The Brooklyn Adventurer

Preach what you Practice

2013-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

This past summer, I got my 200 hour certification in yoga, and since then, I have been a freelance yoga teacher at a bunch of places around New York City.

Yoga has changed my life profoundly in so many ways, most of them psychological, and sharing it with others has become a passion of mine.

These images were made as promotionals for my professional yoga page- www.emily-buck.com. If you live in the New York area and are looking for a yoga teacher, check it out. There's a link on the top of the page here as well.

Namaste, kids.

Walks in the Woods

2013-02-09T17:28:00.000-05:00

In early December, I had the chance to travel to Maine, where I stayed with my Grampa two nights, and my aunt and uncle a third. My Gramma passed away at the very end of November, and it rocked my family a bit, so I was glad that going up there to stay was a possibility for me.

Walked through the woods with my Grampa. Had long talks. Deep talks. Spirituality, religion, learning, politics. He is a fascinating, experienced, and brilliant man. I'm so blessed.

Was able to see him in Maryland at a different aunt and uncle's house a week later, and then again after Christmas in Maine for my Gramma's memorial service. Hopefully, I'll see him soon, but until then, we've been talking on the phone for about an hour every week, and it's an incredible blessing.

Next weekend I get to visit my other grandparents at their time share in Florida. Very much looking forward to it.

Planning to start posting again. It's been a few monthes of a lot of change for me, some changes negative, some the opposite but the way I am coming out of them is overwhelmingly positive. 2013 is shaping up to be incredible. I've decided it shall be so.

Game of Thrones as Seinfeld

2012-12-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

Never, ever, EVER forget how much of a difference your editor can make. Also, don't ever underestimate the power of laugh tracks.

This mashup, Game of Thrones as Seinfeld, just about made me fall out of my chair. I'm a big fan of The Song of Ice and Fire, more of the books than the show, but the show is pretty beautiful, and I've watched plenty of Seinfeld, and I love what these people are doing. They overlaid laugh track on the video and did some simple cuts, but I'm pretty certain that the two main scenes in each episode here are powered dominantly by the Seinfeld-esque rolling laugh track.

Anyway, give the first two episodes a looksee. I'd imagine that it's probably slightly less funny if you haven't seen both shows, but hey, that's life.

Check it out.

Zen Pencils

2012-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Zen Pencils is great.

Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes and meditation in cute pixels.

Reminders about life in simple manner.

Want some nice, zen, thought-provoking colored pencil art?

Welcome.

Check out this website.

You should also check out his Store.

It's made of glory and also happy philosophy. Deep and yet marvelously light.

The combination of the two is practically perfect. The cartoons are simple and cute, but the messages are important and potentially life-altering.

I have liked every entry from here that I have seen, and I highly recommend signing up for his email list, because then, they will land right in your inbox. Plus, you get free poster downloads and everyone and their mom likes free stuff.

Reasons to be happy. Reasons to persevere. Reasons to work hard. Reasons to not worry.

Reasons to feel big. Reasons to feel small.

Reasons to work hard and achieve greatness.

Reasons to go out there and take on the world.

Every time I look at this website, I want to inspire everyone I know. I want to achieve greatness. I want to world to be a better place. I want everyone to feel happiness and safety through the powers of their own mind.

And that is pretty damn amazing.

Well played, Zen Pencils. Well. Played.

Note: As this post goes live, I am sitting in the airport waiting to board a plane to Maine. Woot. Anyways, there might or might not be updating much this week. Of course, you aren't used to me updating because I just neglected to update for six monthes but hey, I thought I'd throw that out there.

Love Consent

2012-12-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Warning- this post is about underwear. There will be pictures of underwear and ladies wearing underwear. Because this is apparently something you need to be warned about. Welcome to 2012.

I'm digging the hell out of Love Consent- a line of underwear by "Victoria's Secret" to promote consensual sex instead of rape.

Yes. A thousand times yes.

Hilarious, yet poignant, and blocked on Twitter probably by Victoria's secret, these underwear throw the responsibility for rape at the dudes instead of the boobs. Because, men have brains. Many of my friends are guys, and I am very aware that they use the matter in their head to make decisions, not the matter in their nether-regions.

I sometimes have a difficult time understanding how it is that dudes don't get really offended when people assert that it is a chick's fault that she got raped. She looked so sexy that the guy just had to. Umm... no. He has a brain. In his cranium. That makes decisions. That uses reasoning. That can understand situations. That can get his legs to walk away.

In any case, check this out and also take a look at their website and their Facebook page because they are doing some straight-up awesome stuff that is just on point. The underwear is cool, and their models look like real people because they probably are.

Really, look at this shiz. I want this. I wish Victoria's Secret was cool enough to make this.

Of course, we live in the real world and their job is to sell sexy to ladies for sexy times, so that will never happen.

But I would wear this every day. And smile to myself as I put it on. I would buy this for single friends as birthday presents. And for ones in relationships too. This would make millions because the internet exists, and my generation is pretty nifty and honestly buys things like this. We have a lot of feminists screaming to be heard, and having no way to go about it, so they spend a lot of time on tumblr. Also online shopping for undies.

All photos are from the Love Consent website and Facebook page.

Hi. I'm Emily.

2012-12-06T00:03:00.001-05:00

Hello there!

My name is Emily- I used to blog here.

And, here I am, blogging here again. I've taken a bit of a hiatus for what is honestly not the first time, and I'm back, writing things,taking pictures, and adventuring around Brooklyn.

You see, I live in Brooklyn, NYwhich is why I am the Brooklyn Adventurer. I like adventuring. I'm wearing an adventure hat up in the picture up there. See it? It's me, in Prospect Park (which is a big park in Brooklyn) wearing a hat that makes me feel like I'm an imperialist Englishmanlady claiming the borough Heart-of-Darkness-style circa 1800 something. But without being super mean to the natives because that ain't cool. I'm assimilating with my hatty justice, my beef patties and my 99 cent cans of Arizona Arnold Palmer.

For, I'm not native. I wasn't born in New York. I'm from a super tiny town in Pennsylvania (which is also a state in the US). Actually, I'm from just outside of a super tiny town in Pennsylvania. There is one stop light in this town. It's at a 3 way stop. You get the idea. It was great, and then I left at 18. Because there is a lot of world out there, and I wanted to see it. Because I'm an adventurer.

I moved to New York to go to school, and now I live in Brooklyn and it's awesome. I work as a voice teacher for actors, an acting teacher for elementary schoolers, and a yoga teacher for people who want to do yoga.

This post has a lot of "I"s in it, so whoops, narcissism, but basically, I just wanted to let you know that I'm back. There will be posts sometimes about stuff. About adventures. Things that are fun, or, not so fun that I do. Crap happening in my life. Crazy things that the elementary school children I teach say. There will be fun. There will be humor. There might be blood. Probably not, but I do martial arts as a hobby so nothing is ruled out. I'll talk about yoga. I'll talk about acting. I'll talk about Brooklyn. Dear god, I might even talk about Manhattan sometimes.

Overall though, this is a blog about how being a young adult in 2012 is confusing, hard, and weird, but great at the same time, freelancing is bonkers, yet mostly rewarding, and the world is a beautiful freaking place even on the worst days.

Welcome back to The Brooklyn Adventurer.

I'm the Best at Writing Cover Letters

2012-07-13T11:25:00.004-04:00

To Whom it may concern,

I'm very interested in auditioning for "Walking the Dead," your upcoming NYU thesis film.

