Don't get drunk and lost in a foreign place

So the YMCA never worked out on Monday night. All the equipment was outside of the weight-lifting room due to renovation and reconstruction, I am assuming? I was off the hook , unfortunately. I was looking forward to relieving some stress. Psychologists say that exercise is the best stress reliever. If you are trying to get rid of your problems, do not drink! It’s only a temporary fix but the next day you will be a sad slump. I am guilty of this for the last few months.

Lisa invited me back over for some pizza and beers. I walked in and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1 was playing on VHS. The pizza was not decided until mid-movie when she says “I feel like we should have pizza since were watching TMNT.” I got to meet her roommates as well. The first roommate, Carlin, was already under the influence when I showed up. I thought she was just friendly? I was told she’s usually quiet. I hope not. She was fun. I briefly got to know her second roommate as she just got back from some tour with a metal band. In time I’m sure I’ll get to talk more with her. That evening they had decided they were throwing a rooftop party in celebration of the lunar eclipse. I was excited! My first rooftop party! It never happened. Around midnight Mike called and said he was home. As the small party was coming to an end I grabbed my coat and headed to the bus stop. The wind was out of control. I put on my new Carharrt headgear and pulled down the face mask. I finally arrived at Mike’s that evening and we walked down to Franklin Ave. to check out one of our local bars. The bar was cool, but empty. So we blew our noses in the bathroom, and left. Not much else was happening that evening so we called it a night.

We spent all day Monday together. Our morning started out in Park Slope at the bagel…the bagel something. They served bagels (go figure.) So we had our bagels and coffee and left within a half hour. Immediately after, I began my bicycle shopping. We popped into a local shop a block away. There was nothing in my price range. The lowest price was around the $500 range for a single-speed flip-flop hub to fixed gear. Before you judge, I am not a fixed gear cyclist. Let’s just say I like to go fast. I cut people off like an asshole. I guess I am more of an adrenaline junky if anything as cliché as that sounds.

We eventually got around to the Q-train and made our way into the city. The train traffic was unbearable. The ride was twice as long from the norm. We arrived at Canal Street so mike could get some cheap sunglasses from china town. He was shopping and I was writing emails to try and work credentials for the Rangers and Lightning game tomorrow. Turns out I had no luck at the Madison Square Garden, although the Director of Public Relations for the St. Pete Times Forum was more than happy to give me the contact I needed for credentials. I continued my bicycle shopping as Mike was looking for some paintings to hang on his walls at home. We must have walked and shopped for 4 hours. I found a bike I think I am interested in. The woman I talked to looked homeless, and her sales pitch was monotone. I plan on talking her down on the price and suggest paying with cash. It will be hard for me to give my money to someone so unprofessional. We will see. The only thing that I left Manhattan with was blisters on the tops of my toes. My boots still need some breaking in before they can be worn for such long durations.

We made our way from the city to my brothers so I could grab my oversized hockey bag and move it to my new home. They were nice enough to let me store it until I actually move in. After we were dropped off and I had left my bag behind, we then walked 6 blocks back to Mikes. We cooked some pasta for dinner and had a few mixed cocktails consisting of rum and lemonade. Lisa suggested we check out The Levee for our night out. It was about 10:30 and we made our way over to Williamsburg on the nearest bus line. The Levee ended up being my new favorite bar so far. They had 3 different specials going on. We ordered 2 Frat boys. The frat boy is a shot of Jagermeister and a Budweiser. That was my first time ever drinking Jager. I liked it! I hear that many high school students also enjoy Jager. So I don’t enjoy stiff drinks? So what? I never have. I have no problem telling the bartender “Give me the girliest drink ya got. Extra cherries.” The bar had quite a few bowls of cheese balls about every 3 chairs. The room was filled with around 30 people. Mike and I were eyeballed by 2 adorable girls who kept passing by. With every glance followed a smirk with it. We reacted by playing a game of Jenga near them. Of course we chickened out - after our game was ruined twice by another 2 girls bumping into the table. So we grabbed our coats and headed out the door. We decided to go to Barcade. Yes - a bar with an arcade, but the video games were vintage. So we walked in, took a piss, and immediately left. The bar was slow and boring. We headed a few blocks over to Union pool. This was more like it. A good crowd with a dance floor and a bonfire out back. We grabbed another couple of beers and I showed the room what a terrible dancer I am. Sitting outside by the bonfire I tried to make friendly conversation with everyone surrounding me. They were all boring. Nothing interesting to say, and pretty unfriendly. The only cute girl around was even horrible to talk to. I left just as quickly as I sat down.

