It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

I'm deeply entrenched in week 4 of unemployment - or "funemployment" as many friends have insisted I'm in - and living like this certainly has its highs and lows. It's funny, really, because when I first got into the DGA training program, my parents and I scoured the internet for anything and everything about the program. At the time, all we could find was someone's blog about how, as a trainee, you are shackled to the program - "can't even go to your brother's wedding," was how the blogger put it I recall. And yet I've had ample opportunity to travel, take time off, enjoy responsibility-free living (sidebar: I conveyed the same sense of amazement to the program administrator the other day and she said that that blogger likely had gone through the LA program...).

Regardless, after a week skiing in Colorado with the fam, I stopped briefly in Pittsburgh to watch the Super Bowl with the folks I spent each Sunday with during the regular season, before heading back up to New York to move back into my apartment.

And what a time to be in New York! When I got back, the murmurs around town were that Jeremy Lin, a classmate of mine in college, had just been called from the Knicks bench and had tacked up a gaudy line against the Nets. Cool, I had thought. Little could I imagine how the whole thing would play out. Game after game, the legend of Lin built. It finally hit me last Thursday - after he had scored 25 against soon-to-be-BK, 28 against the Jazz, and 23 at the Wizards - as I was sitting in my favorite gourmet mac-n-cheese place. The guy sitting at the table next to me was regaling his girlfriend with Lin exploits with an enthusiasm so utterly childlike it could only be matched by the fact that he was slurping mac-n-cheese. I decided immediately that I had to see Jeremy play before the clock struck midnight, leaving a slackjawed MSG collectively holding an empty black Nike sneak.

So I convinced (not really sure if that's the right word since he agreed to it pretty willingly) my buddy to accompany me to the Laker game to try and scalp tickets. Without needing to go into too much detail on how we got the tickets*, we made our way in. And what a show! Every time Jeremy flinched, the decible level in the place peaked. It was a madhouse. But the interesting thing that my buddy - who was my co-editor of the sports page of the college paper and so we had seen Jeremy play a lot - and I both noticed was that the moves he was pulling weren't necessarily anything we hadn't already seen him do against the likes of Boston College (fortunately, as I later found, Tommy Amaker validated our assessment on the Boomer & Carton show). The only difference was he was busting these moves out on the likes of Kobe freakin' Bryant. It's just a joy to see.

*No, I'm still not going to go into detail on how we got the tickets, but I needed to force a segue into why I felt capable of making such an investment. As soon as I had gotten back into the city, I stopped by the DGA office to debrief with the program administrator. She had gotten positive reviews from my Pittsburgh employers that she wanted to share, and I was hoping to gather some intel on my future prospects. She confirmed my worst fears that I probably won't get my next assignment until well into March (pilot season, baby!) but before I left, she asked if I'd like to work on a commercial. "Sure," I said. "When?"

"Tomorrow. I'll let the production manager know. She'll get in touch with you about the details."

"Tomorrow...? Cool..."

I got a call no less than 10 minutes later. "Be there at 5:30am." Yikes!

That being said, the job was actually a really good learning experience. It was just me and the 1st AD, a one-day, 30-second spot for laundry detergent. We got to an empty stage, built a laundry room, got the coverage, broke down the laundry room, and left an empty stage. As de-facto 2nd AD, it was really cool to be able to interact with the director, director of photography, department heads, and the ad agency people so directly. Granted, once everything was in place and things got clicking, it was a long, painfully-boring day (I mean, how exciting can a laundry detergent commercial get, right?), but it kept me, at times, more engaged than I've ever been and certainly bestowed me with greater responsibility than any job yet.

But aside from that, I've just been reacclimating myself to New York lifestyle and pace. A friend from Pittsburgh visited for a couple of days, which motivated me to get off the couch (my preferred New York lifestyle and pace...only kidding) and get out. Saw Ground Zero the 9/11 memorial for the first time, which was an awe-inspiring sight. You see pictures of the fountains that mark the footprints of the Twin Towers, but there's really no way of getting a sense of the size of these fountains without seeing them in person. I noticed on my Google maps app on my phone that the fountains are illustrated as actual square-shaped bodies of water - on par with the ponds of Central Park. Simply breathtaking.

