It's the Little Things

It’s funny sometimes when you have an idea in your head about how your next hour, day, or even week will go. You’ve got some plans here and there, you’ve got some things you want to do and then some things you have to do…You know there will be few little surprises along the way – after all, that’s what keeps it interesting, that’s what makes it “life.”

Knowing that I’m about to throw all regularity and routine out the window in just a few weeks, I welcomed a couple of those little surprises with open arms this weekend. I’m still in the hunt to find a source of income once I’ve flown the cube so I’d be lying if I said that’s not a bit stressful. However, I’m usually equipped with my perma-optimisitc-glass-half-full mantra so that helps balance out the stressful obstacles soon to be in my way.

Those surprises though, damn they sure do help. They’re not huge boxes wrapped with a bow sitting on top, no they're much smaller. It’s funny because on the right day they can be so minute and yet make all the difference in the world. It seems as though it’s usually a familiar face or voice that makes these little surprises worthwhile. Whether it’s a phone call out of the blue or simply catching up over a long lunch, these usually small blips on the radar can make a world of a difference.

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Head Of The Class

I was recently pondering over my soon to be life changes when I came across a couple of questions I’m not sure if I can answer. Will I be joining a different class of the city now? And if so, is there interaction between the two classes? Am I leaving one side behind and welcoming the next with open arms?

Maybe I’m being a tad dramatic but I don’t think I am, really. New York City can be funny like that…Sure it’s the World’s Capital from Fashion to Finance and has the money to prove it, but there is certainly a very distinct class structure. It’s not solely based on last names like I’m sure it was 100 years ago when the Carnegies and Rockefellers were cruising down 5th Ave. And to tell you the truth, I don’t think it’s easy enough to say that it is based on money alone, but it sure is a factor.

Two months from now when I’m a starving artist (who doesn’t want to lose a few pounds) and waiting tables at some nice hot spot downtown, and sadly making probably more than I am now, will I be looked at differently when I explain what I do for living? Isn’t “what do you do for a living” always one of the first questions we ask the opposite sex in our first encounter as if to size them up instantaneously by their title as if we were back in the days of York. (The original one, not the New one)

After all, what’s the difference between a broker who works in real estate verses one who works in bonds, other than the obvious? They both have ‘professional’ jobs, they both probably do well financially , they both work ‘normal’ hours, right? That’s apples to apples!

But what if our brokers are dead even, neck (tie) and neck (tie), they both have ‘it.’ But then all of the sudden, one broker says he’s actually an actor or a writer, and he’s waiting tables right now while he’s chases his dream? Does the race become not so close? Does our AWOL broker fall drastically behind? What if our brave broker does just as well financially? Is there now a separation of participants, a serperation of classes?

I am extremely interested to see how situations like the one above play out in the future for yours truly. I know there will be more than a few opportunities to see exactly if this city of mine is as divided as I think she is…

"I'd Like To Thank The Academy..."

I know it’s really putting the cart before the horse, but I’m sure that when I make it or when I feel I’ve done something really grand, I know I will have a long list of people to thank and I’m eternally grateful for that! Since making my decision to jump into the “starving artist’s” world I have received some less than inspiring comments from some…however most have been anything but.

I have received so much positive support from so many people, friends, family, co-workers, co-workers I don’t even really like or know very well…

Granted, it’s not your every day water cooler talk “so Bob, how’s work going, same old, same old?” “

“No Susan, actually I’ve decided to quit my job and try to “make it!”

“What do you mean “make it”? Are you trying out for American Idol?”

The truth is I’m still finalizing my plan, still trying to find the best path to get me to where I want to go…I may have to just work backwards, decide on my location and figure out a way to get there sooner rather than later.

My life will certainly change after the end of this month, there’s not a person that can argue that…I will go from my 8-7 job, the one I’m not so fond of, to working nights. I will go from slacks and button-downs to, well, slacks and button-downs, I plan on working at a nice restaurant if possible.

Now, obviously that’s short term thinking. And if I know one thing it’s that thinking in the short term and not keeping your eye on the prize will result in a very short trip! Right now between scary moments of uncertainty, I get flashes of hope, excitement, and limitless possibilities. Next step…make those happen and make them happen as often as possible.

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Feels Good To Be Back

I’ve come to find out that writing is a lot like going to the gym. No one really likes to go to the gym, no one really likes lifting weights or running in place for an hour. It’s the feeling of accomplishment once the last rep of the last set is complete. Well, I think writing is the same.

Staring at a blank page can be a bit like looking at your “workout clothes,” all folded in a nice, neat pile. Do you really want to get them all wrinkly, all sweaty? They look so peaceful…

All I can think is, "do I really want to mess up that nice clean cut looking 8”x 11” piece of paper?" You’re damn right I do! I took some time from something that I should not have, something I missed and unfortunately something that gets harder to do, the longer you stay away from it.

I’ve had some pretty big changes over the last 30 days. (We’ll just call my time off, a mini-sabbatical) By far, the biggest, life changing, are-you-serious difference from now and just a few weeks ago is my professional future. After months and months of trying to find my “calling” or less dramatic, my happiness, I came to one conclusion.

I would have to, if I truly wanted to live with no regrets, make a huge decision. The weeks grew longer only because the days seemed to never end and I became someone that was not me. Leading up to the actual day when it all made sense, my mind would go back and forth at a record pace, trying to make sure I was going to make the right decision. Those were the hardest days, when hour by hour I was going in different directions.

