So, I think most of us can agree that Racism isn't... groovy. I've dealt with my fair share of deliberate racism but, 40% of the comments or actions I've experienced in that regard have been accidental or what you would call "light stereotyping". While working on set, I once had the lead actor of the TV show walk right up to me and ask if I got the new "Fiddy" album. (That's right, not 50... Fiddy). Keep in mind, I wasn't the only one standing there. I was surrounded by dozens of other extras, all caucasian, just like the lead actor. It amused me because I think the last album I'd purchased at that time was Hilary Duff (no shame). Little things like that always happen to me. I have a regular that comes in the coffee shop who calls me "Areatha" because he can't remember my name. And a coworker who constantly asks me if I've tried certain Fried Chicken locations around the city. Well, the last two might be because I'm a tad overweight but, for the purpose of this blog, I'm calling it accidental racism. Today, I have the pleasure of working during our weekly Mommy and Me sing-a-long. That's 30+ infants, their mother's (Or as I like to call them, the Park Slope Stroller Mafia), and a barefoot guy with a guitar, dancing around and trying to get the infants who can't talk to "C'MON AND SING-A-LONG WITH MEEEE". The barefoot guy in question happens to be the most accidentally racist person I've ever met. He racks up uncomfortable comments like numbers on a score board. "Hey, LaTeesha! How's it going today?" LaTeesha? - DING! That's 1.
"What's the name of that one black guy. I know YOU know him." - DING! That's 2.
"I really admire you girls going back to your roots with your hair!"Annnnd then he attempted to touch said hair without permission... DING-DING-DING! DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING!!!!!!!!!!
Ya know, nothing too serious. Just a comment here and there that always makes me go (high pitched) "Hmmmm, really?" My favorite part of the sing-a-long is when he gets into the "Civil War" section of his performance. He's a Civil War buff, ya see. He has this one jam about Harriet Tubman called "Do The Tubman". And every song has a good hook, right? Well, this one has "If you get tired, do the Tub-Tub-Tubman"( I wish I was making this up). During the song, he gets a few of the toddlers present to stomp around like they're traveling the Underground Railroad. He always shouts "Thats right kiddos! Walk, walk, walk. Cause God knows nobody did more walking than Harriet Tubman!"
Again with the high pitched "Hmmmm, really?"
I've heard this song about 20 times and each time I wonder who on earth told him that this was a good idea? I get a bonus laugh when I see a few of the Stroller Mafia peaking at me to see if I'm offended. The only thing that really offends me is that the song gets stuck in my head for hours and I catch myself singing it for the rest of the day. Damn you barefoot guitar man. Your cringe worthy jams are kind of catchy! I can't wait to hear your Dubstep tune about Martin Luther King. Ok. Shift over. Another sing-a-long survived. I'm gonna grab my coat, put a hat on my ethnic hair and Tubman my ass right on home. The Thirtysomething Barista
In New York City, on the tiny island of Manhattan, there are currently around 1,000 coffee shops. I'm not even including everyone's favorite cup-o-joe throwdown, Starbucks or it's middle child syndromed competitor Dunkin' Donuts. I'm talkin' your average, single location, singularly owned "Bob's Coffee" type shop. 1000! Over the bridge a little, in a small part of town called Fort Greene Brooklyn, you'll find a little coffee shop and chocolaterie called Nunu Chocolates. Behind the counter, you'll find a thirtysomething barista with a knack for drawing hearts and feathers in your latte. Welcome to my current world. Smooth coffee, dangerously delicious chocolate delights, cozy seating, soothing music and seductive aromas. Nunu Chocolates is definitely a one stop shop to taunt your deepest temptation and I'm the fairy godmother waiting to deliver your sin of choice. Bippity-Boppity-Boo.