Oh and lest you think my time spent lately has been totally mindless, I picked up a valuable little nugget of education today. If you lose something in an NYC taxi cab and pay with a credit card, you can call Creative Mobile Technologies, the company that manufactures and operates the credit card swiping machines in the back of cabs and they can trace your transaction back to not only the medallion number, but the actual driver. Of course, if you pay with cash, as the nice guy at Style Management Co - one of the many cab dispatchers I had till then been contacting one at a time - told me, "You're shit out of luck."

Ah, New York, it's good to be back.

This Nomadic Life

Let me start off by saying that I did not take this picture. I a) do not have a small child and b) would never strap a suitcase strap across a baby's forehead. But I will acknowledge that it made me chuckle, so I thought I'd share.

So I made it to Pittsburgh and was greeted by snow flurries. One of my friends from home wrote that I had gotten out just before it got cold down there. I responded that it's like the cold version of out of the frying pan into the fire (out of the ice cream into the ice box? I don't know, I'll figure something out). But yes, at long last I've returned to my home away from home for the last four months: the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. There is something very magical about this city, even when dipped in the hues of drab wintry grey. The trip from the airport into downtown (or "dahntahn" as the locals would have it) is for the most part pretty sparse; billboards, shipping depots, trees, lots and lots of trees. But then you go through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, through Mt. Washington, and the city just opens up - the Ohio to the left, the Monongahela to the right, the Allegheny streaking across, Heinz Field and PNC Park smack dab in front of you, bridges galore (apparently only second to Venice, I've been assured), and buildings that look like comic book bad guy hangouts. This past weekend I actually had a spirited conversation with a friend, who had visited Pittsburgh once, about how underrated it is. She said something to the effect of "if you can get past the name, it's actually a really cool city."

So here I am, perched in my urban asylum, contemplating the life I have begun to forge for myself - or at least the one that's being forged whether I like it or not.

There's something to be said for a nomadic lifestyle like this. For one, you come home to a made bed and clean towels daily. But at the same time, you're coming "home" to an antiseptic cave, devoid of any character or personality other than the cookie-cutter nautilus shell and flower vase still life that hangs above the toilet. So it got me thinking... really it's had me thinking for a while now. There are basically three jurisdictional zones in the Directors Guild - New York, Los Angeles, and Everywhere Else. As I get further into this industry (and as the industry gets increasingly less centralized around LA and NYC), I'm seeing the benefit of living in a more tolerable city - like Pittsburgh... Or Atlanta, New Orleans, New Mexico even (not a city, I know). Then from there, I could navigate the "Third Zone" and basically live my life out of a suitcase (like the baby pictured above, lest you thought I'd forget to somehow tie that in!) Is this a sustainable lifestyle? Suitable even? So I've started weighing the pros and cons of a nomadic life like that.

PROS

• A lot of exciting traveling to a lot of potentially really cool places.
• A steady stream of new friends coming into my life.
• No commitments.
• The hope of living in warmer climes.

CONS

• A lot of exhausting traveling to a lot of potentially really lame places.
• A steady stream of old friends exiting from my life.
• No commitments.
• The threat of living in colder climes.

So as you can see, my analysis needs to dig deeper. I suppose I need to get my priorities in order before I make any binding decisions. I always go back to the age-old parental advice to never close off any doors. My time in Pittsburgh over the last four months has been eye-opening. It's encouraging to see that there is life in this industry outside of New York and Los Angeles, and there are people within the industry - within my own department - who have chosen not to live in New York and Los Angeles and are still working on really awesome jobs!

I don't know what the future has in store, but boy am I psyched for it! And so we beat on, boats against the current, and if we're borne back ceaselessly into the past, as the quote continues, so be it. If my past has any bearing on my future, then I say bring it on.

No Resolutions Without Some Resolve

I'm sitting in the Baltimore Airport, going on hour two of my epic layover before my flight to Pittsburgh (explanation to follow). A flight to Portland just left from my gate, a couple hundred people clearing out to a city I've never seen. And as I continue to wait with my paltry Pittsburgh-bound "family" of fellow passengers, it has occurred to me that I never once updated my blog in 2011.

So as we set off on 2012, with a renewed sense of conviction and a self-awareness of my inability to communicate well, I'm back.