I see that this film is about zombies. I love zombies. That's probably cliche at this point, since everybody and their mom is basically into zombies these days, but I'm one of them. Zombies rock. Specifically, attempting to survive the zombie apocalypse is of great interest to me. I act, and actually went to NYU... but I wasn't a super annoying drama student. Please don't hate me. I won't sing Rent at you, I swear. That drives me nuts too. I also am a martial artist, and if you need anyone to do some top-notch zombie killing, or be a super-awesome fighting zombie, I'm your girl. Your description doesn't say anything like that, but if it's in your film, I can do it. Once again, no worries- I do martial arts in a "study 10 hours a week in multiple styles" way, not in a "I did tae kwon do for a year as a kid and have pretty kicks" way. In conclusion, I'd like to be in your film, and if you like how I look, I can act whatever you need me to do, not annoy you with stupid actor tricks, and perform my own stunts.

Please see my attached headshot and resume for more information.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best wishes,

Emily

Inspiration Fridays: Long Beach Island

2012-06-29T09:28:00.003-04:00

New Jersey. Ah, the different thoughts that come to mind when you hear the name of that state. New. Jersey. Some people think of Snooki. Others think of pollution. Some think of the pine barrens, or Jersey City, or Princeton, or Hoboken. Camden. Trenton. Cape May. To me, Jersey means vacation. Jersey means Long Beach Island, which is one of the best places in the world. It also happens to be where I am going tonight.

My grandparents own a house in Beach Haven, on Long Beach Island, or LBI, which is a barrier island right near Atlantic City and Manahawkin. 18 miles long, and just under a mile wide at its widest point, this place is just perfect. It's so pretty. Relaxing, nice, fun places to eat, good stuff to do. For many summers, I had the pleasure of working at a theatre in Beach Haven, Surflight Theatre, and I worked one fall and winter there as well. Great venue- it's changed hands a few times recently, but I have so many fond memories of the place. I've lived in Beach Haven, and consider it one of my homes, it is such an integral part of who I am. Danny and I met there while we were working at Surflight, and fell for one another on the beach under the stars. Yes, really. It felt like something out of a romance novel, but here we are, almost three years later! Beach Haven will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart, for most of the important events of my life occurred there.

This weekend, though, will just be a little vacation. And boy, is it needed. I've been busy lately, what with yoga teacher training, work, martial arts, parents visiting, etc. Once again, it's all been good- but, I've been stretching myself in a few too many directions. Crazy? A bit, yes. But, it's almost done now. I'm sure that I'll replenish my schedule with some new crazy soon enough, but, at the moment, I have only a few more weeks of insanely booked schedule until things look as if they might clear up a bit, and I might have time to do things like hang out in the park with a friend. Or Danny. You know, that guy. His dad is visiting all next week, which should be very fun. He's cool.

I just can't wait to stand on the beach at night. That's my favourite part of Beach Haven. Though the town is fairly bustling during the summer, the beach, at night, is very quiet, and you can barely see the lights from town. It's pitch. Or, well, way, way, wayyyy more pitch than Brooklyn ever gets. You can see stars. It's amazing the effect stars have on me- maybe it's because I've been living in cities for the past five years, but stars are gorgeous. They are awesome, in every sense of the word. Awe inspiring. They are balls of fire in space! Millions of miles away! There they are! Shining on us. When I see stars, there's an instant decompression in my mind and body.

Plus, this weekend, I get to hang out with my marvelous grandparents, who are like a second set of parents to me, and with my sister.

So psyched. This weekend is going to rock.

Beach Haven and Holgate, New Jersey, USA

Instagram Quitter

2012-06-25T13:47:00.000-04:00

I have a lot of mixed feelings about the fact that Facebook bought Instagram. I use Facebook a lot... it's a brilliant way to keep in touch with my family, friends, classmates and students- especially since many of the people I know and like live nowhere near me.

But, this post isn't about that. They added a new feature where you can add an Instragram feed on your fan page, so I decided to try it out. I now have a new excitement for Instagram, which I had actually deleted from my phone. Now it's back, and I'm ready to get back to taking pretentious fake vintage photographs with my phone. I'm no longer an Instagram quitter, but I'm not going to be an addict again either.

Here's the link if you want to check it out.

And, here are some of my old Instagram favourites.

LES Snapshots

2012-06-24T17:58:00.000-04:00

A great, vibrant neighborhood full of colors to match.

All of these were taken within about a block between Seward Park and the East Broadway F train stop. So many sights in such a small amount of space! Seriously, every time I go to the Lower East Side, I tell myself that I should hang out there more often. Not for the bars... I don't drink. For the colors, the people, the diversity, the bodegas, the parks and the little mom and pop stores in the neighborhood. It's just so cool.

Happy Sunday!

After that slightly overly-emphatic post on Friday, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming this week.

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Inspiration Fridays: Putting It Together

2012-06-22T14:27:00.003-04:00

I'm going to reference a musical. I've done it before on this blog, and once again, it's that day. I like musicals. They're fun. But, it's not just any musical. It's a Sondheim musical. And, it's not just any Sondheim musical. It's "Sunday in the Park with George," which, in my opinion, is the best Sondheim musical.

Here's a picture of Mandy Patinkin playing the title role-

That's Bernadette Peters in the pinkish/ salmony/ reddish(?) dress. With the parasol.

The story is that of Georges Seurat, and there is this glorious song in the play called "Putting it Together". The opening stanza goes like this-

"Bit by bit, putting it together
Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art
Every moment makes a contribution
Every little detail plays a part
Having just a vision's no solution
Everything depends on execution
Putting it together (That's what counts)"

Each piece is a part of the puzzle. But, it takes all of them to make one piece of art. How cool is that? Here's a Seurat painting to give you an idea of why/ how this makes sense.

Get it? Got it? Good.

He used pointilism. It's a bunch of little dots that make a picture. Like pixels, but with paint, many years before pixels were an idea. Each dot is a little coloured dot in and of itself, but together, they form a beautiful, complete, cohesive whole.

This other verse, from much later in the song, expresses better where I'm attempting to take this idea...

"Beat by beat, losing inhibition
Head, hands, feet, trying to relax, but not too much
Trying to lay out the exposition
But without exposing it as such
Trying to perform but not audition
Trying to establish recognition"

Here's what I'm going through:

Wow, that makes it sound as if my life is overwhelmingly difficult and unfortunate. My life is rather great, just to let you know, but I am dealing with a concept. I hesitate to call it a problem, because it isn't problematic. I just can't name it.

I'm fascinated.

I'm easily fascinated. I like a lot of things, but, within the past six monthes, they have come together in my mind to form one conclusive concept. I like yoga, voice, martial arts, acting, photography, writing... and it's the putting it together that seems to be tricky. See what I did there? I used the title of the song in my sentence. Putting it together. Writing. I like it. Anyway, these are all decidedly independant interests, and I've spent a bit of time contemplating why exactly it is that all of them fascinate me- why I feel the desire to split my interest in so many different directions. Because, that is a bunch of different directions.

I've determined why-

It's the thread that connects all of them: understanding the human experience. It's fascinating. If I just got really broad or new-agey for you, take a few steps back with me, and if that made total sense, congratulations on getting what I mean faster than I initially got it. Okay. The human experience. What it means to be alive. Not that far... I'm not pretending I know the meaning of life. Haha, no. I'm young, and learning. Making a claim like that is crazy, and I'm not, for a second, going to attempt to bluff that. But, I know what it means to be alive. I happen to be alive. Of that, I'm certain. This isn't the Matrix. At least, I don't think it is. My best guess is that you are alive too. Just because of logic and stuff. Being alive means that you think, feel, touch, taste, share, hide... often all at the same time. We all do these things. Every day. Yes, maybe you are fasting, alright, blast me in the comments, but in general, we all do these things. We share this. We are alive, together, we all have minds, we all think, we all feel, we all understand. This isn't rocket science, or anything new.

