Bye Sam!

My roommate, Sam, moved to Portugal yesterday for the summer. Sam will be gone until August 25, 2008 and I’ll have to live all by myself. For most people it’s a dream come true, for me it’s boring beyond belief. I don’t like having to live without my friend!

In other news…I went on a sailing trip this past weekend, it was awesome. We started out in Stamford Connecticut and wrapped our way down the sound into the East River and through Manhattan. I got to go under all the bridges (one of my favorite things to do) including the Brooklyn Bridge. Sadly, none of them compare to the beauty of going under the Golden Gate Bridge, which I find one of the most amazing experiences in life. Everyone should do it at least once. However, the Manhattan skyline totally beats any other sky line I’ve ever seen from the water including Vancouver, but I may be biased because I have a love for New York like no other city in the world.

After sailing down the East River we came out of the mouth to the Statue of Liberty, which is amazing. Every time I see it, I always think about what it meant to all of the immigrants. The sight of the statue of liberty was a sign of hope, new beginnings, a fresh start, and most importantly freedom. It’s too bad it’s now just a landmark. But nevertheless it’s still amazing. We ended our sail off the coast of New Jersey where we camped on the boats for two nights and drank several bottles of God knows what…anything we could get out hands on. haha. On Monday we did the trip in reverse.

What an awesome weekend. Well deserved, and lots of fun!

Quart...a waiter?

I decided against what I thought was my better judgment to take up a second job here in the city. Starting tonight, I will be waiting tables two nights a week at this amazing little restaurant called Quartino. It’s a vegetarian wine bar (all the wines are organic/biodynamic) on the Northwest corner of Bleeker and Hudson next to Vons.

It’s a great little restaurant, one of my favorites in the entire city so I’m stoked to work there. The best part is my shift doesn’t start until 7:00PM, which is great because I finish my regular job as a publicist at 6:00PM.

I was really hesitant about taking a second job, but I do need the money. My first thought was yes, and then no, and then yes, and then no, and then the job presented itself a third time and I took it as a sing. Plus I love working in restaurants and I dearly miss it.

If you’re ever in New York, come in and have a glass of wine, if you’re a resident, I better be seeing you soon.

It’s Friday and I’m exhausted. It’s been one of the longest weeks ever, not because anything was extraordinary or excruciating, but just because a lack of sleep and too much to do is the perfect combination for exhaustion.

Last night I went to this great little restaurant called Brick Café, which is about four blocks form my house. We sat at this great little table outside and had an amazing bottle of wine. What type of wine it was…I have no idea. I should probably start paying more attention to that sort of thing, but when you’re with people who like wine…they never let you choose anyways, so why bother? I do know however, that I really like French wine, especially French White Wine from Quartino (my roommates restaurant).

Today it’s cold and rainy in New York; it’s actually really cold, and pouring to tell the truth. I never understand the weather here in NYC, its different every day and for the past two weeks it’s been changing everyday. Its either a) beautiful, warm and sunny or b) freezing cold, windy, and pouring cats and dogs. Too bad California doesn’t get more rain, I know it’s in dire need of it.

Here’s to a good weekend, my roommate Sam is moving to Portugal next Friday (I’m sad) so we’re having a vegetarian goodbye party back at the house this evening. That should be fun. Sam’s getting a tattoo today, of a fish. I’m excited to see it when I get home. I’ll leave you with that for now….hope all is well in the land of your mind.

Egypt is nothing short of mouth watering delight!

Alright, so you’re weird, I get it. I’ve always gotten it, I think that’s why we’re friends.

Talking about Egyptians, I live in a Middle Eastern Neighborhood. The locals call it either Little Morocco, or Little Egypt. All I know is that the streets are lined with Hookah bars, even the coffee shops have people smoking Hookah at 8:00 in the morning.

All the grocery stores, the liquor stores and even the laundry mat have cute little ladies with surreys on. My favorite is the lady at the laundry mat, I wave to her ever time I walk by. She’s Awesome, I really like her.

Anyways…I live in an amazing restaurant area, the only problem is they’re all ethnic, so most people won’t like them. But if you’ve got good taste, and love food, there is no better place to live in all of New York.