This past year has been, for lack of a better word, eventful. I'm now going into my "4th quarter" of the DGA program - basically all that signifies is that I get a slight uptick in my pay rate and I'm just moments away from being discharged to the fun-filled, fast-paced world of freelance. But before getting too bogged down in the prospects of the future, I suppose I should attempt to make some sense of the past. I'm in the homestretch of my fourth job since becoming a DGA trainee - a Tom Cruise movie, called "One Shot," which is filming in Pittsburgh (thus why I'm awaiting a flight to Pittsburgh). Since finishing "The Sitter," which apparently is my only frame of reference for this blog so far, I worked on Season 2 of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" and Sacha Baron Cohen's new soon-to-be-released shock-mock "The Dictator," which "tell[s] the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed." Every job has presented unique challenges and opportunities, and I've had the privilege of working with some of the best people in the film industry. As I delve deeper into this blog in the coming weeks and months, I'll elaborate more, provide fun anecdotes, and ruminate on the film industry and my place in it.

Outside of work, I've had the chance to check off more world destinations from my bucket list - visiting Paris in late-May and Kaua'i, Hawai'i in late September. I climbed the Eiffel Tower at midnight and learned to surf (sort of) in the embrace of Puff the Magic Dragon, but I still get no greater contentment than when I fly home to Birmingham (my Alabama license expires this year, and I'll be damned if they make me switch over to New York!) In an industry with such uniformity of experience, my Alabama-ness is probably the most interesting thing about me.

Oh and I'm no longer waking up in Brooklyn! My roommates and I finally sold out (more like got kicked out) in June, making the big move from downtown BK to a much much much much smaller place in the East Village. My room, which I'm subletting while in Pittsburgh, isn't much larger than my bed and makes for fun times trying to get to the bathroom on the other side (depending on my mood, I do some kind of variant of a hood slide or somersault).

So I welcome 2012 and the prospects that come with it! Thank you 9 followers for sticking with me, I promise to keep things exciting and will hopefully attract new converts. I'm too lazy and uncreative right now to think of a new, more appropriate blog title, so WUIB it'll have to remain.

Fitting In

A lot has happened since last I updated this blog, mostly a lot of working and a lot sleeping. I joke that I really only have two speeds, work and sleep. I get home from work, collapse on my bed, wake up, repeat. But my dedication is paying off and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable both at home and at work. I've had several conversations with people on the crew, where they've asked me if we've worked together on something before. "I don't think so," I'll reply. "Did you work on 30 Rock?" They'll ask. "Nope." "Criminal Intent." "Nope, this is actually my first job." "Really?!?!" It's encouraging that I've got people fooled, but it's also now a bit nerve-wracking that I may now be called on to know more than I actually do.

Work is cruising right along, tomorrow is Day 35 of 50, the home stretch. The final couple of weeks are broken up nicely. This past week we had Veterans Day fall smack dab in the middle to split up the week. Now we've got a full slate, but then next week we're on two days and then off four for Thanksgiving. By then we'll only have nine days left. And as far as the actual movie itself, we've been doing some pretty awesome stuff lately, including explosions and green screens. Through it all, we've shot in Brooklyn and Queens and couple of days in Manhattan. I've traveled pretty much every train line the city has to offer, and I've walked hundreds of streets. So in a way, work has forced me to become a better New Yorker.

That was something I suppose I had taken for granted until I was walking around with my brother yesterday. We got off the subway at Union Square, in hopes of hitting up the farmers' market there. No luck. So we walked a little ways up Broadway till we got to the Flatiron District. I had passed the Flatiron building on one of my epic, pre-The Sitter walks from the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum to Union Square. But my brother made a comment about how he only knew the Flatiron building from the old Spiderman video game we used to play. He felt bad that he hadn't really been around New York much, granted he's working an office job and travels most weekends.

So I'm thankful that work has basically forced me to get out of my apartment and see the city. As far as the development of my specific job as the paperwork PA, like I said, I'm beginning to fit in. I've developed a pretty solid routine and I know what is expected of me, when and where I need to be. I'm accruing more downtime by being more efficient with my uptime. I've, of course, been reminded that not all jobs will be like this and I've been lucky to have really nice Best Boys (the second-in-commands for each department, who I have to get the manpower for each day). But as my dad reminded me, I am the maker of my own luck. As long as I bring a positive attitude and confidence to my job, they'll be more accommodating, because at the end of the day they'll know that my job is important to them getting paid and if they blow me off, there will be problems with their paychecks.