Yet...

How often do we truly analyze our own selves? Our own true selves? Or, even more importantly, the minds, feelings, tastes, touches of others? I don't mean by caressing them, though that is very nice, and I do recommend it. I mean by thinking like them. Empathy. Really putting yourself in their shoes. Seeing things in a different, new way because it is something you, as a human are not only capable of, but programmed to do. Culturally, we are shut down from our ability to do this. We go, "me, me, me!". Science backs me up on this though- that's not how we are born. During the first few monthes when we are a helpless baby, yes, but soon after, we become pack animals. We attempt to understand each other.

Then, we STOP understanding each other.

And we stop understanding ourselves. Why? Why would we do that? Is it culture? Is it pre-programmed? I have no idea. I just am fairly certain that it happens. We get wrapped up in the things swirling around in our minds- our fears, our concepts of right and wrong, our misconceptions... and they skew our view of the world. They are not us, and they are not ultimate truths. They can be changed. We exist in a world of grey. We can start again. Most of us would never think of it. I have. I don't know why, but, I have. And, I've changed. It's very exciting, and has increased the amount of happiness I feel about the world, myself, and you know, life in general. Which is nice. I'm at a point in my life where I am physically fit, healthy, confident, and overall happy. Yeah, I have bad days, but I relish them, knowing that other days will be better. Bad days are a gift to remind you that the happy times are impermanent, but so are the bad times. You know? It seems so clear to me now.

SO... What are you getting at?

I know. I have to be going somewhere with this. Bear with me. You should win a medal for this.

How does this apply to yoga, voice, martial arts, acting, photography and writing? Well, which one of those things doesn't need a sense of empathy and understanding of the self? Let's go through.

1. Yoga

It prepares the body and mind for meditation. Yoga includes stretching, strengthening, improving breathing, improving awareness, and eventually teaching mind and body control in order to reveal the real self. Well, yeah. That clearly fits.

2. Voice

Voice work in a nutshell...releasing tension, un-inhibiting the connection between your brain and your sound, teaching the most open and resonant way to release sound so that your thoughts, needs, and understandings are clearly communicated to others and the world through language, working with the text of others... Yup. That fits too.

3. Photography

Anyone can take a photograph of something, but if you put 20 different people in a room, and ask them to take photographs of the same thing, you will get 20 different pictures, because they will all see the subject differently. They all have different perceptions of the world that they can share with one another, and through the lens of a photographer, we are exposed to their unique sensitivities and worldview. It's almost voyeuristic. You get a glimpse into the soul of the artist. Yeah. Once again, this fits.

4. Martial Arts

I mentioned confidence, and nothing boosts your confidence like knowing martial arts. You feel like a badass, capable of defending and taking care of yourself, and those you love. Those inhibitions in your mind, which are there for so many reasons, start to disintegrate because, no, you know what? I can do this I can do this. Guys, I'm starting to see a pattern.

5. Writing

This one is similar to what I said about photography- no one person is going to write the same way as another person. We all have our own cadences, our unique connections to language, our personal favourite words, expressions, and beyond that, topic choices. Through our writing we reveal ourselves and our humanity. We see another person's world through their eyes, and are sucked in. I'm taking a class with Def Poetry Jam's Lemon Anderson, and he said something freaking brilliant last night- "Bring them to a place nobody knows, then remind them that they've been there". Brilliance. This fits.

6. Acting

The mother of all of them. This combines everything I've said up above. Your body has to be free. Your voice has to be connected and free. Your mind has to be free. You have to have a creative opinion and confidence. AND... this is why it's the mother... you have to have extraordinary empathy. Meryl Streep, who I think everyone can agree is an exceptional actor, said, "The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy". Susan Sarandon, who I think is also pretty fantastic, said, "I think I'm an actor because I have very strong imagination and empathy". I didn't make this up, is what I'm saying. People smarter and older than me have said this, and I'm just putting it into my own words.

THUS...

I am appreciative and thankful to have come to this conclusion, realization, epiphany, enlightenment, whatever you want to call it, and I want to share it. It has brought me a lot of inner peace, and hopefully, it can bring other people inner peace as well. I want to teach people. I want to learn how to teach people to feel empathy for themselves and one another, to comprehend not only their own mind and power, but that of others. I'm putting together how to do this. It's through Voice that I most excel, and frankly, it's what I care the most about. It seems like a good way to reach people. I want to make them good actors, and good people, and the same time. The school at which I am a priviledged, lucky, happy, thrilled lady to work has this as their mission statement- "Growth as an actor and as a human being are synonymous". And damnit, they are so right. That concept has changed my life, and made me need to change the lives of others with it.

THAT is what I want.

That. That is what I want. I want to learn to be an inspirational teacher. I want to learn how make the future brighter for other people through my love of voice, acting, text, and them. I want to learn everything I can so that I can do this as well as possible. Every one of these hobbies is opening my eyes to more facets of this concept, and then I can apply it to the techniques I'm learning from the beautiful teachers who are allowing me to shadow their classes, as well as other instructors I've had along the way. I'm not pretending that I've got it figured out, or that I've mastered this. I'm a student. I always will be. Which, is thrilling. There is so much to learn. I'm so young, and still so stupid. There is so much out there...

I AM SO EXCITED!

Happy Friday!

Inspiration Fridays: Humans of New York

2012-06-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

Humans of New York is an incredible website, and it has an even more active Facebook Page. If you haven't checked out this website, run, don't walk. I'm serious. Get off of my silly little blog and check this stuff out now. Right now. Why are you still here? Go. Go now.

Welcome back! If you didn't leave, like, seriously, go. Then, come back.

Okay, welcome back for real this time. Thank you for returning.

Humans of New York. Wow, man, I've been following this site for about a year and a half now and ever since day one, it took my breath away. Brandon Stanton is a complete and utter genius, and I don't say things like that lightly. New York City is a wonderfully vibrant, beautiful place, and the soul of it is its residents. I suppose that is the truth for any city, really, but the melting pot/ mixture that is New York cannot be discussed adequately without focusing mainly on the people. There is such a gorgeous diversity to the people here, but what makes New York, well, New York, is how much we are all the same. We are humans. We are together, here, in this city, all experiencing life. We are sharing the human experience. Together. And Stanton shows this with a lovely facility.

I may sound overly superlative, and if you think so, I can tell that you haven't looked at his site. Dude. Really. Check it out.

His attention to detail, and his obvious care for each individual is what truly shines through in his work, for me. Yes, the photographs are stunning. Awesome. But, what is really great are his captions, his interactions, his stories, his quotes- his understanding of how to relate to his subject, and then bring that person's soul into the portrait. I'm coming back to the word beautiful. Because, it is.

On his Facebook page yesterday, he posted this:

"When you're feeling down, it's so tempting to focus on your sadness: you wonder why you're sad, you hate that you're sad, you wish you weren't sad. It's completely natural to do this. But it's the wrong way to be. No matter how smart you are-- you will never change a bad mood by thinking about it. You will only magnify it.

Instead focus on your behavior. Focus on what you can change. Go outside. Exercise. Quit isolating yourself. Interact with friends and family. Accomplish things. Your mind will reward you with happiness.

It is so tough to change your behavior if you are feeling depressed. But it's the only way. Don't say: "I'll act differently when I feel better."

Act differently, and you will feel better."

Genius. Freaking genius.