The world of a coffee shop barista can often range from your average sitcom to the the juiciest, most unrealistic scene from a soap opera. Pleasant, cool easy hours often go by with me doing nothing more than making someone's life a little better. Others are like an impromptu explosion of angry acronyms. WTF, WETF, OMFG, DILLIGAF, FML all said in reaction to a no good, very bad day. But even as predictably annoying as the (unpredictable) food service industry can be, I've found an interesting benefit to my barista life. This job absolutely feeds my inner spectator. *Sigh* I love studying muggles. What drives them? What comforts them? What angers them? Quirks, voice inflection, body language, all of it. I'm an actress! I make a living off of telling a story and as a barista, I am constantly engrossed in a living novel.
On any given work day, I'm a therapist, savior, blind date show host, mediator, entertainer, comforter, best friend, and punching bag. I've seen first dates, breakups, breakdowns, marriage proposals, a woman finishing her novel, a baby taking his first steps, mild foreplay (Valentine's Day. Don't worry, they left before I broke out the bowl of popcorn), job interviews, instant connections, fresh off the bus visitors, and people having their last cup of Brooklyn joe before leaving the big apple for good. All of this, I've observed quietly behind the counter. It's interesting. New York is the Queen of disconnection. 8 million people wander the city daily and it's never been easier to go through your day without actually encountering another soul. I've been apart of so many moments and witnessed so many stories simply by making lattes. I love that!
I've decided to take my experiences as a barista and add a new section to my blog called "Tales of a Thirtysomething Barista". In addition to my normal NYC ramblings, i'll give you a peak into my crazy coffee experiences. My job is anything but boring and I think it would be fun to share my adventures while I'm there. Plus, you have to find the beauty in a day job, right? I took this job to support myself while pursuing my passions. That doesn't mean that I can't bring my passions to my day job.
Speaking of blogs and passions, I have to say I'm sorry. I haven't been keeping up with this blog. I made an attempt earlier this year and still let writing go on the back burner to other things in my life. Due to that neglect, I've been a bit blocked. The only way to over come a block is just to write. Write what you know. Write the truth. Stay consistent. Definitely adding that word to my 2016 list... Consistent. So here's my new years cheers to positive consistent behavior. *Clink*
Love Always,
The girl who makes a damn fine Mocha Latte.
Top 5 of the Moment
1). Podcasts "Serial", you beautiful betch. You walk into my life and haunt me with your hourish long tales and now I want more. How dare you? How dare you make me love podcasts? I've been a podcast fool over the last 6 months. Where have I been? How did I not know how amazing the podcast universe is. Any suggestions for new Podcasts? 2). Ashley Graham I adore this woman! She's help me a lot when it comes to the confidence department. I've even resulted to putting a picture of her up on my fridge to remind me that body type is just a shell. Confidence in who you are and love for your temple is the new skinny.
3). Oil Pulling Oil pulling, is an ancient dental technique that involves swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 20 minutes. This action supposedly draws out toxins in your body, primarily to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health. I've been oil pulling for alomst a month straight and I am here to say Yes... it works. Research it. Try it. Its amazing. 4). Showtime's "The Affair" Has anyone watched this show? Its amazing. Its clever and heartbreaking and the acting is perfection. Each episode is told from different points of view and it wows me how they keep up with one person's point of view through the whole series.
5). Blue Apron Magical. Its the only way to describe this service. Since I had the pleasure of trying a recipe on my recent trip to Florida, I've been promoting this business like its my job. They send you delicious recipes with every ingredient. Plus, you have the added benefit of cooking something you wouldn't normally go for. Its brought me back to my love of cooking.
Sometimes there's nothing more refreshing than the color green. Green seems to be popping up everywhere these days. The official color of St. Patrick's Day.... the mellow and enchanting color of Springtime..... the color of money that you win and/or lose because you failed to pick the right teams for your bracket, *sigh*. This thrust of grassed colored extravagance can only mean one thing....It March!. It seems that Madam Winter decided that she would take a break from giving us the cold shoulder this year. Don't get me wrong, my first winter in the city wasn't all TOMS and jean jackets. There were a few days where I felt Jack Frost purposely doing the Cuban Shuffle all over my face. But, it definitely wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Fingers crossed that God doesn't send a random April blizzard. He has a since of humor, that Holy Ghost.... but an snowy April (and unpacking my sleepingbag-esque coat fondly known as "Big Rick") would just be mean.