Inevitably, on my next project, this will all have to repeat itself, but for now, I have good friends, good work, and good sleep. Ok, so maybe three speeds.

A Long Time Coming

The title of this entry has less to do with what's going on in my life and more to do with the fact that this entry has been a long time coming. I'm getting to that first wall in blog-writing. The initial luster of writing a blog about a new chapter in one's life is starting to wear because, to be honest, this chapter doesn't feel so new anymore. There haven't been too many new improvements on the apartment—though I did have a house warming party. That was actually very fun, because a) I learned how to cook a bunch of things, 2) I've conquered the fear of having people over, and d) having people over reminded me how awesome our apartment is. The wow factor was back!

Job-wise, I've still been putting in days on "Premium Rush," though this week marked the end of their shooting action scenes so they don't really need additional PAs anymore. I had a bit of a close call on Thursday. At the end of the day, the Key PA asked if I wanted to work Friday. I'm pretty sure I have something to do tomorrow, I thought. But I can't remember what it is and I've been living and breathing Premium Rush all week, so...

"Sure," I said.

As soon as I got home, I suddenly realized that I had made arrangements to go into the production office for "The Sitter" on Friday. I texted the Key, "Hey I feel really terrible about this but I just realized I had made an arrangement to visit the production office of my first DGA assignment. I can help find a replacement if you want." I was kind of expecting him to say, "I'll just hire someone I know and trust." Instead, nothing. So I figured I better deliver on a replacement. Only problem is, I don't know anyone who's been a PA before. But I called up a friend, who I had recently met up with for coffee to discuss the film industry. She had a genuine interest in film, but no real gateway to the biz. I texted the Key, "I found someone. She's never worked on Premium Rush before, but she's a go-getter." "Book her," was his response. Phew. As it turned out, she had a great time working on the movie. Of course, how could you not have a great time when you're shooting in Central Park. It's like touristing and working, wrapped into one.

With my "day off," I went into the office for "The Sitter." It was in a very inconspicuous building, in an even more inconspicuous office. But when I got there, everyone was very nice and welcoming. They knew who I was and got me some crew information paperwork to start filling out. I was then led into the office of the 2nd AD, who couldn't have been nicer. There was still a lot to be done, so she didn't give me too many specifics, but it was definitely comforting to put a face with a name and get a better idea of who I'll be working with. She said the 1st AD was in a scheduling meeting with the producers and that I probably wouldn't get to meet him, but sure enough, the meeting let out and I met the 1st AD, the Line Producer, and one of the Producers. The 1st AD actually introduced me to the Line Producer, saying, "Harvard meet Cornell." "Oh, when'd you get out of there?" the Big Red LP asked. "May," I replied. "Oh! Well, welcome!" Then he introduced me to the producer, "Harvard meet Dartmouth." It felt a little awkward, but it was cool to see other Ivy Leaguers with obviously very successful careers in the film industry—outside of the typical writer/agent mold.

I met up with a couple of friends, one of whom was the girl who I "booked" for Premium Rush, and we strolled along Madison Avenue for the kick-off to Fashion Week. All the ritzy stores were open late, serving complimentary champagne (and one place had bourbon-filled chocolate truffles, very fancy). Even looked very, for lack of a better word, fashionable. I actually texted my friend who orchestrated the whole thing, "What's the attire?" "It's a mix, but safe bet would be no jeans or sneakers." I looked down; jeans and sneakers. So I made a quick change, scraping together the only decent clothes I have. It's tough when you work in an industry where you can wear shorts and a t-shirt to work. The high point of the evening was seeing Serena Williams at the David Yurman store.

Saturday, I went to a PA/AD party—ended up being more production assistants than actual assistant directors, but still very fun. There were a lot of Premium Rush people. I started to talking to a group of them and they said, "Oh, you're [name redacted]'s friend." Wait, what? She's my friend! Only one day on the job and she already had more friends than I did. But it pleased me to feel like I had helped someone "break in."

From that party, I went to the Ainsworth, a bar in Chelsea, to watch the Alabama-Penn State game with probably two- or three-hundred other Alabama fans. Apparently the Alabama alumni in New York (UANY) group organizes watch parties every Saturday, so I figured this was as good a game as any to check it out. The game ended up being a wash, but the crowd was great and I met a lot of nice people, including the guy who I sat next to at the National Championship Game last year.