About 2 a.m. we headed back home. This was the probably the highlight of our night. We decided the best way to get back home was to take the G train and walk to Fulton St to catch the other train home. As we were in the process of transitioning transition between trains we had only 4 minutes to catch the next train home. If we missed it we would have to wait another 20 minutes for the next one. So I checked my GPS and we had no choice but to sprint. We took off running towards Atlantic Ave, and took a left. About 4 blocks later the street was in our sights! We could finally catch our breath and relax. We were so excited to finally be on our way home. “What the fuck is this? This isn’t right! Oh shit, we went the wrong way.” We sprinted like idiots for nothing. By that point we took our time and focused our attention to the GPS and finally found our destination. The last train home got messy as a young drunk adult was throwing his guts up. Everyone stood up and ran to the other side of the car. We were all looking back at the poor kid. Half of us with smiles and laughter, the other half disgusted. But all together, out loud we were making our natural grossed out noises. We finally made it home and realized Mike had left his door open. I thought someone broke in. I ran through the door to check to see if anything was stolen and thankfully nothing was missing. We were oblivious when we had left I guess. What a stupid mistake.

I slept maybe 5 hours last night. I took a shower and left Mikes around 10 a.m. and headed to where I am now at The Breukelen Coffee House for breakfast and free Wi-Fi. This is one of our local coffee shops. There’s some smooth jazz playing, and lots of friendly local customers. I am a bit hung over so I am not saying much today. There are lots of cute girls popping in and out. There’s one sitting near the back in a chair with her headphones in. She’s been here for about an hour now and we have exchanged eyes more than enough times in the mirror. You think I’m going to get up and talk to her? Probably not. I would like to, but I am a terrible ice breaker unless I am introduced. “So…coffee huh?” would probably be my first words to her. Mike just showed up and our plans today are to continue bike shopping, and jailbreak his Iphone up in the Bronx. Another cute girl just walked in, and I’m fresh meat.

The city that never lets you sleep

That title says a lot considering I have not received a full amount of sleep my first 3 days here. Last night was an exception because I actually slept in a real bed on the living room floor which was dragged in from the staircase outside. Don't worry, it actually had an owner and was not abandoned. So I have a lot to talk about. It's New York City! New experiences every day. Today's blog is coming from me dressed in a shirt and tie. I feel important although I'm not. Not yet.

I believe I left off at Saturday morning shortly after I caught a cold bus ride back to my brothers. We had breakfast again (Me, Brandon, and Sophie - his wife) as a small family. An hour or two later Brandon and I headed to the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA for a chest and triceps workout. If it weren't for the no-xplode supplement I swear I would have been falling asleep on the bench. Surprisingly I did quite well. Working out with my brother is fun until the point where you feel like vomiting. He doesn't take many breaks in between sets. His idea for a healthy workout routine is "lift til' you puke." On the way home we grabbed some take out Indian food that was possibly one of my favorite meals so far in New York.

Later Saturday evening I met up with Karla (the girlfriend from the first blog) to talk about our relationship so we both have a clear understanding on us. After she had changed her outfit twice we left her apartment to go shop for some head gear to keep my ears warm. We were both starving so halfway through the train ride into town we got off to grab dinner at Juniors diner. Soup for her, Turkey sandwich for me, and Irish coffee's for the both of us. I didn't have much of an appetite so I only ate half. The sandwich was stacked with turkey with a dab of mayonnaise which made the sandwich dry and hard to eat. Every bite was chased with another sip of my alcoholic beverage. The experience was completely worth it because of our waiter. He was the nicest guy I have ever met. He made it a point to make sure we were well taken care of. He even wiped the sticky whipped cream off of my glass, and cleaned up my area half way through our dinner. I made sure he knew how we felt, and also his manager. That is probably the first time I have gone out of my way for somebody to make it a point of their service. Perhaps I was into the Christmas spirit that evening too with the holiday playlist, and the restaurant overflown with decorations.