There is this tiny little restaurant on the reverse side of my building (if I sneak through the alley way (where we put our trash) and through a whole in the fence and through the alley way on the other side of the building I exit next to this amazing restaurant.. Its called the Kebab Café, and it’s probably has the best damn food in the world. Seriously, and even better it’s really cheap. Its $7 for a Kebab steak sandwich (well Pita) filled with really good grilled vegetables, sauces, and other unrecognizable Egyptian garnishes. I can’t believe how good it is. I’m slightly stunned to tell the truth. After talking about it so much, I come to find out its a world famous restaurant. Ranked top ten by the travel channel. Its nothing more than a whole in the wall place that has two tables, but It’s as good, if not better than every other restaurant in all the world.

Holy Cow!

This cow is as large as an elephant. And it's real!

I'll Eat Dodge Ball for Breakfast

So it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged, and for those of you who read this I apologize. I’ve been really busy since I’ve been back in New York and haven’t found the time to type about my day/experiences.

I’ll start with my new found/old but starting again hobbies:

1. Kickboxing. They put a kickboxing gym in down the street from my house, and one day I was walking by and I stopped and looked in the window. I then proceeded to keep walking, only to find myself turned around and walking back. I then looked through the window again and by this time the receptionist knew she had a deal in the making. She came outside to greet me and tell me about the studio. I thanked her and walked away. Two days later, I found myself back in the studio purchasing 15 weeks of classes. Wow, didn’t see that coming, but it’s a lot of fun, and a pretty good workout. You can never argue this point: “The best investment a person can make is in their body”.

2. Sailing. I’m joining a NYC sailing club tonight. I’m going in front of the board after work to give a short presentation/speech as to why I want to join. Hopefully they’ll let me in. I have no doubt that they will, I’m a good sailor, and it’s what I like to do. No, scratch that…it’s what I love to do. Plus, it’ll be a great way to make new friends.

3. Dodge ball. Last night I went to the New York City Dodge Ball Championships and it was AWEOSME! I had so much fun. I tried to sign up/join, but the season is over and doesn’t start up again until September, but you can bet in September I’ll be there! It’s exactly like the movie, only better!!!

So long Grandpa Wayne.

Well...I'm in California, but not for a good reason. My grandfather had a stroke this last Friday. It's not good, in fact its horrible. Today we decided to take him off of life support, but we're waiting until tomorrow to do it so all of his friends and family can come and say goodbye if they choose to.

He's an amazing man, my best friend. I love him dearly and he impacted many peoples lives in a very positive way.

I love you grandpa, I always will.
All my best.
-Ren

Passion?

I’ve always considered myself a hard worker. I’m a firm believer of the theory that in order to be better than everyone else, you have to try harder, practice more often, and put in more effort. Some sort of combination of all of that will equal success, however that’s not always the case. In order to be successful you have to have one other flame of a burning desire. That flame is passion. Without passion, hard work, dedication, and effort don’t really amount to anything…especially if you’re lacking heart.

It’s always hard to find a passion; very few people actually every find one. I was lucky enough to find sailing; it was something that I was passionate about. It was something that I loved, something that gave me the determination to try harder than anyone else, to put in more effort than anyone else around me. With this attitude I got better, and better, and better. It was an exponential growth of bettering my sailing. It was an amazing feeling, especially when I was able to hand my coach and my school their first ever regatta and division wins.

I miss feel passionately about something. I’ve been researching sailing clubs here in NYC, but haven’t really found anything yet. I’m sure I will, and I’m sure I’ll relight my passion, but I’m really yearning for that form of physical exertion that I’m passionate about. I can run around the park for hours, but I don’t enjoy it. Sailing is what I need, its what I want. I’ll go and get it….I’m making that promise to myself right now.

China Town…is my FAVORITE!

I have no clue why, but for some reason I love China town. I spend a lot of time in that region of the city. I am a frequent visitor (at least once a week) to both Number 87 (my favorite Vietnamese restaurant) and DIM SUM (Chinese Brunch on Sundays).

