Life in brief

Brief due to extreme fatigue. But here it is, just to keep track for myself

Yesterday I:
-started at the Daily News
-interviewed theatergoers on the impact of Archbishop Dolan’s visit to Irena’s Vow on their viewing options
-walked a lot
-went to the bronx to work on this
-took the train home, ate, read, slept

Today I:
-went to a press opening of the High Line, the elevated park where some cool people spoke
-met some incredible reporters and fellow interns
-went to a park in the Bronx for man on the street reporting (turns out it’s the park my dad grew up in. two blocks away from his first U.S. home).
-met a person who lives in a homeless shelter for medical disabilities since he very recently woke up from a long coma that left him financially devastated
-was walked to the subway by someone I interviewed in the park
-went out to dinner
-traveled home

Bullet points mean I am lazy. Will try to not do this again. Good night.

teeth. play. work.

Yesterday I went to the dentist (aka my uncle) for a cleaning and exam. This made me think about my discarded aspiration to attend dental school. Although I was not exactly comfortable, lying on my back, foreign hands in my mouth, a supersonic scaler cleaner brazing my teeth, I became nostalgic for a life I once thought I wanted, if that’s possible. Dentistry itself seems exciting, and a ticket to a secure life. But then I got back to my reading and remembered why I traded physics in for Chaucer.

Then I want to my high school to watch my brother play trumpet in the senior play, Back to the 80’s. It worked because they were playing themselves: high school seniors desperately anticipating prom and the future. There, I had a chat with the English teacher who inspired my love of books and the New Yorker.

Today, I started work at the Forward, a weekly national Jewish newspaper. I’ll be working under the associate publisher two days a week—and I might get to write some articles as well. I enjoyed meeting so many interesting people, and being back inside a newsroom.

A sign that this job is fitting: the bathroom code is the same as Spec’s. Bashert.

The office is beautiful, and located near Wall Street, an area that has renewed my awe of New York city just as I was getting over it. The novelty of the place will wear off, of course, but until then, the narrow streets and cobblestones will please me. In the spirit of learning the lay of the land, Mary met me after work. We had a lovely evening which consisted of wandering, mostly. We wandered into Tiffany’s, because I have been holding onto a $50 dollar coin for that jewelry store for eight years since my bat mitzvah. I figured I would find something cheap and finally spend the gift.

But nope. The cheapest tag charms in the store were $80. So then I thought, okay, well, I’ll buy a ridiculously expensive pen. A telling conversation about the whole business:

me: “Do you carry any pens for about $50?”
saleslady, tapping her feet at my apparent ignorance about her store: “No.”

It was hard not to laugh. I ended up leaving the store with my $50 coin in my wallet, and plan to turn it into a necklace. As Mary noted, though the trip was not tangibly fruitful, it reaffirmed that our life choices—not shelling out $475 for a tiny Elsa Peretti pendant in amethyst—made sense.

Then we meandered to South Street seaport and enjoyed the view:

Conversation with a puppy man

Yesterday, I went into the city for some appointments, and between them, had some time to kill. I made some new friends. For now, here’s a snippet of a chat with one of them.

While waiting to meet up with someone, I saw this sign:

Lexington Ave. near 77th st.

So, of course, I had to enter. Some puppies:

Lexington Ave. near 77th st.

Twins?

I want this one!

Tired?

For Yalies?

Anyway, in order to not look conspicuous while loitering, I struck up a conversation with a man who works there. Apparently, they moved into the neighborhood recently because of a condo development that displaced the business (which is why I didn’t recognize the shop from my high school years.) After he asked me what I was studying, he said, “you know, what you study often has little to do with your career. For example, I studied social work. I was a social worker for several years. But then I realized that I like working with dogs more than people.”

Gotta have my Shakes.

If anyone around the city this summer is reading this, let me know if you’d be interested in attending Shakespeare in the park. I’d love to go with a group to the Bacchae and the Twelfth Night. So so so excited to take advantage of these kinds of offerings!