I'm heading home tomorrow to get one last good dose of R&R and quality lake time before I start working ridiculous hours nonstop till December.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

So I was released from work yet again yesterday because of the change of the schedule. And because of the change of schedule yesterday, I didn't even have to go in today. I made the most of the opportunity yesterday. Having taken a lot of flack for not having rain gear, I was dead set on getting some. But, as it was still raining, I didn't want to be searching for a place in the middle of the rain. Thankfully, for New Yorkers on a rainy day, there's a place to go: Museum Mile.

I had heard about this exhibit going on at the Guggenheim that was supposed to be pretty cool. "Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance." So I trekked up to 5th Avenue between 88th and 90th and was immediately aware of the swarms of people flooding in and out of the Guggenheim. I walked in and there was a long queue line for admissions snaking through across the ground floor. I looked at the admission price (General Admission $18, Students $15). Wait, I thought every New York museum was $15 general admission and $10 students. Oh right, this is the Guggenheim Museum. I panned the expansive ground floor and followed the spiraling ramp up with my eyes. Then it hit me, this place is way too crowded, I'm not THAT excited about this exhibit, entry is a little too expensive for my tight budget, and besides the main reason to go to the Guggenheim is to see the building. So I took in my surrounding for a little longer, visited the museum shop (which had customized Lego sets of the Guggenheim and Frank Lloyd Wright's other famous work, Falling Water), and then headed a few blocks north.

Poised pretty much smack dab in the middle of Museum Mile, the Smithsonian Institute's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is, in my very biased opinion, the greatest museum I've ever been to. First of all, there was no line. Secondly, they accepted my expired student ID, so it was only $10 to enter. Plus they had a free iPod touch tour guide thing. The museum's currently featuring an exhibition called "Why Design Now?" which highlights new aesthetic technologies that are sustainable and eco-friendly. It was amazing to see the wide range of ideas—from a wooden radio made of local materials to the car-free, carbon neutral, zero waste city on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

When I finally emerged after three hours in the museum, the rain had finally stopped. The rain had cooled things down, so I decided I'd walk along Central Park until I got tired, then hop on the subway to get to the sporting goods store in Union Square where I'd find some quality rain gear. I kept walking and walking and walking, passing by all the 5th Avenue landmarks—Saks 5th Avenue, the Rockefeller Center, eventually making it down to the Empire State Building and the Flatiron District. Next thing I knew, I was in Union Square. That's right, I walked almost 80 New York City blocks (apparently the rule of thumb is that 20 north-south blocks equals a mile, so 4 miles!). I got my rain gear and headed home to rest my feet. It was nice to finally make something of a day off, rather than lie sluggishly at home.

Settling In

So a lot has happened at home since the last time I updated. I mistakenly referred to my apartment as "my room" today when I was talking to my girlfriend. She rightfully called me out on it, "You're not in college anymore, that place is a home. You've got a kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining space, and laundry." The real lynchpin of the whole process was the sofa, which finally arrived two weekends ago. Funny story behind that actually. It was Saturday. "Premium Rush" has a shooting week from Wednesday to Sunday, so I was on my penultimate day of my shadowing. It was the only catered lunch of the week, staged in a school gymnasium near our set in Harlem. My phone rang and I stepped outside to take the call. It was the furniture store arranging for a delivery later in the day. While I was in a heated conversation about how I was at work and they needed to contact my non-brother roommate, Joseph Gordon-Levitt exited the gymnasium right in front of me. Realizing I had to do something in acknowledgement, I gave him a casual head up-nod without missing a step on the phone call. Joe quickly returned the nod then went on his way. My confidence restored, I negotiated the terms of our sofa's delivery.

So with the sofa in place, our living room certainly feels more homey. We've added bar stools and a rug—courtesy of my parents, a handmade Greek rug they got like 30 years ago. Plus, the Zelda Fitzgerald paintings have finally been matted, framed, and hung.