Dim Sum is what I believe, may be the world’s largest restaurant with a maximum occupancy of 872 people. The best thing about the entire experience is that the only utensil that they give white people is a fork. If you turn your head to the right, then to the left, you’ll see that all the Asian people have chopsticks. But, no, not you, you’re white, “you must have fork”, and “no shrimp for you!” “What? I can’t have the shrimp”, “I say, no shrimp for you.” How could you not love a place that makes you eat with a fork, and won’t let you have shrimp? It’s quite fun.

Crooked Teeth, Stripper Song, and Winter

Crooked Teeth is a song that reminds me of Monterey, and of sailing. I love sailing, and I love Monterey. Stripper Song is a song that reminds me of Myrtle Beach, and the MB mafia, didn’t really love either, but enjoyed both. Winter is a song by Joshua Radin that screams New York to me. I love NY. And the weirdest thing is…well one of the women that I work for created and marketed the I love NY campaign. cool, yes that is neat.

More Than A Feeling is a song that reminds me of the hours we use to waste on Guitar Hero, and the time we went cliff diving and drove home with the windows down. Everything is more than a feeling; it’s a feeling with something more to it.

Purpose, hmm…purpose. What is purpose, and why do people strive to have the feeling of purpose? I remember trying to find my purpose, then one day I decided that purpose will find me. I went in search of purpose not too long ago and now here I am blogging in a code that only I understand. Ten months later with a combination of 20,000 miles traveled, 5,000 miles of moving, no money, some money, grandma helping me, struggling, finding my way, looking for where I belong…I think I did it. I’m getting by…barely, but it’s awesome.

Brilliance

“I can be alone, yeah, I can watch a sunset on my own, I can be alone, yeah, I can watch the sunset on my own.” “We’re not the people that we thought we’d be.” You’re right, we’re better.

Merry Happy…

CA Friends from Afar!

This is week is jammed pack with fun to-do things! All of which, basically revolve around the land we know as California. Visitors for afar this week include Snehal, who is here on vacation with his wife. We're gonna grab dinner at a vegetarian restaurant on Wednesday. Then Dani and Lauren arrive on Friday to give the whole New York sha-bam a go! It'll be fun.

Let's see...what to blog about...
Nothing as of now...I'll jump back a little later!

Hmmm....

I love it when I think things are funny, and I love it even more when other people think they’re funny too. For example, “Charlie bit my finger”, the video posted in the post previous to this one is hilarious. I die from not being able to breathe every time I watch it. Morgan called me this evening, after a few conversations we some how ended up on “Charlie bit my finger” and she about died from suffocation as well!

Well I guess…I’ll blog about my day, since I don’t really have any thoughts to write besides the fact that I’m still sad that Samantha Power resigned from the Obama campaign. I mean come on…really? She was way too brilliant, and way to gifted to not be one of Obama’s political advisors…and this is coming from Clinton fan. Power made a mistake, she called Hillary a “monster” …name calling shouldn’t lead to the termination (forced resignation) of someone’s political career. Stick and stones…Obama…sticks and stones, Power deserves to continue working on your campaign. Power is emotional about what she does…you can’t blame her for developing animosity against her opponent. No one wants to lose and after losing Texas, Ohio, and RI Power was really bitter. Anyways…I still think Clinton has a good fight in her, and I hope Clinton wins this thing!

Subject change:
Today was a beautiful day in the city. I started out with a Chinese brunch with friends down in China town, followed by ice-cream at pinkberry and a stroll through Soho, with a 3 hour finale at the dog park in Union Square. It was so much fun to sit back in the sun and watch the dogs play. I love how much money people spend on dog accessions, especially here in NYC. They love to show off, sweaters galore. One man had a little jacket with rhinestones and a fur hood.

I’m really looking forward to this week. It’s going to be fun! I’ve got two different sets of friends that will be here from California, it’ll be the first time I’ve seen Monterey friends since May—so you can only imagine how excited I must be!