"What's been going on since your last post?" you ask. Well, I've entered the wonderful world of television, currently working on a new pilot for CBS called "Elementary". It's basically Sherlock Holmes meets the Boss streets of New York. I would tell you more but, I don't want to upset the CBS Ninja. So, you'll just have to hope it gets picked up and watch it :). Other than that, it's been pretty tame. Eat, sleep, go to work, dance around my room to MGMT. Eat, sleep, go to work, pout because it's not yet time for the 3rd season of "Downton Abbey". Ya know, the usual. In fact, things have been so uneventful that I wasn't sure what I would write for this lovely blog. After a bit of thought and also taking into account several suggestions from my friends, I've decided to tell you a little about where I live.
NYC is composed of 5 boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx (Jenny-Lo once inhabited a block there... or so I was told), Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. When my roommate and I first moved to NY, I was determined to be a Manhattan girl. I wanted to be the black Carrie Bradshaw(Shaniqua Bradshaw if you will). Visions of myself strutting up and down the Manhattan streets, charming everyone with newly found city girl wit stopped me from even considering another location. After searching and searching in 90 degree weather and fluke rain storms, my roomy and I decided on an apartment in another borough. I've been here for 9 months my heart has done a complete 180. My borough and I are in love and we may marry, if Rick Santorum will allow it. Some hipster must have spiked my Whiskey Sour because I am, without apology, a full fledged Brooklynite.
Ahhhh Brooklyn.... the Bridge, the flavor, the fact that your name is said like a trillion times in the hit LL Cool J song "Doin It". There are so many reasons to adore this area.
The People:Brooklynites are some of the most interesting people around. There's so much creativity bottled in this borough and you can see it everywhere from the clothes to the graffiti, to the musicians on the corner. My first thoughts about Brooklyn patrons were that they were trying to be cool, different, non conforming to the point of being false. But, since hanging out and about I'm starting to feel a bit different. Brooklyn is like a blank canvas and the people are the paint brushes. The people here create an atmosphere so alluring and potent that you can't help but be completely taken over by it.
Activities: It's kinda hard not to go to Manhattan every weekend in search of the next great adventure but, when I don't, I'm always surprised at all the entertainment around me. There are so many museums! You have the Brooklyn museum, the Botanical Garden, the Underground Railroad (go ahead, make a slavery joke. I know you want to). And if you aren't in the mood for museums, there's plenty of music halls, theaters and of course, The Brooklyn Brewery. Lets not even get started on the yummy eats around that place. Everytime I eat in Brooklyn, the food is amazing. You have everything from Brooklyn's famous pizza, to Nathan's Hot Dog, to oh so delicious Thai Food.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending a whole Saturday in Williamsburg (a sub-neighborhood of brooklyn). I went to Nitehawk Cinema for a special showing of "Point Break". It was apart of a month long event called "Crazy For Swayze".
Basically, every weekend this month they show a wonderful classic film starring Patrick Swayze. Some of the films included comedy commentary from a duo called "The Raspberry Brothers". It was hilarious! I left out of there with watery eyes, a laughter cramp in my side and a pleasant relief that Keanu Reeves could never really be an FBI agent.
P. Swayze PBR Commercial 1979. Sheer comedy.
After the movie, I walked around a bit and just took in the beautiful day and atmosphere.
The Atmosphere: Brooklyn is a lot more beautiful than people think. It's just a different kind of beauty. In a way I feel like it's one of the main reasons people are attracted to that area. Manhattan is Paulina Porizkova. Brooklyn is Agyness Deyn. While out and about, I managed to take some pictures. Now be nice.... i'm no Annie Leibovitz.
I live in a little sub-neighborhood of Brooklyn called Bushwick or "The Bush" if you're feelin' fresh. My home resides in Bushwick, on Bushwick Avenue on the Bushwick-Aberdeen L train stop so, yeah....I'm pretty much in the heart of it.