Now, here are some of his portraits.

I'd like to clarify that choosing only a few to put on here was like... I don't know. It was super freaking tricky. And, there are many photos here, so I didn't even manage to do a good job of it. These are almost all works of his from the past two monthes. If I had gone through his entire portfolio, I would have ended up copying and pasting his entire website, and I'm fairly certain that wouldn't have been legal or appreciated. This also would have taken forever and a half to load. No one wants that.

Thank you for all of the inspiration, Brandon. Maybe, one day, I'll be brave enough to ask people for their photos too!

New York City, New York, USA

Zoooooooooooooo!!!!!

2012-06-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

Danny, Ginny and I spent an afternoon at The Prospect Park Zoo a few weeks ago.

It was rad. What a great little zoo. I live less than a twenty minute walk away, and I had never been before. That was foolish! Foolish, I tell you! For many reasons, the main one being- dingoes. OMG DINGOES. They are maybe the cutest animals in ever. The most adorable creatures that have ever existed. Their pleasant smiles, playful attitudes, and ability to interact with the viewers on the other side of the fence made them incredibly fun to watch, while the knowledge that they are actually ruthless killers increased the intrigue.

When I'm reincarnated, I would like to come back as a dingo. I'd consider that an achievement of epic proportions.

The other animals were cool too. There was a sea lion show, and this thing where you could pop up like a ground hog. Also, the nocturnal animals were very entertaining, but the room was so dark that there was no way I could photograph it.

Enjoy these pictures of aminals including this one of a SUPER HAPPY DINGO.

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Inspiration Fridays: Old New York

2012-06-06T10:48:00.001-04:00

Yes, yes, it is Wednesday. But, I was so excited about this post that I couldn't wait!

Inspiration Wednesday just doesn't sound as thrilling.

Old New York. Old maps. Old photos. Memories of what this place once was... they fascinate me. I didn't grow up in New York, but my dad grew up mostly right outside of the city, and my grandparents worked in the Bronx. I feel tied to this place, and do more so every day. It's been almost five years since I moved up to the big apple, and though I don't plan on spending my entire life here, I certainly love it!

So, here are some wonderful images of the New York City, and parts of the city that were once their own cities, that once was and were!

1853 World's Fair Maps

From the Brooklyn Historical Society

1899 Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade!

I'll have some photos from the 2012 Memorial Day Parade up soon.

Also from the Brooklyn Historical Society.

Painters hang from suspended wires on the Brooklyn Bridge October 7, 1914 -- 31 years after it first opened!

From the New York City Municipal Archives

Old Subway Sign, circa 1980's.

Source Unknown.

Interior of the old Penn Station. Whenever I see photographs of this I want to cry- Penn Station is such an ugly vortex of stress now, and this beautiful building is lost. Bad decisions. Ah, well.

From The Last Civilized Yank

I'm guessing that they mean The Manhattan Bridge, but I'm not totally sure... It could be the Williamsburg. I'll have to adventure and check it out!

From Photographic Views of New York City.

3rd Ave and 166th St in the Bronx.

Also from Photographic Views of New York City.

A news article from 1917 profiling the old Atlantic Ave station- for which the entrance still stands today. It's that thing in the middle of the street where all the busses stop in that insane intersection next to the new Barclay's Center.

From Obscura Day.

Mock battleship built in Union Square as a recruiting advertisement for WWI!

From The Gothamist.

Aerial view of downtown Manhattan from 1850, featuring Castle Clinton, which, apparently used to be in the middle of the water, folks. Who knew?

From Fledgling.

McSorley's Ale House on East 7th St in Manhattan in 1942- I can attest, it looks pretty much exactly the same now.

From Dino's NYC.

Another amazing subway photo of the Times Square Shuttle, which just runs from 42nd Times Square to 42nd Grand Central, from back before the graffiti was cleaned off of trains the same day it was put on.

From The Bronx Beat.

A class of 5th grade students in Riverdale in the 1920's.

From Ephemeral New York.

Shot of the beautiful interior of the tragically rotting Loewe's King's Theatre right by where I live.

Apparently, it's beginning a remodeling soon, and is set to open again in 2014 or 2015 as a theatre instead of a movie theatre.

From Anshitsu.

Happy Adventuring, everyone!

The Epic Goose Battle

2012-06-04T09:51:00.001-04:00

I am incredibly blessed to live in Brooklyn, not too far away from Prospect Park, which is the best park in the universe. Okay, I'm sure that there are better parks out there somewhere, but Prospect Park is really, utterly fantastic. Also, it's almost never crowded. Central Park can be a total wash on beautiful days due to the sheer number of people, but even on the most gorgeous summer day, you can find seclusion in Prospect Park. The city is almost always somewhere in view in Central Park, but from within Prospect Park, you can barely ever see skyline. When you can, it's only a few buildings.

Prospect Park also seems to have more wildlife- I see more geese, squirrels, swans and herons in Prospect than Central. It also used to have the ghost dog, but he was captured about a week ago. He is this dog who lived in Prospect Park for four years, and no one could seem to catch him! There were so many sightings of him running around in the forest that he became known as a ghost. People weren't certain if he was real or a shadow. Turns out, he is real.

These geese are real too. And, Ginny and Danny were really ready to battle with them. Sadly, the crisis was averted, and I say sadly because it would have been freaking hilarious. But, here are some photographs from our post-brunch adventure through Prospect Park two weeks ago!

Let there be adventures! Onward!

Note: I tried out some new editing software on these, and I'm not too pleased with the results... not with the software, but with my own choices... but ah, well. The originals looked cool, but I thought I'd share these to test it out. Lesson learned...

Thanks for reading!!

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Inspiration Fridays: Dinosaurs

2012-06-01T10:49:00.003-04:00

As I've said before, writing a blog is kind of hard, but it is also fun and extremely rewarding. The main difficulty comes with feeling like I need to publish, and publish often. Especially on Fridays. Inspiration Fridays are by far my biggest draw to this page, they are super popular, and I have a sense of responsibility about them. So, whenever I skip a Friday, I know that I missed an opportunity, and maybe that I jipped you. Sorry bout that.

Two weeks ago, I had no idea what I wanted to write about. I was going through all kinds of things I find inspirational and just had a big ball of nothing. Too many things were pretty nifty, and not enough things hadn't already been talked about. I asked my boyfriend, Danny, what he thought I should write about, and he said, "Dinosaurs". Not sure if he was joking or not, but here we go. Dinosaurs.

To start out with, HOLY COW. WATCH THIS VIDEO. If you haven't heard of Symphony of Science, well, now you have. Kiss your next hour goodbye, and yes, I accept thank you notes via email. Symphony of Science is this amazeballs website where pieces of science talks, documentaries, and tv shows are spliced and sampled together with techno beats to form songs and videos. They are so good. Like, woah. There's one called "Onward to the Edge" that legitimately made my cry. I was sitting on my couch, tears running down my face, muttering "space is so awesome". Seriously.

Oh, and this video has Bill Nye the Science Guy in it so get ready for a flashback of epic happiness.

Now, dinosaurs don't need any help to be cool since they were massive, and dangerous and lizards and ancient and omgdinosaurs. But, a lot of people make art, and some of these people make art that one can only describe as "hell yes".

There was this wonderful invention called, "the internet" that made the proliferation of this kind of art possible- it's one of the reasons that we have mounted, crocheted heads of a ninja and a jackelope gracing the entryway to our apartment like religious totems. The internet.