Trying to be really vague…

I’ve been MIA for awhile and a lot of that has to deal with how busy I’ve been this past week (and of course, not having internet at home). This week has been a wild ride. Rather it be work, politics (Clinton making a much needed comeback), or basically anything to do with anything. I haven’t really had time for anything, and I definitely need to do laundry. (I’m not coping out, I’ll get around to everything…I promise)

My thoughts on the week are so varied that I can’t even begin to explain what I actually am thinking. It’s somewhere between learning more than ever in PR with an internet start up company that by the way is HUGE.

I can’t believe how lucky I am to just fall into a strange place in life. Great people, great learning experiences, great everything…the list just goes on and on, and on….and on…

For now…I’m gonna go, but I’ll leave you with two really funny videos that a friend sent me. I about died laughing on both of them, but you have to watch the top one first!:

Texas-Ohio

Why do we all have those days when the world seems so stressful? Tech problems at work (that lasted 9 hours…I wanted to take my pen and poke out my eyeballs as I beat my head over the table…ok a bit of an exaggeration…it wasn’t really all that bad and it felt awesome when we solved all 50 tech problems).

But the real thing that is totally stressing me out is the Texas-Ohio showdown for the democratic presidential bid…come on Clinton we all have hope in you! Man I really feel like I could use a beer, hell make it a keg, and if Clinton wins tomorrow there will be celebration!

GO CLINTON GO!

A Black Umbrella

A friend of mine once wrote a story about a black umbrella rolling through the sky being blown by the wind, and how it related to being new. What a beautiful symbolic sentence, and story…its pure genius.

Today was a strange day, an ordinary yet strange day. Today I was that black umbrella rolling romantically through the wind. Nothing out of the blue happened, nothing new, everything was familiar, all was familiar, but for some awkward reason I was completely disoriented and unfamiliar with my daily routine. I felt like I had no idea where I was…who I was…where I was going…I felt new, I felt like a black umbrella being blown by the wind in a direction I’ve never been.

As I sat there lost, not knowing what to do I was in complete peace. I knew that I was a black umbrella and that life was more romantic and beautiful than I sometimes perceive it to be. Feeling like a black umbrella was a moment of peace, a moment I’m not willing to give up. It feels so surreal so feel new again, it felt so surreal to be blown through the sky by a wind that took me in a direction that I have not yet been. Lee, I think I finally understand what A black umbrella rolling through the wind is. And when I say understand, I think its something that only you and I understand...we tend to do that often.

I love it...

I don't have a TV, so I'm a little behind the loop. But, man...these are great....

An 80 Year Old Transvestite = AWESOME

I've been working with an 80 year old Transvestite this past week for a travel show that we're recording on the Queen Mary 2. She's not just any 80 year old transvestite, she's the most popular travel writer in the history of the world. She's pretty rad. So naturally if your office is producing a travel show, who better to invite?

Today her car service was suppose to pick her up at 11:00AM at her Central Park Hotel, well...as any 80 year old transvestite would have it, she's late--which seemingly has sent me into some sort of panic mode. We need her to be on the Ship (which is in Brooklyn--way bad traffic) by noon, because the show happens to be, well...about her! So hurry it up driver, get her to the ship!

Scratch that last paragraph. Our 80 year old transvestite was not late! The car company sent two cars to her, and got confused because she got in the first one. The car company is so hectically disorganized that I'll never allow anyone in my office to contract them out again. In fact, I called and canceled their contract and just wrote up a new one with a different car company. I'm not really easy to irritate, but incompetency is not allowed--it does nothing but cause more work in the long run!

I'm Gonna Kick Your ASPEN!

Post-traumatic stress syndrome may have been invented as a fancy term to describe the sufferings of our soldiers when they return from war...but today I think my office may be suffering from some sort of stress syndrome. This week has been hectically busy, and its only getting more busy tomorrow. Take 3 events, an office relocation, a server crash and wrap them up in a tortilla..that's our day. :)

On a side note Aspen wrote to me about tortillas. Haha. She's nuts (that's why she dresses like There's Something About Mary). I'll never forget those funny days back in high school when we would ride to school without a radio. So we just sang, and honked the horn and we were good to go.

