Things That Annoy Me in NYC

So for some time I've been planning to let you all in on the list of things that drive me up a wall on an almost daily basis about this city. Let's dive right in, shall we?

• Trash. I've been to Boston. It is possible to keep a big city clean, but it has not been achieved in New York City yet. Here's hoping they figure it out one day.
• Saunterers. These are the people that apparently have nowhere to get to and nothing to do- they're just out to wander the streets of the biggest city in America and take it all in the most lackadaisical way you can imagine. They can attack anywhere. On the street. Entering and exiting the subway (so that you must literally herd them out the door in order to not miss your stop). In restaurants, on running tracks. They're movement generally involves walking in anything but a straight line as well. Which makes it all the worse.
• The people who stop IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROWDED STREET AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIME because apparently they've suddenly been overcome with a revelation of some sort that literally stopped them in their tracks. They seem to enjoy doing this right in front of me.
• Escalator-Blockers. For those of you unaware, there's an unspoken rule on escalators: if possible, stand on the right side if you're going to ride, leaving the left side free for those of us in a bit more of a hurry to walk up. Some people (not gonna lie. mostly women.) appear to find some deep-rooted satisfaction in being the person who chooses to stand on the left, blocking everyone behind them even if there's an open space to their left where they could stand instead. Is anarchy taking over? Is this real life??
• The MTA, aka the Subway System. It is beyond my understanding how there is incessant work to be done on the Subway lines, and what is even more confounding is how it always needs to be done on the days when I'm in a hurry. Delays, changes in service, inexplicable huge crowds on the platform; you name it, it's made me late. And let's not start on the smell.
• It's expensive.
• It's expansive.
• It's crowded.
• It's expensive (worth mentioning again. All though life seems to be generally expensive these days no matter where you are.)
• People don't know how to do their jobs. If Julie were writing this post, it would be about the Post Office employees. Since it's my blog, we're gonna talk about Staples. Staples and I are not on good terms at the moment. The first time I went to Staples to print off my headshot and resume, the guy was so helpful, he figured out how to print my picture at perfect lightness/darkness, and it was cheap. I've been needing a refill. Throughout this past week I have been told by various Staples that they can't give me my prints until the next day (while I'm standing right in front of them in their open store with my flash drive), that they didn't know how to do that for me, that I could go do it myself (they'd give me the photo paper), and now today I finally went back to the original store and the guy couldn't match my picture at all, none of them looked as good as my first set did no matter how many ways he tried, and it cost me almost $40. I feel like it cost me less than $10 last time. Feeling an explosion coming on, I paid the sum and exited the store. Into the rain. (Again, this lack of intelligence in the workplace may not be limited to the city)

While I'm on a roll here (and since I've started listing kinda general life complaints), I might as well get something else off my chest that I've wanted to say a long time. Cords drive me crazy. Extension cords, vacuum cords, headphones, phone chargers, ropes, christmas lights; cords are the devil. They manage to tangle themselves, no matter what you do, into the most incomprehensible knots- They tie a better knot by themselves than any human I've ever met.

Today was a rainy day, and Staples ticked me off so I decided to finally write my whiny, complaining post about how my life is so hard this afternoon. Then I got on the subway ride home and there was a woman in the car with me that couldn't sit up straight, was totally unbalanced (I tend to think mentally as well as physically), and just clearly was messed up. I didn't know what to do. Some people laughed. I was scared to death she was going to tumble headfirst into the aisle. I wanted to help her (I wasn't the only one), but what could I do? So I just got off at my stop, and felt ridiculous that I didn't ask her if she needed help or knew where her stop was... or if she could stand up when she got there. And immediately I realized that I've got it good, and no matter how much of a pushy, impatient New Yorker I become, I better never forget where how big I'm blessed. And all these miniscule little annoyances should never keep me from taking a breath, putting it in perspective, putting on a smile, and being damn grateful for what I've got.

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The Return of the New York Experience!

So since I returned to New York City, I've been wondering how to go about starting to blog again. It seemed like a heck of alot of pressure and build-up after several months of non-blogging; how do I sum up what's happened over the past months, where do I start, does anyone read this, WHAT AM I DOING??? Oh, another day gone by! But then I thought what the heck. I'm just going to start like I never stopped. So here goes.

The other night I attended a fancy-shmancy charity gala for Broadway in South Africa. My friend helped organize the thing, and asked if anybody would be willing to volunteer the night of. With the promise of celebrities and feeling good about helping out, I agreed. I put on my cool clothes, tied my own tie for the very first time (Why didn't I just follow a step-by-step video online years ago?), and wore my glasses for some extra flair.

Broadway in South Africa is group of working Broadway actors who have joined together to go to South Africa and teach arts camps at the schools. They've seen kids leave gangs, come back to school for the first time in years, graduate and go to college. They've seen them begin to write music and plays, perform; the singers and the kids at the gala performed all original songs written by the kids. The program has gone from a small group of actors with an idea to the big charity it was.

It was ritzy, all right. I helped shepherd people into the right doors, make sure their names were on the list, etc. Then as everybody got settled, I snuck up to the balcony and snagged a good seat. The lights went down, and the first girl began to sing, and it was too much for me. It was beautiful. Such a pure, powerful voice, moving everyone in that room to cheers. It reminded me once again why I've chosen this life: Because art, entertainment, music, drama is powerful. It's important, and it moves people. Here's a group of actors literally changing lives with what they do. It was a nice little wake up call. Oh yes. That's why I'm here. That's what I'm working to achieve.

For those of you who don't know, I decided not to return to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts this year. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but it was a leap of faith I had to take. That's the key word right there: Faith. That's what I'm living on these days. But I know that there is a reason, and I know that there is a plan. Now begin the days of auditions, open calls, finding work, and being told 'NO THANKS' (or getting no response at all) over and over again. Some days I feel like a true New York actor, rushing from audition to audition, singing my heart out, and handing out resumes and headshots left and right. Other days I wonder what the heck I've gotten myself into. But even on the worst of days, I find ways to remember what I'm working toward, with little reminders like the one I got the other night. And I have confidence in knowing that I'm being taken where I need to go. You don't drink the water if you don't dig the well. So I'm gonna keep on digging. And I know that one day I'm gonna hit a spring. And it will burst forth and shoot into the air like a geyser, powerful and dynamic to all who see it.

(At least I  hope so.)