God bless it. Without it, nerds would have actually had to leave their couches and basements to find people like them, and we all know that us nerds just hate to do that. This way, the nerds found one another, and became more awesome. Together. And thus, the internet became a haven for dinosaur lovers, comic readers, science nerds, and Dungeons and Dragons players alike. They discovered new wonderful places like World of Warcraft and Penny arcade. There, they prospered.

So, bless it.

Bless you, oh internet. Also, bless the artists who made this awesome stuff.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Breakfast, Brunch, and Brinner

2012-05-31T17:20:00.001-04:00

Brunch. It's my favourite part of the day, partially because it can occur at any time on any day. Breakfast time? Eat some brunch. Wake up too late for breakfast? Brunch. Dinnertime? Brunch, or, as my sister calls it, brinner. Brunch for dinner. Brinner.

These particular photographs are from brunch one of our local haunts, Cafe Madeline, on Sunday. Danny and I met my friend Ginny, who made that movie I talked about, and who was my roommate my freshman year of college. Tasty things happened afterwards. There were steaming mugs full of coffee, croissants, eggs, scallions, cheese, yogurts... it was yummy.

Meeting people for breakfast is the best.

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Back in Bratislava

2012-05-30T12:55:00.001-04:00

This is, quite possibly, my favourite set of my photographs. I get chills when I look back at it, and not because they are brilliant, but because they remind me of so many things.

All of these photographs were taken in Bratislava, Slovakia, which I visited for a day on a whim, essentially, while I was studying abroad in London in 2010. My grandparents had been there, and spoke well of the city. Ryanair tickets were cheap. The internet assured me that it was safe, had some castles, and very good espresso joints. I decided to check it out, booked a flight that would get me there at 7am, and one that would take me away at 9pm.

The wait for the bus to the airport began at Liverpool station at 4am, and boy, was I tired, after a night of debauchery out on Brick Lane. By debauchery, I mean many different curries. Sleep was acquired on the bus, on a bench in London Stansted, and the plane.

The city was gorgeous. Thank god ,it was easily navigable, and people were friendly. Many of the people I spoke to didn't know a word of English, so there was a lot of pointing, but I learned to say hello, yes, no, please, and thank you before I arrived, so I was okay. What a cool city, though! I'd love to go back again with Danny to explore more, and for a longer period of time. It was surprisingly quiet and calm, and blocks full of Victorian grandeur were interspersed with blocks bombed out during WWII and never restored, and rows of communist era tenement buildings. The people were artistically vibrant and excited. It was like a calmer, smaller version of what I hear about Berlin and Prague- places I would love to visit, but have not.

My camera broke about five days before I visited, so all of these shots are from disposables, picked up at the Boots in the airport.

Then, my water bottle spilled in my purse, and the cameras were drenched, causing the crazy color effects, which I keep meaning to attempt to replicate.

Any time I'm having a bad day, or feeling like I've accomplished little, I look back at these photographs, and remember that one random day in Slovakia, the lovely people, the beautiful city, the art enduring and the ruined buildings left as stoic reminders... and the world really does feel beautiful.

Bratislava, Slovakia

The Brooklyn Adventurer

2012-05-29T09:19:00.002-04:00

ATTENTION EVERYONE!!

EXCITING NEWS!!

Travel and Toile is going through the process of changing names!

For the moment, this blog will be called Travel and Toile- The Brooklyn Adventurer, but the eventual idea is to switch to The Brooklyn Adventurer entirely, and to soon switch urls. Don't worry- http://travelandtoile.blogspot.com will still send you here. I won't mess up your lives... or mine.

So, why the changeup? Because "The Brooklyn Adventurer" fits this blog more than "Travel and Toile" does. This blog was originally named "Travel and Toile" because it was meant to be my travel blog while I was studying abroad in London... more than two years ago. Since then, this site has taken on a different life, and the name just doesn't really fit. I'm not traveling so much, and the word toile was used, at first to denote that my travels would be like the toile print you see on towels, curtains, and clothing- classy, but classic. Simple, pretty, and nice. But, people really don't know what that word means, and in my opinion, if you have to explain your business title to people, it's not a good business title. Let's see how this works out.

I'll be taking the next few days to start to work up to the switch, and eventually transitioning sometime next month.

Hopefully, this name switch will also make me get off of my butt, go out, and photograph the beautiful New York City in which I am blessed to live.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the Autoban Center in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Have a gorgeous day!

Inspiration Fridays: With Our Powers Combined

2012-05-25T15:38:00.001-04:00

Yes, I will be referencing Captain Planet in this post.

But, before I get to that, I'll be talking about the weather. The aforementioned weather has been less than ideal- by this, I mean that it has rained all day almost every single day. There has been downpour at least a little bit each day. This week has been wet. Wet and rainy. Also, gloomy and cloudy. Dark. Soggy. Full of dreary, rainy things.

Honestly, I don't have a big problem with rain, at least not inherently. Rain is kind of pretty, actually. The crisp feeling, and the beautiful green that the trees and grass glow against the darkened sky are rather therapeudic. So is the rhythmic tapping of the drops. Rain is kind of nice. When it's light, it feels rather pleasant on the skin, and it's been warm enough to wear short sleeves, so this has been quite a nice perk to the damp weather week. Rain reminds me of London. The ground looks like dark, English, saturated soil. This comforts me.

However, when it's wet for a bunch of days in a row, my bad ankle gets sore. Not an "Oh god, not this ! PAIN!!" kind of sore, just an, "oh. Ow. Okay. That seems to be a bit sensitive at the moment". It's enough for me to know that I shouldn't work out too much on it. Thus, I haven't been. I've barely worked out this week. Restorative yoga has been my thing, and it's been pleasant, but I'm itching to kick some stuff. Or, people. Or, both.

Now, I'm not playing victim here. I have a bad ankle. Big whoop. I can let it get me down, or I can just do foot exercises and strengthen the muscles around my problem tendons, which is exactly what I'm doing. I've found all kinds of great new solutions lately, and realized that exercise science and anatomy are better tools than any doctor who has tried to help me with it. The problem is getting better, and I'm super thankful. Nothing is gonna get me down! Also, thank you to my yoga instructors who helped me understand what the problem was and how to deal with it, once again, better than a doctor. My eyes have been opened, and I appreciate that so hard.

Happy Dance!

Because I haven't been working out, and because the school that I work for is in between semesters, I've had an unusually large amount of free time with no requirements. During this, I've been catching up on yoga homework, both doing assignments and reading books, taking long walks on the beach, yes, really, starting Fallout 3 because I've never played it before and wow is it awesome, and just generally relaxing. There is a lot going on in my life and the break is appreciated. Everything going on is amazing, and I can't emphasize that enough- it's amazing. I'm putting together a Shakespeare monologue/ sonnet night at work, considering directing a short, small-cast play later in the summer, and I'm still in yoga teacher school. See? Amazing. But, a lot. But, amazing.

So, I'm doing really well. There are minor setbacks sometimes, but everything is moving in a beautiful, forward direction. The pieces are constantly shifting. I've never liked the metaphor that everything is "falling into place" because I think that it gives a skewed idea of what adulthood, or, just life in general, is. The idea that suddenly, magically, a moment comes in which your shit is together and you are an adult. You are married, own a home, two kids and a dog, and are in a job that you will be in FO LIFE. I think that a lot of young people, including many of the teens and college- aged students that I teach, are under the impression that this is "the goal". The ultimate goal. The necessary goal. The dream.