There are a couple more prints on the other side of the room. They all help to give the room some much needed dimension. We went with some "natural" pairings. We figured that the Washington Square one could pass off as Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza, so we paired it with the Brooklyn Bridge. Times Square and Grand Central comprise the 42nd St. duo. Central Park and 5th Avenue seemed to make sense together. And then Grant's tomb is in a league of its own by the kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen, I feel like I'm starting to settle in with the routine of feeding myself everyday. Tonight was the first time that I felt I had done an adequate job of replicating my usual evening routine when home in Alabama. Earlier in the day, I had turned some frozen ripe bananas into banana bread. So that, combined with some crackers and cheese and a glass of wine gave me the comfort foods I had desperately been craving. Plus when it came to dinner, I managed to time everything so it was all freshly warm when I set my plate on the table. Yes, it's easy when I'm free all day, and yes, it'll all change once I'm working regularly, but it's nice to realize my capabilities of living independently.

Fleas and Brute Force

I feel like this weekend was the first time I really got out to experience New York. In the weeks past, I've gone out to bars with friends, but this weekend was all about checking off the to-do list. I guess it all started with Friday. My brother roped me into volunteering for the Harlem Children's Zone for its annual Summer Olympics. So we woke up at 6am to hop on the A express train bound for Washington Heights. I spent most of the day getting the kids into the Whole Foods sponsored Nutrition Zone. The sweet payoff for that job was that I got loads of free Whole Foods hummus, kiwi, and grapes. I also took part in the staff 55-meter dash. Let's just say, it was an embarrassment.

Saturday started out slow. It was a scorcher in the city, so I stayed tucked away in the apartment. But as soon as the sun went down, I met up with some friends to go see "Fuerza Bruta"—an Argentinean dance show experience. I think that's the best way I can describe it. It started out with some lights and high-powered fans creating ambience. Then a guy on a giant treadmill emerged from behind a curtain and started sprinting, ultimately plowing through a bunch of walls of cardboard boxes. Some dancing ensued from other actors, then a huge pool with scantily-clad women descended above us. More crashing through cardboard boxes when all was said and done, the place turned into a club, with the DJ laying down house tunes while rain poured from the ceiling of the theater. It was all a very bizarre experience. Luckily, I had done my research and knew to dress casually. Some of the others didn't fare as well.

Today, my non-brother roommate and I wandered over to Atlantic Avenue, where every weekend the Brooklyn Flea Market takes place. While the building itself was very nice, the contents of the flea market left a lot to be desired—mainly women's clothes and jewelry (everything oozing with hipsterness). But it was definitely something I had wanted to do.

I leave tomorrow to go home to Birmingham for a little bit (still haven't booked a return flight). It'll definitely be a much needed break for my psyche as well as my wallet.

I Like IKE-A

"You have to question your life choices when you're planning your meal at IKEA," my non-brother roommate interjected in the midst of a heated discussion about Swedish meatballs and Lingonberry jam. We were on our third IKEA trip in our second UHaul van in two days. It had to end then. I moved through IKEA with the deliberate precision of someone who's spent way too much time at IKEA. I got all the finishing touches (nightstands, bedding, etc.), and have spent the majority of this week assembling furniture and getting our apartment up to speed while my roommates are at work.

Now that the majority of it is done, I feel I can relax, watch some TV, and post on my blog again. I think I'm going to let pictures narrate this entry. I'll start with my room.

This is my bed. I realized that everything was varying shades of beigey-gray, so I decided to get a little green pillow to add some color. I don't have any overhead light in my room, but I like the dim lighting provided by the atmospheric lantern lamps. It makes my room really warm and soothing. The bedside tables are also new and have glass tops that mirror the glass sliding doors that you'll see in this next picture.

So this is looking across my bed from the other side. My room is certainly "cozy." My fourth wall is entirely sliding glass doors. So I got this curtain to block out light in the morning. It's both a blessing and a curse. I now sleep well, but I also sleep well into the day because I have no grasp on what time it could possibly be. The curtains also do a good job of blocking out sound, like that of the dryer, which you may be able to see is right outside my door. I also got a dresser with glass facades on the drawers to match the sliding doors.

Here's our living/dining area. Things are still a little messy while we finish setting up, but we put the dining table by the window and put the TV area in what the floorplan designated the "dining area." I think it will help to reduce glare on the TV. All we're missing is a couch, but we're in the process of getting one that looks like this. Ours will have the chaise on the other side, so as to close off the dining area and open the TV area to the kitchen...