Our favorite (well...mine at least) was always black bean burritos.

Well..I have to get back to work...I'm too busy to be writing a blog, but I needed to take time away from work just to get my head straight.

ASPEN--I'll write you more later!

iYo Necesito la Comida de Mexicana!

I'm looking for a good Mexican restaurant somewhere in New York City...which may be impossible since I'm from California. I have high standards when it comes to Mexican food. South Carolina didn't fare well with Mexican food, and so far either does NYC.

The funny thing is most non Western residents of the US don't really like Mexican food (or so I have discovered since I've lived on the East Coast for the past 8 months). It's strange to think what a staple Mexican food is in the typical Californian's diet. Just ask Michael Ludwig, he eats Mexican every day, and on most days he was able to talk me and 15 of our closest Friends into joining him at Isidro's. A place that helps you pack on the pounds. Which, for some reason...makes me think of surfing.

I'd really like to go surfing right now. Its sad to think that my board is sitting in Erin Clare's and Sephanie Brereton's lovely garage on Bundage Court (Sort of like bondage...Erin's favorite pastime to practice on Stephanie). Speaking of Erin Clare--she likes to make me sad. She calls me in the middle of the night or sends text messages exclaiming that she misses me (which I know she does), but sometimes I think she does it just to wake me up. Which I more than appreciate. Even more so, I appreciate the drunk dials from her, Michael, and Stephanie. Lovely bunch of coconuts aren't they? Thanks for the calls last night!

Alexa...this one's for you!

Alexa,
Remember that time we were on our way to a regatta in Bakersfield? It was the fall championships and the whole team was there. We sailed really well, the best we ever did up to that point in fact. Remember lying like dead people in the van, seeing the falling cow sign, or better yet the 12 year old who hit on you, and then tried to give you beer and talk to you about sex and partying? Or even better--remember finding the cat in the van at the Stanford regatta? Haha. Ahh….I miss you, you were the best thing that ever happened to my sailing career. Who would have thought a few years down the road that we would actually be winning those things? Or even better yet, who would have ever thought that I would learn to control my competitive spirit and stay in my own boat when I got pissed off. Haha…I hate UCLA.

Anyways I was thinking about our Van rides the other day and remembered the time we were going to the Pacific Coast Championships in Long Beach. I was in the back seat of the van with Greg and Lauren and you were one seat ahead of me with Erika. I was telling you that I thought it was weird how I always look like a giant in photos. You thought I was full of shit, and kept making fun of me, so I made you take a picture. You then took Lauren’s camera, took a picture of Greg, Lauren and I, and sure enough…I looked like a GIANT. It looked like I was holding my live human dinner under my arms. We laughed for hours, and every time I think about it I still get a good chuckle! Get in my belly!

Well, here’s to that memory:

Learning to Fly

One of my favorite theories in life is that everyone's got a theme song. I love when you see someone walking down the street to their theme song. It's AWESOME! Most people never take the time to figure out their theme song, truth is, it changes all the time. However, mine has been constant for about three years now.

Learning to Fly by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:

Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out, all alone
And the sun went down, as I crossed the hill
The town lit up, the world got still

I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings,
Coming down, is the hardest thing

Well the good old days, may not return
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn

I’m learning to fl , but I ain’t got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

Well some say life, will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I started out, for God knows where
But I guess Ill know ,when I get there

I’m learning to fly, around the clouds
But what goes up, must come down

I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings
Coming down, is the hardest thing
I’m learning to fly, around the clouds
But what goes up, must come down

I’m learning to fly,
I’m learning to fly

Work...

My job is AWESOME!

The Post College "Blues"

Bye Bye California, hello South Carolina, no scratch that...New York? Whoa...what? Is it true? Am I suffering from the post-college "blues"?

In May I was walking across a stage, in July I was living out of a backpack, in August I was working in South Carolina, now its almost March and I'm scrapping by living life in New York. Am I caught in the everlasting never-ending gobstopper that we call "Searching for one's purpose"? I think, wait...it's not healthy to think...but...is it? I think...well I think I like to think. I think thinking is something I like to think about. I think, that is what I do.