Nope. I know a lot of people, and I don't know anyone who has achieved this magical all shit is completely together-ness. None. Not a single one. Other than my family members. No, really. My family members are kind of magical and figured this out, but among my friends, including my friends in their 30's and 40's... this isn't a thing. It's just not. Grad school happens for people, job switches happen, unemployment definitely happens, not finding a job happens, not finding a mate happens, more often than not freelancing happens, and home ownership basically just doesn't happen. It's not a thing. It's a nice goal, but one that as much as I try to, and consider, I can barely even fathom.

Here's why- I make an okay salary. For what I'm doing, honestly, it's brilliant, or at least it feels brilliant to young, inexperienced me. I'm in my first year at a company, and I'm not complaining. I'm young, and only have a bachelor's degree. My salary is great for what I'm doing. Woot woot. Danny's salary is better than mine. He is a few years older than I am, and has held a few great jobs in his field before acquiring the one he has currently. Fair. We're doing great all things considered, financially, and this is definitely a source of comfort. If we saved for a few years, and maybe got some help from my parents, we could probably afford a downpayment on a house, and then pay the rest through a 20-30 year mortgage. Being indebted to a bank, or, anything, really, is a terrifying concept for me, but, hey. I've been excruciatingly lucky and have never been in debt. Because of luck. Not hard work, just luck. That had nothing to do with any actions of mine.

Frankly, many of my own financial actions have been pretty stupid, so there is that.

But, I'm getting better.

Financially, this looks possible from this perspective. Maybe, even probably. Home ownership! Holy cow! Then, though, we have to factor in the idea that I might go to grad school... in another country. So... why would we buy a house? When would we buy a house? Shouldn't savings go to grad school? Suddenly, instead of a perfect picture of clarity, everything looks like a Jackson Pollock. He's still a great painter, though, and the result is still beautiful, if less clear.

There's no right or wrong way to go about your life. It's what you make of it. I saw this great quote recently-

I think that is the truth.

What am I inspired by? People making their own way. People who decide, hey, this is my life, and this is what I feel like doing with it. People who understand that there is no true formula to success, that there is not one way. Also, people who realize that traditional success is hard.

There is a reason that stories of people who have risen to great fortune from great poverty are so popular- because they are rare. Because, it is hard. It's impressive. Finances are hard, and following a dream is really hard. Getting caught up in stuff is easy, and so is looking for a simple way out. It's enticing, and it's easy, and I almost can't blame anyone who does it. Morally, I mean. I'd feel badly about blaming people for this because there are stacked odds there that, as someone who grew up in a comfortable home, I cannot pretend to understand or empathize with. The traditional way is not only difficult, it requires luck. For example, if your elderly mother, with no health insurance because she is poor and unemployed, suddenly gets cancer, it doesn't matter that you've been saving up for a house for twenty years, dreaming of that day; you're probably going to help your mom. If not, you might be a jerk.

Or, maybe it's you who gets sick. If you don't get sick, you are lucky. Yes, there are things that you can do to try and avoid illness and disasters, I know this, but sometimes, disaster just strikes unawares. That's why it's a disaster. If it doesn't strike you, you're lucky. The universe is working with you. Congratulations. Fate has smiled on you, friend. Some other people weren't so lucky.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't give thanks and take advantage of when we are lucky- I used to have a bit of a complex about this, and feel bad when I was successful, because others were not. I have this tendency to view my successes as the result of pure luck instead of hard work, because I know that though I do work fairly hard, there are many others who work significantly harder. What was this viewpoint? Stupid. Now, I'm of the opinion that if you get lucky, you should take it. All of the yogic philosophy that I've been becoming so well-versed in lately has been confirming this for me. There is no reason not to seize the day if the opportunity presents itself, and it does not cause harm to yourself or others.

If you are lucky, once again, congratulations. Hard work does seem to increase your chances of being lucky, but, as Oprah said, yes, I'm quoting Oprah, "Luck is the moment when preparation meets opportunity". For example, if you show up to her show on the right day, you might get a car. Or, a whale.

The preparation is your part. The opportunity is forces outside of your control. Call it god, call it fate, call it entropy, whatever, but there are things in life that we Both must meet. It's like Captain Planet. The powers have to combine.

Whether or not you successfully incarnate a recycling super hero, you have to power on. Make your own way. One of the proudest moments of my life was getting my orange belt in martial arts class. Why? It was totally my idea, and all my own doing. Which was so cool. I didn't feel like there was any luck or fate involved. As a matter of fact, I felt as if fate was against me, because I had missed two belt test in a row. But, I did it. I got that belt despite the fact that it seemed like it was never, ever going to happen. Elated. That's how I felt. Overjoyed. Proud. So proud. I overcame the odds, and it was great.

Onward, ho!

Happy Friday!

Sunset Over Manhattan

2012-05-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

I've been so busy over the past bunch of monthes that I haven't had as much time for long walks. This is kind of a shame, because I love long walks, but also awesome because I'm pursuing all kinds of interesting things like teaching, martial arts, and oh, right, that almost full-time yoga teacher school that I will be finished with in four weeks. Holy cow.

One thing yoga has really been confirming for me, is to take time and enjoy the little moments in the present. This is something I already knew, and, if I didn't, it's all over the internet, and in every self-help book that's ever been published. But, seriously, take a second, look around you, and be in the moment. I'm learning a lot more of the psychology and science of this concept in my classes, because it's not just an intrinsic portion of yoga, it's essential and one of the goals along the journey. It's so healthy to do this- to just experience what is happening instead of being wrapped up in your mind.

Actors have this problem basically all of the time. It's possibly the number one problem I see for actors, and I'm becoming obsessed with how, through the body and voice, to teach my students how to break free of this. My hypotheses are plentiful, and I'm learning that the answers are different for each individual person, but that certain exercises work for more than others.

This brings me to my next thing- it's not just actors who can benefit from this- working on the body, the voice, and the mind. Everyone can. What do I want to do about this? Not sure yet. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my beautiful, long walks, like this one over the Manhattan Bridge. The view of the sun setting over the financial district. The vibrant glow of bright spray paint and metal in its rays. The small flowers along the side of the path.

The little things. Life.

Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Inspiration Friday: On Life Without Coffee, and Why Pain Is Not Necessarily Gain

2012-05-18T16:04:00.001-04:00

I love coffee. I mean, I really, really love coffee. Like, a lot. Coffee is probably the magical fruit liquid of the gods, as well as their sweat and tears. I have this theory that coffee was passed down to us from higher beings because they love us. Benjamin Franklin said that about beer, that god sent it because he wanted to make us happy, but in my opinion, coffee is way better. This also may be because I don't drink, so there is that, but really, everyone. Coffee. Yum. Oh my god. Yum.

Now, my friends, I shall contradict everything that I just said with what, for me, is an utterly shocking statement- I have not drunk a cup of coffee in almost three days. Guys, I'm bugging out. Nearly three rotations of the earth have occurred since I last enjoyed a steaming, or iced, cup of java. Three. That hasn't happened since... I don't even know... I was in middle school? This is crazy. Insane, to be honest. Some small symptoms of withdrawal have been noticed, which to be honest, freaked me out a little bit, but were not completely unexpected.

Why am I doing this, you may ask? Is it out of some vicious, maniacal desire to thrust myself into the fires of torture? No. I'm trying to reset my body.

Over the past year, I have been sick a lot. This may be because I work in an indoor office with no windows. It may also be because I work at a desk shared by many other people, most of whom, including myself, eat whilst sitting here. It may also be, though, because I eat a lot of processed foods. Because, I do. I love frozen chicken patties, macaroni and cheese, bacon, chips ahoy, chef boyardee, udon noodles, fish sticks, and all kinds of other things that really aren't that bad for you health-wise, but have a lot of preservatives and such.

