. There's a camping trip with my dear friends from the South for Lauren's B-Day and a trip I might take to NYC to see my girl Brooke perform her comedy act for the first time. Then there's Julianna's birthday party at Boordy Vineyard, with live music and plenty of wine. I know I have no money, but I'll really keep spending to a minimum. I've been pretty down these days with having a little human contact with my friends, but these upcoming events will really help me out and I just can't wait to see all my friends.

Etsy, Home of Homemade Creations

There's a website now that supports all the great craft designers out there. It's etsy.com and you can post and sell anything you've made with you own two hands there. It's a great resource to find one-of-a-kind items. It makes you feel good to buy something from there cause you're supporting a fellow artisan. My girlfriend Brooke makes photo light boxes out of electrical boxes and sells them on Etsy. She's had pretty good luck selling them, she referred to them yesterday as unique night lights. If you find a unique idea and run with it, you have the potential of making a few extra bucks selling on Etsy. I really want to come up with a clever way of making earrings, ideas go through my head everyday, I now just have to make it happen. They also provide room on your Etsy page for a description of how you made the items and profile info about yourself. It your story is interesting enough that might also influence shoppers to purchase. It's really fun and I hope to be a contributor to Etsy one day.


etsy.com

NYC, my lost love... its been too long.

That's right this entry goes out to the city I hold dear to my heart, New York. I miss the energy it exudes. I love seeing all the cultures and lifestyles you can possibly imagine on one subway train. I miss the freedom of expression and confidence people carry. With the jobs and the lack of friends I had, I never had a chance to really explore like I wanted too. Now 2 of my closest friends live there and I'm 3 hours away, and have yet to visit them. I need to go there with no strings attached and soak up the culture and explore all that I missed. That might take a couple visits. I want Jason to experience NYC through my eyes. Go to the parks, see the art, the theater, and go to amazing restaurants. We would have such a fantastic time and I would be able to rebuild my lost love, New York City. We also will have to go to Brooklyn. First we need some $ and some time, I will start planning this venture now., maybe for this Summer. Lauren and Brooke here we come.