Life has been nothing short of a whirlwind these past few months. First comes graduation, then a summer abroad, then comes returning to the states, buckling down and growing up. To tell the truth growing up isn't as easy as I thought it would be. In fact it’s sort of hard, and it takes a lot of thinking. I spend most of my time contemplating life in general. Which way is left, which way is north, which way is the way I want to go?

Graduating from college, may be the most difficult thing I ever did (the getting good grades, over achieving, winning awards part was easy), but it’s the part that takes place after the ceremony that gets difficult. Graduation left me lost, and I know I'm not the only one. Even my friends with plans like grad school, or dream jobs are in complete shambles. No one knows what to do, or if it’s the right choice. Even worse, we all fear it may be the dreaded *wrong choice*. Which, we're all allowed to make time and time again.

I made what I thought was the wrong choice. That choice being South Carolina. But that wrong choice couldn't have been more right. I met amazing people and opened some new doors. It led me to New York and an amazing job. I just had to get in my car and gamble away my future. When you're suffering from the post-college "blues" you have nothing to lose. Just do it!

Does the Devil Really Wear Prada?

Some may say "yes", but I beg to differ. I'm willing to bet that Devil wears whatever he or she damn well pleases.

I land in NY only to find out that the company I am going to work for is going out of business. In one harsh flick of a wand I find myself loaned to a fashion house as a personal assistant to a famous NY designer for Fashion Week at Bryant Park. How cool is that?

For every negative aspect of life, there are two positive aspects. Sometimes its hard to remember this, and let me tell you...I struggle with this theory a great deal. After I was loaned out I felt small, unimportant, and worthless, which doesn't always feel good. Luckily, NY has a way of changing your mood, making everything seem positive.

After being loaned out, I would dread going to work in an industry known as fashion. Every time I walked up through what I dubbed "the dragons mouth" (A green hallway with red stairs), I thought to myself about the misery of fashion that laid on the other side of a little tiny white door. After taking a deep breath, grabbing the dragon's throat by its tonsils and shoving the little white door open I found a world that was reminiscent of Willy Wonka, but instead of candy it was women's clothing. A world of knits, silks, furs (which I hate), laces, and God knows what else. All I knew is that my brain was hyper-extended and my mind was working like a revolving door. Going around, and around, and around again, keeping the cold out, but letting the new in. I was thrown for a loop, a loop of craziness that could have been the end of me. Fortunately, I had a light at the end of the tunnel. The opportunity to plan, put together, and execute a fashion show at Bryant Park.

Planning a fashion show at Fashion Week is harsh, complicated, and amazing, its something I never thought I'd ever get the chance to do. Seating arrangements are a science--not an art. Filling in gaps and making sure everything flows correctly is an art. A successful show, its a combination of art and science. Good thing I tend to favor both.

I have respect for the fashion industry and I'm definitely happy to have had the chance to get an inside look at how it works. Although I did meet the Devil, and let me tell you...Prada, is not what she is wearing.

"Quarter-Life Crisis"

I'm currently going through what I like to call the "Quarter-Life Crisis" its the new and improved take on the classic "Mid-Life Crisis" that my dad is classically fulfilling. The main difference between the two is of course money.

In one corner of the arena we have the victim of a "Quarter-Life Crisis". He must make financial decisions like rather or not he should buy a pillow to sleep on or an umbrella to stay dry. Because buying both doesn’t fit into his budget.

In the other corner of the arena we have the victim of a "Mid-Life Crisis" who can't determine rather he should buy a blue, silver, or red sports car.

The fight begins and its nothing short of spectacular. But in the end who should I bet on for the win? The young gun with the determination and reason to buy basic items that fulfill a specific need? Or should I bet on the old gun that buys luxury items for pleasure purposes? In the end its simple. Everyone goes through a "Quarter-Life Crisis" just look at the people around you.
A "Mid-Life Crisis" is no different, you just need to have the determination to fight. To kick a little ass from time to time.

The best part is, I'm willing to fight, and I'm willing to kick a little ass. Plus my cousin gave me an umbrella, so I bought the pillow.