I also eat lunch and dinner, and sometimes breakfast as well, out. Wayyyy too many of my meals are bought instead of made at home, and this little "reset" is forcing me to reconsider this. Not only does eating out cost bagillions of dollars over the course of a lifetime, it's also, generally, far less healthy. My goal is to be healthier, so I'm trying to be more careful about this. For the past three days, I haven't eaten any "processed" foods, aka canned, boxed, and anything with preservatives or crap tons of salt.

Along with this, I'm taking a week off from coffee. Coffee is actually quite good for you in small quantities, but I haven't been drinking small quantities. A day with less than 3 cups, most of which were far larger than the serving size of 8oz, was a weird day for me. Generally I was knocking back 3-4. That is way too much. And, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. So, I'm taking this week and just drinking tea, so I at least get some caffeine and my body doesn't flip a gasket. Next week, I am going to begin drinking just one cup of coffee in the morning. Hopefully, I will be able to sleep better, and have more legitimate, rather than drugged energy.

Yoga and martial arts have been making me consider these things. I need and want the energy to be able to do what I need to do in a day. On top of this, I am becoming more obsessed with overall health and injury prevention- as someone who has a longtime injury, tendonitis in my ankle, this is important to me, and I wish that it were more important to the other people I train with. It is to some people- that isn't meant to be a cut, but I've seen a lot of really brilliant athletes injure themselves because they pushed too hard through something that hurt.

I've been pondering the phrase "No pain, no gain" a lot lately. It's thrown around surprisingly often at martial arts, and I totally disagree with it. It's misleading. Pain in the form of a stretch is good. Pain in the form of pushing yourself to the limit can be good. Pain in the form of confidence, or strengthening can be good. Pain in the form of shooting pain, bleeding, or injury is bad. It doesn't make you gain anything- it makes you have to take time off. I have had to take time off due to stuff like that so many times in my athletic career and, frankly, I'm sick of it. I'd rather train sustainably, in a way in which I can train til I am 100 than train in a way that takes me out of doing what I love every other week.

Screw that! That doesn't work. That causes bodily harm, stress, and an abnormal schedule for your body. You end up in and out of training, constantly struggling to regain lost ground instead of climbing a steady upward slope. And that, my friends, is stupid. That helps no one, and it definitely doesn't help you. It' hurts you. That's not gain- that's loss. That seems so obvious now.

I don't know why it took me so long to come to this conclusion. Maybe it's because I get punched in the face (and everywhere else) for fun. That might be it. But, I'm glad I'm here, because I'm going to use this knowledge to, hopefully, not have to miss class anymore. I'm done with feeling broken, unhealthy, and exhausted sometimes. I'm ready to feel vital, healthy, and put together as much as humanly possible. Because, this is my body, and my outlook. I can control it!

In conclusion- be kind to yourself. Be kind to your body. Be kind to your mind. You'll last longer. Push, but not too hard.

In the words of one of my brilliant yoga teaching instructors, Sarah Bell- "When you have a bunch of voices saying different things to you in your head, your true voice is the one that is kindest to you".

Happy Friday!

Ogres and Goblins and Acting, Oh My!

2012-05-15T11:52:00.002-04:00

In case I haven't made this perfectly clear before... I am a nerd. Plain and simple. I hate labeling people, including myself, and I hate potentially coming across as the Olivia Munn type of female who wears an "I Heart Nerds" t-shirt and 80's glasses sans lenses, but then does not know klingons from cardassians. Or tribbles. I really hate that. I don't despise her, I despise labeling, and the weird trend to now be proud of the name "nerd".

I don't know. There's a lot of weird stuff going on with this nerd movement, but I am pretty happy to be living in a time when I can openly assert what I am about to assert...

I play D&D.

Dungeons and Dragons.

A tabletop, RPG, that's role-playing game for those of you who have no idea.

I also play Exalted and Aberrant, and own all kinds of other role-playing games that I will probably never actually play. In fact, Danny and I, well, mostly Danny because he is the by-far more creative brain of the duo here, are writing a couple of rpgs ourselves. Because, it's fun, and honestly, who doesn't love to play games? Terrible people.

One thing I love about RPGs, and Dungeons and Dragons is most certainly my least favourite of all the games I play, is the acting. The character interactions are amazing. Maybe it's just my group of friends, but within my group of friends, they are amazing. Now that I'm focusing so much on teaching, I'm not doing a lot of acting these days. I've done some small projects recently, and haven't auditioned for any of them. Apparently, I'm to a point in my career where people ask me to do stuff, which is just rad. Rad, I tell you. But, auditions? It's been a full-on year since I've been to one of those. Not that I've kissed acting goodbye; on the contrary, my friends- I act every day. Teaching, I get to act, watch acting, and be around acting, and in these games... I have wept, cried, screamed, laughed, hugged my fellow players, gone through the motions of killing people...

Everything I ever liked about acting plus more is achievable in an rpg. How? It's our story, and we are living it. The way my friends and I play, we become full incarnations of our characters- instead of saying, I don't know, "Petra hits it with her sword," we narrate in the first person, or maybe even 100% act it out. During dialogue, we talk completely in character, and it's a bit jarring when someone breaks it. I'm acting, and playing my dream roles; and not only that- we are writing the script as we go along. Yeah, I generally have an idea of how I hope that my character will develop, and how I think that she, or he, may react to certain situations, however, like real life, and like scripts written by brilliant playwrights/ screenwriters, you never really know. How thrilling is that?

Beyond this, I have realized another very interesting thing about my attraction to acting. When I auditioned for NYU, there was an interview component, and during it, I was asked why I like acting. Which is, probably, one of the most elementary questions ever for someone in performing arts. My answer, I think, now that I work for an acting conservatory, was probably what got me accepted, because I was super-sick that day, and was not a good actor yet. Frankly, I was bad. But, I said something along the lines of, "I want to experience things I will never do, places I will never see, adventures I will never take part in, and relationships I will never have through the eyes of someone else, using my own voice and my own body". Then, I also said something like, "I want to use my instrument filled with their souls". 18-year old me was a bit more perceptive than I sometimes give her credit for, because I've become smarter and more worldly since then.

Now, the big HOWEVER- I'm realizing that... I don't need plays to do this. My life is mine, and I can do what I want with it. I can have these adventures I never thought I'd have. I can have relationships I never thought possible. I can say things I never thought I'd say. I can go places I never thought I'd go. I can do this using my own words, my own consciousness, my own voice, my own body, my own soul. I don't need to act to fulfill my dreams, I can do that with my actual, real life. My goal in life is to try and do this every day. I don't just want to exist, I want to live, and live fully. I want to be in the moment. I want to experience each moment as it's coming.

I'm doing a damn good job of it.

Now, here are some pictures of Danny and me painting Ogres and Goblins.

Enjoy.

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Manhattan's Lesser Squares

2012-05-14T11:51:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of "Square Parks" in New York City. When I was in college, I walked through many of them on pretty much a daily basis. Union Square and Washington Square are probably the most famous ones, since Times Square doesn't have "Park" at the end, and Bryant Park doesn't have square in the name.

New York has so many parks, it's just crazy, and on beautiful days, they are taken advantage of by locals and tourists. But, the less popular ones just don't get the tourist draw. I'm talking about Madison Square Park, Stuyvesant Square Park, and Tompkins Square Park. About two weeks ago, I met a good friend from college at the yummy and delightful Yaffa Cafe right near Tompkins Square, so I walked from work in Chelsea to meet her. This sojourn took me past all of the above listed parks, as well as the gated Grammercy Park. I took a bunch of photos.