Back to the train platform, and onward we went to our original destination to Dave's New York. Dave's has a collection of Carhartt winter clothing. Turns out Dave's was closed. 6 p.m. is last call on Saturday's. DAMNIT! The night didn't end there. So we walked to Union Square to look around the stores in that area. We got stopped by a bald black man in an overcoat. "My god you are pretty, what is your name?" he said. "Don't beat me up, I'm just being friendly. Is this your girlfriend?" With sarcasm I replied "No. She wishes she could be." as well as many other witty and rather sly comments thrown her way. Turns out he was a salesman for a hair salon, and a comedian on the side. We received 2 free tickets to any one of his shows after that conversation. Those went in to the nearest trash can. It was at that point Karla was holding on to my arm, and holding my hand finally showing me the affection I have been looking for. So we headed across the street to whole foods because I wanted to pick up some Dr. Bronner's hemp soap. That stuff goes a long way you know? I grabbed what I needed and took her back home so she could prepare for her night shift at her coat checking job. I rode the train halfway back with her on my way home before leaving her behind. I kissed her, wished her good luck and headed on. I got back to my brothers and was confused as to what just happened that evening. I made some phone calls, and texted a few close friends for advice. Leading me on? Still into me? Wants her cake and wants to eat it too? Fucking women.

Sunday. I headed back to Dave's New York to find what I needed. A fleece cap with a wind-resistant pull-down face mask. Its purpose is for winter cycling when I eventually find myself a bike. Karla called me first thing in the morning. This can only mean one thing, right? She's misses me. She wants me back! Not quite. I told her my plans for the day, and invited her to a show that evening. My friend Kyle was in town from Orlando and was tour managing for Automatic Love Letter. I was guest listed with a +1 for her. I met with Kyle at 8th and 16th street mid-town Manhattan and we headed back down to see the production on the freedom tower. It was exciting for a total of 10 seconds. We grabbed a slice of pizza, and some beers right after - closer to where we had met. I made my way back home after about 1 1/2 hours to drop my things off. I headed to target and grabbed some new socks from there, and then got a text from my newest friend Lisa telling me she's home from Philadelphia and to head over. Lisa and I had met back in October at Fest in Gainesville while she was selling merchandise for Mix-tapes. She heard about my band through other mutual friends in a band called Captain We're Sinking! They are good friends of mine who played on tour in Orlando with us, and are on Lisa's record label (Kind of like records.) So she heard good things about us, and her and I had bonded at that point. I told her about my plans to move to Brooklyn, and she told me to hit her up once I got there - which I did.

I had not heard from Karla until after we had arrived to the show. She was not feeling well so she bailed. This gave me opportunity to get to know my new friend Lisa. She was also guest listed that night because she did some work for one of the bands playing that evening. We found Kyle and he gave us a couple All Access passes. Most of the evening was spent hanging out backstage with the other bands and drinking the free Heineken. I was surprised to find one of the bands was ex-members of the legendary Taking Back Sunday. I never got into them, but I have friends who are so I was free to brag about it. Legends? No. Just normal musicians bored in between cities. Just like anyone else.

From the show Lisa took me to a bar back near her neighborhood. It was a Sunday holiday party. The bartender had a 'No Friends' shirt on which are some good friends of mine from Orlando. I was introduced to a few of her friends which a couple had moved up from Orlando. Small world. They asked me if I go to BBQ-bar. I said I hated that place but was unfortunately sucked in. They were friendly. We got some beers, and the free pizza that came along with it. That's right. Free pizza with purchase of beer. We headed up stairs and a Christmas rock and roll cover band started playing. It was perfect. The music was horrible, the sound was horrible, and the vocals had too much treble and not enough bass. But it was at that point my sadness was broken and suddenly my spirit was lifted. It was too perfect. 5 drunk amateurs on stage having a blast. They were surrounded and everybody was smiling. The Christmas spirit was back. Even one of the workers who barely spoke English was forced onto the stage to sing Feliz Navidad. He was off by a half measure the whole time. Everyone hooted and applauded regardless. It was all about fun, not performance. We took a cab back to Lisa's and she let me crash on the small mattress that was dragged inside. After watching about 15 minutes of Love Actually I had passed out. I was done.

This morning I was up around 8:30, put on my boots, said thank you and goodbye to Lisa. I came home and immediately got ready to leave again. Today was job hunting day. Shirt, tie, slacks, and fancy shoes and I was on my way back to Manhattan. I had pulled an ad off craigslist for a valet position and went to the location. As I was making my way towards the door I walked away realizing I had forgotten to bring a pen with me. Bought my pens and headed back. I walked inside and realized what a shit hole the place was. The guy was a dick, and the other applicants were more than likely not eligible to work in the U.S. Not for me. Karla texted me and told me to come visit her. I made my way over to her restaurant. After a few bitter and immature comments towards her I told her we should probably not talk anymore. She fills me with false-hope, digs my emotions into the ground, and just brings me down as a person altogether. It's not worth it to me. I moved to New York for myself. For school, change, partially family, and opportunity. Those were my original intentions. All she did was ruin my experience if anything. Once I had walked out that restaurant door I put on Pacemaker, by Teenage Bottlerocket, and smiled.

