One Month

One month and four days ago, I graduated Indiana University and said goodbye to many of my friends: best friends, close friends, new friends, and family friends. One month ago, I moved to the The City of Dreams and have fulfilled a few of mine: I saw Amy Poehler perform improv aaand that's about it. All in all, it's been a pretty emotional 30+ days--negative and positive. This is one of those posts that contains information to read for catch-up purposes without having to contact a lot of people individually. I love you all, and "It's been great!" just isn't cutting it.


First, here's a recollection of my first (maybe, I'm not sure) memory:

When I was three or so, I lived in downtown Fort Wayne with my mom and dad. My recollection of this memory resembles that of the characteristics of memory recall after a night of heavy-drinking. I remember only a couple of things vividly. Between the clear scenes, it's all black. I remember waking up from a nap and wanting to go outside and play, but I was stuck in the house. My mom was at work, and my dad was still asleep. Then I heard the ice cream truck.

For those of you who don't know, I have a sixth sense for hearing the truck's rendition of Pop Goes the Weasel. I'm proud of this ability.

All I know is that I snuck out of the house and trailed the truck. From memory recall, I think I was pretty far from home. The next thing I remember is sitting on a big, colorful jungle gym talking to a woman and her child whilst eating ice cream. Apparently I hadn't yet had the "Don't talk to strangers" talk.  I'm not sure how long I was there, but I know that when my mom found me, she was beyond upset and scolded me for going out on my own.

Anyways, back to the present. The day before I left, I visited my two best-friends-since-birth at the home of one who is living there with her fiance. Her house happens to live on the street that intersects the street I lived on when I was three give or take a year. Also, it so happens that there is a playground across the street from her house. The same playground from my first memory. There I was sitting on my friend's stoop the day before I left home to explore The Big Apple on my own across from the first place I adventured to on my own.

On May 8th, my bags were packed, and I was about to leave for The City So Nice They Named It Twice. On May 8th, I was leaving the comforts of my home for the playground of the world. On May 8th, I set out to get my ice cream of adulthood. Fortunately, this time my mom encouraged me to go alone.

(That's so deep, guys.)

The playground I once thought was miles away from home happened to only be about six houses down the street. Sure, New York is many states away, but I'm still in the same country--and with flight benefits, I can be back in Indiana in a few hours (Thanks, flight attendant mom!) It's not all that far, and I get the opportunity to do things I wouldn't have the chance to do in Indiana.

Here's what my life has been like for the majority of May and a week of June:

My apartment is in Brooklyn, and there is nothing to do around here. I take the subway thirty minutes to get to a substantial part of Manhattan. I haven't yet explored Brooklyn, because I've been busy with my internship. This is the room I'm living in until the end of July. The neighborhood bodega is pretty awesome. The guy who runs the register never speaks, but he seems friendly enough--but according to my roommate, he's not nice. Mr. Bodega "mean mugs" my roommate whenever he goes in. Maybe I just fit in better. Also, the subway is only two blocks away. It's not a bad place to be.

I'm an intern at the Manhattan Comedy School, and I've learned a lot thus far. One benefit of working here is that I get to go to some of the shows at Gotham Comedy Club. One night, Jim Gaffigan was a surprise guest, there to perform a set. I get to learn the Ins and Outs of producing a stand-up comedy show from my boss who has been doing so for the past twenty years. One of my tasks was to write a Buzzfeed-type article to promote the upcoming free stand-up seminar.



Apart from my internship, I've seen a variety of shows including two at the Upright Citizens Brigade, a taping of the John Oliver's Stand-up Special, a remote shoot of Project Runway, and the Webby Awards. John Oliver is hilarious, and a lot of stand-up comedians whom I had never heard of performed. If you're looking to shake up your comedian list, check out Ron Funches, Mark Forward, and Gary Gulman. Also, I happened upon the Project Runway shoot and stayed for the entirety. It was filming in Bryant Park, and I thought "might as well."

I've seen a lot of celebrities (Yes, I've kept track. No, I've only freaked out when I saw SNL cast members.) As aforementioned, I saw Amy Poehler (!!!) perform improv. When I think about this, I can't not smile. I'm sorry, everyone. I wasn't expecting her to be there, so when she took the stage, my eyes got wide and I couldn't look away. She was awesome. It was awesome. Also, I got to see a sketch show at UCB East, and Kate McKinnon was there that night. She was awesome. It was awesome. Also, Ben Stiller was at the Webby's, and he is adorable. My roommate/friend took a great picture of Stiller. Chris Harrison and Ken Marino are in the background. No biggie.

I've walked around the city for miles and miles. The best part of  big city-life is that there is always something to do--even walking from block to block is entertaining. I saw a pretty cute dog dressed in a hot dog costume. Sure, you could say I wasn't so much "exploring" as I was "wandering." I wasn't lost. Whatever. The Empire State Building is my North Star, and I can get around relatively easily. All I know is that avenues run North to South, and streets run West to East. Many thanks to those who created 4G LTE and GoogleMaps.









Basically, I'm living a life of fun and pushing aside responsibilities such as finding an apartment, applying to full-time jobs, and opening a checking account at a nation-wide bank. It's been great!