I wish I could say there was a moment of clarity, a moment that only a Disney Movie or Made for TV Movie could capture when it all made sense…But there wasn’t. Now, don’t me wrong when it comes down to it, it was an easy decision. I have to do what’s going to make me happy, I have to take a chance, I have to see what I can do.

So I did. I’ve given my notice at my job, the same job I’ve seen success at over the past two years. I’ve given my notice to more than that though. I’ve given my notice to all security, stability, and routine.

Those might not be the sexiest words in the English language (actually they sound like words used in one of those commercials for a motorize scooter) but they sure are scary. But I once read something that said you should write down the top 5 things you’re afraid of and make it your To-Do List!

So, with of my fear of a ménage trios involving two Brazilian beauties and being extremely well off, I think I’ve got a nice well rounded To-Do List!

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Help Needed!

I have recently started to search and scramble around this World Wide Web in hopes that I might find outlets for yours truly to get noticed. Most of these webzines as they’re called pay nothing, but getting published is getting published…That being said, please take a look at the posting below. I would like to submit a few postings in hopes that it turns out to be something…it could be nothing…but it could be everything!

If I have a one posting or God willing more than one you think would make a good fit, please let me know by posting a comment…


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Cube-Side, a new liberal-minded webzine, is looking for columnists! Cube-Side was created as a gift for the working world and as a remedy for the onset of boredom that occurs post-lunch in the 9-5 world. If you are a writer who feels they have something interesting to contribute to the Cube-Side audience, we'd like to hear from you. Currently we are looking specifically for entertainment and music columnists - movie reviews, album reviews, satirical pop culture columns, celebrity columns (anything that is well-written and interesting). While we don't have set guidelines for these particular areas, we are not looking for location specific reviews of concerts and events (we will consider those types of columns on a case by case basis). Submission Guidelines: If you are interested in submitting your work, please send us a sample column to submissions@cube-side.com. DO NOT SEND US YOUR BLOG UNLESS YOU CHOOSE A SPECIFIC ENTRY THAT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO READ (and if you go that route, please note that it is your blog in the email and that you'd like us to read a particular entry). Please send your sample as a word attachment that is no longer than 1,000 words. If we like your work, we'll contact you to do a guest column and go from there. There is a great possibility that this will turn into a bi-weekly gig if all goes well and you seem like a fit for Cube-Side. Unfortunately, we cannot compensate you for your work but we can promise you a publication credit and a hand in working with an exciting new webzine. www.cube-side.com "For All Your Office Needs"

Back At The Ranch

“Oh, sorry about that” said the girl in her mid twenties sitting in 17C. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” I assured her it was a 3.5 hour flight and it was bound to happen again. That reassurance however, did not stop her from voicing her apologies every single time it happened.

It was after about the 5 or 6 “sorry about that” that it was more than clear that she was heading home back to Texas and was most certainly just a visitor of NYC. I mean don’t get me wrong, New Yorkers get a bad rap for being mean or impolite, and a lot of them deserve that reputation, but I think the rest of us are just in too big of a damn hurry to same “sorry about that” once let along another 10 times.

It was this passenger full of kindness that would be my first exposure to Texas hospitality. No I had heard everything was BIGGER in Texas, not NICER but it certainly seemed to be the case as I went for the first of I’m sure many trips to visit my family.

This is the second house in a row of my parent’s that I had to walk in and say, “well, where’s my room?” It’s kind of a cool feeling…There is all this newness, all this beautiful new space (and lots of it, as I said everything is BIGGER in Texas), but yet there is this strange feeling of familiarity.

I had seen the entire family just a few months ago, but that’s the great thing about a close family it’s like we had dinner the night before. The same ball busting and laughter picks up right where it left off…

After all it’s those things, the little things that make a family and make a home. That why, even though I didn’t know this house from any other on the street, I was my home before I even set foot inside. It’s funny that way…I consider NYC to be my home, but not my apartment, that’s just an apartment after all and here’s this house in Houston I consider home too…

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There's No Place Like Blog

That’s the funny thing about writing…It’s not like riding a bike at all. I have been neglecting my dearest blog over the last month and I apologize about that, I do. I sincerely do. It has probably done myself more harm by not getting my thoughts and feelings out on a regular basis. (Maybe that’s why I feel a little heavier, I’m all stopped up with thoughts and feelings…Yeah, that’s it)

To me not writing on a daily basis is a bad thing, not only does the material pile up and never gets its chance in the lime light, I become more hesitant to write again. I know it’s stupid but it’s a fact, Jack. The only thing I can compare it to is when you have a crazy weekend and seem to be pulling cash or your debit card out every 15 minutes for another sizable purchase. (You know you’ve all had weekends like that…)

So when that ‘oh, I don’t really want to go to work tomorrow’ feeling comes around Sunday evening, you know you should go online, and asses the damage you’ve done. Not only is it the adult thing to do, it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do. But what do you do, you wait, you wait. “I’ll check it in the morning, I’ll check it tomorrow, I might as well check it on Friday when I get paid, it won’t look as bad then.”

The screen starts to come full, from the top down, you’re peeping through your hand as it looks like you’re doing a Horizontal Star Trek Salute…You know you’ve done it!

My point is that once you see the results, it’s usually not that bad. (Unless you just got back from Vegas and were on a 48 hour bender, then it could the results could be catastrophic.

I feels good to be back, it feels good to write, and it feels even better knowing that I have people to write for…thanks for always checking for new stuff!

I will certainly have plenty of material come the next 6 weeks or so, so please keep coming back for more!

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