I sent Lisa a text to let her know what was up. She invited me to lunch, so I took the 6 to her office. I told her that suddenly I woke up. I feel great. It was over and I could go back to being me again. Selfish and drunk. Just kidding. After we each had a bowl of soup, we left and she pointed at a restaurant with no name across the street. She said they just opened and I should pop in. I did just that. I got an immediate interview, and should be hearing from the GM by tomorrow. The manager was real nice and from Florida which probably helped my case. That, and he was gay. I am often approached by homosexual men so it only makes sense. That's fine though. I'll let him dream about me if he can give me a job.

I am mostly excited about my new friend Lisa. She's a very sweet person with a wonderful list of contacts. And she gives a shit. Getting to know her has been one of my best experiences so far. It has not been a total of 24 hours since our reuniting and I already feel like she's a close friend. Tonight I am heading to Mike Lewis's house and staying with him for a few days. The 23rd, if the offer still stands, I will have my new apartment to myself while the girls are out of town. Goodnight everyone. I'm heading back to the YMCA with Brandon now. It's time for me to get nauseous again.

"I'M BACK BABY!" - George Costanza

4 hours of sleep later

Good morning. I just got home from a long night out with 2 single ladies. Thats right. And they just weren't any single ladies, but these ladies were my roommates! You see, about 3 weeks ago I started to do my apartment hunting. Every ad listed was basically "available now." In Brooklyn, apartments or rooms are usually available for 24-48 hours and then occupied immediately. So I started to do room searches for the dates I was actually going to be living in Brooklyn. I came across an ad that read "Need cool roommate who potentially like Dominos pizza." I figured that was right up my alley. It was calling me. The ad was extremely friendly, and quite satirical. Now for anyone that knows me personally would agree that it just makes perfect sense for my personality.

I went over for a meet and greet around 8 p.m. yesterday evening. I took the 44 bus down Nostrand Ave. to St. Marks. I stepped off the bus, cut the corner, and a ball came rolling to my feet. As I looked up I was being rushed by a group of children. I kicked the ball back and walked by. When I got to the apartment I walked up to the third floor to find my new home. The apartment is beautiful. Lots of space, hardwood floors, and freshly painted walls (I think). We basically sat around and got to know each other pretty quick. In about an hour a decision was made that they were going to ditch their original plans to see the new Tron movie in 3d and head to the west village for a few drinks. I drank my first 40 in New York as they shared a four loko (for those that don't know - four loko is now banned in this state) and we set off. The bars in the west village were extremely packed with college students. None of us were really into it. Actually we ended up having only 1 drink in the 2 hours we were gone and went right back home. Considering that I am done talking about it already shows how lame that shit was. It was 2 a.m. by the time we got back so I decided to crash on the couch rather then wait for another 40 minutes for the bus.

After my initiation into the best friends coalition I eventually laid my head down. I heard something move. A little mouse! I jumped up 3 different times trying to find this thing. I flipped on the lights, and was on my hands and knees crawling around the living room. I'm pretty sure the mouse was in the wall so I decided to go to sleep to the sound of the cute, little squeaks. I wished the mouse a goodnight and closed my eyes.

All the events that happened before meeting these wonderful ladies were pretty slow. I took the G-train to Williamsburg to do some exploring around 2 in the afternoon. My plan was to get out of my comfort zone and get an idea for where I want to start looking for work. I grabbed lunch at this small Chinese restaurant called The Red Bowl. I had my usual sesame chicken and did some people watching. Everyone in Williamsburg really is a hipster! The rumor was true. I saw it for myself.

(Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.) - UrbanDictionary.com

Shortly after I finished my delicious lunch combo I got a little more lost before I headed back home. After all, my shoulder was lethargic at that point from carrying a stack of resumes in my bag.

So far Ive been here one day and I am falling in love with the city. I think I'm really going to like it here once I'm settled. There's so much diversity, energy, and culture as well as many other unsaid adjectives. This is only the beginning of my new life.

