Observations from the Outside

Despite my own New Yorker-ness, I'm probably still a bit of an outsider. And now I feel like a little but of an outside-America-er.

So I was thinking recently, the difference between the self-proclaimed Upper middle class and the self-proclaimed Lower middle class:

The UMC go to university and major in something they love, rack up lots of debt in the process and then get out and have no idea what kind of career they actually want, but yet still manage to go to yoga and pay rent. The LMC goes to university a major's in something that guarantee's them a job, racks up lots of debt, finishes university and get that's guaranteed job and pays off their debt and their rent and avoids yoga like the plague.

Thus Far

"Today is Tuesday." I was told once by my improv coach, and strangely it's become one of those sayings I live by. It does mean a lot more than the lexical understanding of those three words. Its hard to live by mantra you can only use once a week. So despite the fact that today actually IS Tuesday. It means, that everyday is special and unique and that something excite can happen, you just have to find that thing that's worth improvising a scene about. It's Tuesday, an ordinary day, but something has to make it worth putting in front of an audience. For me thus far today, on this ordinary Tuesday in NYC in August, nothing as of yet is worth making a scene about. But its early in the day.

I've now been back in NYC for a grand total of four days. Woot!! And things are slowly shaping up. I don't have an apartment and I'm not going to find a job for a while. I still have a dissertation to finish, but that gets more done everyday and I have a desk and a key card at the NYC public library. It makes me feel all professional. Its absolutely incredible seeing all my friends and there are still more to see. Generally, I just can't wait.

An Homage to Aberdeen

Which should not be confused with me calling Aberdeen my home. Its not anymore. I'm back in the US of A. And now, a photo essay of the view from my room.

SEPTEMBER

EARLY FALL

LATE FALL

DEAD OF WINTER

APRIL

MIDSUMMER

Instead of Being Productive

Rather than being productive and like editing my dissertation. I figured I'd post some pictures of my trip to the Netherlands. Sorry to disappoint, I was not in Amsterdam and did not partake in the activities that are famous partaken of in Amsterdam. I was out in the country. But there is a windmill.

This is the view from the front walk of the house I was staying at. As you can tell the only thing in the picture is a field of wheat and some trees in the background. And yes, that is in fact actually a field of wheat. Do not be mistaken my friend, somewhere in the world they have to grow the wheat that makes your bread. Here's some of it. A great big old field of wheat.

And the house I was staying in:

No, just kidding. This is actually a house at an open air museum. The house is made of peat bricks. People don't actually live in them anymore. Its kind of picturesque from the outside, but the inside is small, dark with room for the goats and full of spiders. OMG there were so many spiders all over Holland I couldn't escape them. I think that's what I'm most proud about from this trip, the fact that I didn't have a panic attack from all the spiders and have to be sent home early. Because man were there a lot of spiders.

This is the house I actually stayed in, which was described lovingly as either VillaVillaCoola from Pippi or the Burrow from Harry Potter. I couldn't quite understand what they were saying on the first day, because I wasn't yet used to the accent, but later I was more comfortable listen and understanding my host family. Although I think either of the two places apply, but on more thought I'm pretty sure she was referring to Harry Potter.

And as promised, a windmill. Isn't it pretty?

A Conversation with my Father

Me: I'm going to a funeral tomorrow.
Father: Oh, for who?
Me: Stanley Robertson, the major storytelling guy of Scotland?
Father: The one you interviewed?
Me: No, hadn't got to him yet.
Father: That's too bad.
Me: I guess.
Father: Network!
Me: What?
Father: Everyone in Scottish storytelling will be there. Take a notebook, write down their names. Network. Introduce yourself. Make the people you know introduce you to everyone else.
Me: What? Network? At a funeral? Is that even allow.
Father: Network!!