What I love about this set is the colors. I wasn't particularly trying to use bright colors here, but they found me. I love that. Color found me.

Enjoy.

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Inspiration Fridays: On Diet and Exercise

2012-05-11T14:44:00.002-04:00

I don't talk too much about this on here, but I work out. I work out a lot. In an ideal world, in which I am never sick, never injured, and don't have to do to many other things outside of work, I would love to work out at least ten hours a week. Most of the time, I live in this ideal world.

I like being healthy. Healthy is good. When you're being "healthy," you have more energy. The world looks prettier. Your outlook is better. Food is tastier. Colors are brighter. Air is sweeter in your lungs, and you get more of it. You stand straighter. You feel better.

At certain points in my life, I've been better about this healthy um, thing, than others, but right now, it's going very well. So, hooray for that. Thank someone for the small victories. I eat a lot of whole fruits and veggies, lean meats, and whole grains. These things taste good, and they're cheaper than cookies. Water. Water is good. You should drink water. 18 cups a day is generally my minimum- I use the bathroom like a pregnant lady, but it's worth it. I almost never feel dehydrated. I try to sleep 6-9 hours a night, and generally wake up feeling great. Sometimes I get insomnia but hey, who doesn't? Everyone gets those nights where your brain is buzzing and there's nothing you can do except stare at the ceiling and wonder why the sleep gods hate you.

NOW. Before I come across as one of those people who says, "Well, I've got this down... why don't you?"- hear me out. That type of approach works for some people, and I am one of those people, but, I'm also extremely aware that for many people, this approach makes them resentful. Angry. Basically, it has the exact opposite effect. Thus, here's some empathy. There are many times of my life during which I have not been successful at being healthy. Hell, during my sophomore year of college, I gained thirty pounds by not exercising, and eating late night burgers, pizza, and philly cheesesteaks. It was bad. Being healthy can seem really hard. I know that. As I said, I've been there. And let me tell you- it's all just a freaking mind trick. Being healthy is not only easier than being unhealthy, it's also more pleasant.

Here's partially why... look at how pretty healthy food is! Look at all the pretty colors! They are so nice! Like a rainbow! Who doesn't like rainbows? I do. Salads. They are tasty and filling and also coloured like a rainbow if you do it right. Sandwiches and pasta/ noodle dishes can be the same way.

As I said, healthy food also seems to be cheaper. Where I am, a box of strawberries is about $1-2, a head of lettuce is generally way less than $1, a bag of apples is usually $2, and a can of beans ranges from $.75-1.50 depending on the bean type. Bags of veggies are $3 or less. Protein-rich greek yogurts are about $1 each. Bundles of scallions are $.25. Whole wheat pasta is about $1-2.50 a box, and 5lb bags of brown rice for like $7. Eggs are generally $1.29-1.99 a carton, depending on whether or not they are free range. Corn torillas are often less than $2 for a stack of 20-30.

Compare this to a $5 box of poptarts or chips ahoy, or a $4 bag of Doritos, and it seems pretty easy.

that

maybe all of this

Just look at that rainbow! There's green! And red that isn't made of fake!

Look, though, guys- Doritos are delicious. So are Chips Ahoy and Poptarts. I eat all of these things. Who are we kidding. I admire people who have cleansed their diet of "fake" stuff, and only eat organic, or only eat unprocessed foods, or foods they cook themselves. More power to them. That's awesome. I am not them. I eat cookies, and pre-processed crap. It tastes good, and yeah, it's not so great for me, but I work out a lot and I need a lot of calories sometimes. I like moderation. One giant cookie a day is enough for me. I don't need six.

Okay....I'll eat six sometimes, but only sometimes. Those are special days....

Six small ones, however? Let's be real. This happens way more often than I should admit. Danny and I can tear through a box of Chips Ahoy in one night. Seriously. Gross, maybe. BUT when we do this... we have usually worked out. For like, 3-5 hours. That day. Doing martial arts. Which, coincidentally, burns like 600-1,300 calories an hour. So... I don't really feel bad. Actually, I feel great. Because, I'm fit and full of cookies. Bam.

But, there's also raspberries.

They are tasty, and good for you.

Thus- it's all about choices. Yeah, I might eat a pile of cookies, but I'm going to go fight people for three hours. Balance. These things even out.

Back to fighting, though. As I said, I work out a lot. If you had asked younger me about this, I would have scoffed, and laughed, and told you the same thing I say now- working out is fun. If you asked college-age me about this, I would have scoffed and laughed, and called you crazy. "Working out is awful," I might have said. "It isn't fun," I might have said. "You're a liar," I might have said. However, I'm not a liar. I was just not really understanding how to work out in a fun way at that point in my life.

When I was in high school, I danced. That was my predominant, and, well, only form of workout. I danced hours and hours a week, and loved it. Why? I wasn't working out to work out. I was working out while dancing. Dance was the focus. Dance made me feel pretty. Dance made me feel important. Dance made me feel good.

During college, I tried to do things like the stairmaster. If you've never been on a stairmaster, I'd say that using it is akin to climbing forever whilst embodied in the flames of the deepest circle of hell. You will never get that rock up the mountain because there is always more mountain. It's a stinking circle. There will always be more steps.

Really, do any of these people look like they are having a nice time? You tell me.

Nope. No one.

I also tried the lovely elliptical, which also sucks. You can run forever on an elliptical, and you know where you will get? NOWHERE. Ever. You're still on that same freaking elliptical, moving your arms. It sucks. Working out because, OMG I should work out because beach bikini OMG MUST LOOK GOOD ALMOST NAKED... it never works for me, because it's not fun.

Pictured below- how no one has ever actually felt on an elliptical ever.

Now, I do martial arts and yoga. These are VERY fun for me. Why? I feel like a badass. I feel like a total, utter, ass-kicking badass. WHY? Because I am becoming one. Like, actually. Yoga? It makes my moves precise, and my mind calm. The muscles of my body are focused and strong, and my vision and train of thought are clear.

Due to martial arts, I can kick and punch people. Not only that, but it happens all of the time. If you asked me how many times I have punched a dude three times my size in the face, I would have no idea. How cool is that? It's so cool.

The above photograph is almost accurate. I don't wear a helmet, but other than that, it's pretty good.

How many times have I choked these big men out? Unsure. A lot. Pardon me, but if I say at the end of the day, "I have to go choke a bitch now," I might not be lying. I go to jiu jitsu 2-3 days a week, during which, generally, people are choked. Sometimes these choked individuals are women, and no, women aren't all bitches, but damn, it feels good to be a gangster.

I feel empowered, truly, really empowered for the first time in my life.

I know I'm cursing a lot, so excuse it, but seriously, doing martial arts is so cool. All. of. the. time. I get to feel like a ninja, because I'm becoming proficient at doing ninja things. I used this ninja things to stop a kid from stealing my phone on the subway one day. I was just sitting there, on the 2 train in Brooklyn, listening to some pop music and reading my BBC news, and some kid, who, if he was over 14 I wouldn't believe it, grabbed my phone and ran off the train. I disarmed the phone, and when he tried to punch me, I hit him in the hand with my phone so hard that I cracked the phone, while also firing a blow to his bicep, which made his arm crumble. Phone retrieved. I was shaken up because, well, someone just tried to steal my stuff, and not only someone, a kid smaller than me. But, I was also a ninja that day.

Also, I just got my JKD ORANGE BELT YESTERDAY! WOO!!! I feel so happy.

Oh, and this martial arts thing tends to be a good workout, so that's cool.

In conclusion- find things that taste good. Find things that are fun. Figure out what you like, then just do it.

Just do it as often as possible!