Moving Day

I wan't to start with an introduction about myself so those of you reading can have a better understanding of my character. My name is Taylor. I am a 25 year old student with a career focus in Journalism / Writing / Public Relations. I'm about 3 years through school now about to receive my A.A. I took some time off due to financial reasons which held me back. The last 10 years of my life has been surrounded with music. To be more brief I have been involved with punk rock music. In and out of bands, traveling, and playing shows I finally put it to an end. A life of a musician is becoming nearly impossible. With the hard work, dedication, and money involved only leads to a lifetime of debt and being homeless. Time for a change. I am moving to Brooklyn, New York today in search of a life.

So finally the day is here. It really makes me think about how fast we get old. We wait for so long, then the day is here and we are that much older. I made the decision to head north for New York last May of 2010. I originally went up there to visit my brother Brandon as a birthday gift from him. I remember getting in the car, he poured me a cup of coffee from his home-brewed batch, and first thing he tells me "So I promised Dad I would talk about you joining the Navy." Great. Another lecture about what to do with my life. Although I did not end up joining the Navy, that New York experience changed my life anyways. I realized nothing was working for me at home in Orlando and I needed a different pace. Something to drive me and give me motivation. The fact that I had my older brother living in Brooklyn was an opportunity for me to get up there and get started. I took it.

For the next few months all that was on my mind was New York. I mentioned it to my band, but not seriously. In my mind and in my heart I knew I was leaving. For those of you that play in a more serious band, you understand that your band becomes your relationship. Your members become your close family. It wasn't until October I let them know I was leaving, and we broke up.

Now last July I had retained my old job with the Rickshaw Company. I was with that company a few years ago, and had spent 4 years with them. I was let go due to strep throat and could not bring myself to get out of bed to make it to my shift. I know...it was bullshit. It's obvious they wanted a whole new staff. Anyways, back with them I was making money again. I'm talking about $1,000 a week during the regular summer season. As I thought I was back on my feet my move to New York nearly slipped. But, a month later, I was let go again. This time it was for a friend/co-worker to ask me to take a picture of him with George Lucas. When I heard "Hey Taylor, can you take a picture real fast?" I turned around, and there was Mr. Lucas with his eyebrows raised waiting to move on with his day. Of course I would not try and delay his time any further so I quickly snapped it and went back to work. Later that evening I got a call from my manager telling me "Taylor, unfortunately I have to let you go. I'm sorry. I know it's bullshit and please don't make me feel any worse than I do." I was back to square one. Broke.

I was back in New York in September. My brother was getting married. I swear New York is just waiting for me. I always have a reason to come right back. That weekend of the wedding I met a girl in Brooklyn. She slipped me her phone number in a small breakfast diner that contained world-famous pancakes and she later became my girlfriend. We spent the last 3 months together long distance and have seen each other twice since then. We fell in love. Obviously this gives me more then enough reason to come right back. If it weren't for her I wonder if I would follow through with my plans. Push to shove.

3 days ago she left me. She doesn't have the time to commit to the relationship, plus a few other problems between us. Working 3 jobs, and being a student makes perfect sense. I get it. But we don't always get the full story. There is always something left out. I'd rather not ask and just try to understand the best I can and move forward from there. We didn't speak til' the next morning. From there it led into a discussion about what went wrong between us and what we can do to make it work. After 2 hours I'm not sure where we stand at this point or what is even going on. All I know is right now I am alone. I always sensed that she felt desolate. It shows. I just wanted to prevent her from feeling that way, and know somebody loves and cares for her. She is plagued with a series of unfortunate events and a painful family history. I will go no further out of respect. There's not much I can do at this point except wait. I still love her.

These last few weeks have been real hard for me. I have had way too much time on my hands. Every day gets longer only allowing more time to think too much. I have said goodbye to basically everyone I need to at this point. The hardest is thinking about my closest friends I grew up with since 3rd grade, and my family. I will miss and love all of them. It won't be the same. With every decision comes a sacrifice. I can't thank everyone enough in my life for all they have done to help me. With all I have learned I will take into the future only to receive success. Thank you.

There's my life in a nutshell.

With under 5 hours before my flight I have to finish packing a few things. I arrive tonight at 9:24 p.m. and my new life begins. I hope you continue to read and see where my life goes from here. I will try to write as frequently as possible. Goodbye Florida.

Touching, isn't it?

Guess what

My blog is back in action. Starting Thursday I will blog daily for I am making a drastic move to New York City. The whole idea of this is to improve my writing critique and see how my life changes and develops over time.