I live in a 3 story apartment building next to a small bodega. When my mother came to visit, she would happily get coffee from the bodega every morning. She became friends with the guy that worked at the counter and before leaving, she happily informed me that the charming man behind the counter was in a biker gang and agreed to keep and eye on me and my roommate. So rest easy you guys. For all you Veronica Mars fans... I pretty much have my on PCHers so... booya.
This is my super Robbie. He's pretty much one of the more interesting characters in my area. Its hard to describe him. He always has a story to tell and always seems to be in a jolly good ol' mood. Robbie kind of sounds like Gary Busey if Gary Busey grew up in the heart of Venezuela.
This is my apartment. If someone were grasp a cube on opposite ends and pull it, stretching it out to capacity, that would pretty much describe my place. But what can I say... it's my haven. Home is where the heart is right? When I'm sitting in my apartment, listening to my records with the window open and a book in my hand, everything feels peaceful. It almost reminds me of those perfect, porch, summer evenings of the south.
The living room and kitchen
My Sanctuary
So, there it is... a little bit about the place I call home. Just a tiny part of this grand mass of a city. A part that's burrowing into my way of life. Even if I don't settle here, It's definitely an amazing chapter that I'm sure I will take with me where ever I go. Now, please don't mistake this blog for a "Brooklyn Only" exhibition. New York has so many different regions, within a region, within a region that I'm sure everyone falls for tiny pieces of it at a time. Who knows where I will be next year. I may be writing a different blog about my love for Harlem or Astoria. A woman's heart is an ocean of mystery and there are many places, people, and events that can reside there. An ocean of mystery? Did I just quote the old lady from "Titanic"? Yeah.... maybe it's time for me to go to sleep. Until next time.....
You really can't get any cooler than that.
Pudge Watch 2012
Things are going ok with the war against weight. I need to get a little more motivated. My workouts have become a bit lull which means that I've hit a sort of workout plateau. I'm thinking it's time to get some new music. So, if you have any songs to suggest please let me know. It's time to liven this sucker up.
5 Things I'm Digging On At The Moment
1). The Shoes "Time To Dance"
This music video stars one of my many admirers Jake Gyllenhaal playing a Hipster murdering Sociopath. Now trust me guys, this video is a little harsh and hard to watch but, from an actors view... it's amazing. The vacant look in his eyes is just haunting. Plus, the song is pretty awesome, it will be going on my workout mix.
2). Busty Girl Comics
A friend of mine introduced me to this website and boy.. it's hilarious, and annoyingly accurate. http://bustygirlcomics.com/
3). The Hunger Games
Yeah, I know... I'm always into The Hunger Games. With the release of the movie less than one week away, my love for the mockingjay has gotten a little out of control. I am eagerly awaiting this movie. I know Jennifer Lawrence will be amazing and I can't wait to see such a haunting story on the big screen.
4). The Beach Boys & Garbage
Ummm yes, I know that these 2 group of musicians have nothing in common, *gasp* or do they? Well I am here to tell ya they both have something in common and that thing is ME! I will be attending both The Beach Boys: 50th Anniversary Tour and the 1st Garbage tour in 7 years this year in May. I won my tickets for the Beach Boys on the radio. *Sigh* I think this is gonna be the best concert year since MUSE.
The Beach Boys minus honorary member Uncle Jesse *cough* I mean John Stamos
Garbage.... Oh boy I can't wait!
5). I Want You To Be My Second By John-Mark Davidson
This book is a collection of short stories and the first book by John-Mark Davidson. I just got the book a few days ago and I've already breezed through it. When I read these stories, they play like a film in my head. John-Mark does a wonderful job of allowing you to into the situation. I hear the words and see the expressions and jesters between the lines. It's honest, humorous and evokes emotion. Trust me guys, get it... read it.I Want You To Be My Second
Love Always,
The Girl who does indeed love Brooklyn but does not love it enough to tattoo it on her body.