Still a couple of things that need some tidying, but it's coming along. We got all the necessities, toaster oven, coffee maker, pots and pans. Still a couple of things need to be worked out here, namely I just need to readjust my understanding of how big (or should I say not so big) the kitchen is. I keep catching corners with my hip and accidentally slamming my shoulder into the fridge because expectation and reality haven't yet aligned themselves. And of course, while trying to cook last night, I made a total mess of things. I bumped into an open bottle of vegetable oil, spilling a quarter of its contents all over everywhere. And then while making wild rice, the spice packet slipped out of my hand, spilling garlic powder and pine nuts all over the stove and floor. So still some kinks to work out, but it's coming together well.

Waking Up In Brooklyn

The day has finally come. My first morning waking up in Brooklyn. For the entire lead-up to this moment, I thought we were doing pretty well in terms of moving in. My mom had shipped us two big boxes of "stuff"—essentials really, I thought. But as soon as I started organizing things and taking stock of what we still need, I came to some shocking revelations. This is what we have:

• Hi Def DVR box...but no TV.
• Shower curtain...but no curtain rod.
• Dishware...but no silverware or glasses.
• Coffee mugs...but no coffee maker.
• Wineglasses...but no wine.

So we're basically half-way there on everything. But all of that changes today! My brother rented a UHaul van for the afternoon, so we're going to make some runs to IKEA, Target, maybe Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I don't know, I don't know if we'll have time (*name the movie reference there). So hopefully after today, our apartment will be a bit more habitable.

I tried to make some headway on buying stuff yesterday by going to Macy's. They were having a one-day sale, but everything was still SO expensive. I was trying to get some bedding, but all the beds-in-a-bag had cheesy floral patterns or fire trucks. The only way I could just get a solid-color comforter was to get a comforter + separate shams, pillows + separate cases and shams, sheets, a bed skirt, a mattress pad all separately. The problem is every piece was running baseline at like $40 or $50. I'm sorry but I refuse to pay $50 for a single pillow case. Hopefully, Target or Bed, Bath, and Beyond can give me better options.

I did, however, find a bunch of awesome 99¢ stores near our place that could be a good option for buying glasses (I found I could buy 10 big glasses, and 8 short glasses for $16), as well as other kitcheny objects like measuring cups and stirring spoons.

Well I'm going to try to make do with our bathtub, since I can't really take a shower without flooding the whole place. That's issue #1 today, get a shower curtain rod.

Also, for those wondering, still no word on when I'll get my first gig. I emailed back and forth with the program administrator, and it seems that there are three people who still need to be placed ahead of me. I think the way it works is that we are assigned in pairs. So the first two "first-years" got assigned—to Gossip Girl and Law and Order: SVU, respectively. But now they need to assign two "second-years," then the first-year guy who drew number three, and then me! I saw Inception last night, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Christopher Nolan wants to shoot something in New York. But I'm guessing I may start work in mid- to late-August.

First Post from Brooklyn

We are well on our way to moving into our new place! The cable guy is here this morning and just finished setting up the wireless modem. So while he finishes setting up our HD DVR box, I figured I'd send my first post from Brooklyn.

I have to admit, as much as I disparaged "waking up in Brooklyn," I am actually now eagerly awaiting my first night (and morning) in my new home. Especially when I read articles like this piece from the NY Times. Apparently Brooklyn is just chock full of free concerts. This past weekend, my brother went to Prospect Park where there was a free Roots concert going on. Next week the Beach Boys and the Monkeys are performing in the same concert and then in August Aretha Franklin is performing...twice. I actually have a bone to pick with Ms. Franklin. She was supposed to come to City Stages—a now-defunct concert series in Birmingham—a couple of years back as the headlining act. At the last minute, she bailed to perform at a bigger venue in Atlanta, leaving us with Poison (ugh) as our featured performance. Anyway, I'm psyched to take advantage of some of those concerts.

Also, my brother and I went to Williamsburg (a neighborhood in Brooklyn) to check out a furniture store that he had been reading a lot about. I had certainly heard the rumors about how hipstery Williamsburg is supposed to be, but my God I had no idea! As we were waiting for the L train at Union Square, teems of people in skinny jeans and thick-framed glasses swarmed around us. It was almost comical.

At the furniture store, we found this terrific L-shaped sectional couch that will fit perfectly in our living room. We didn't order it quite yet (so we could compare prices online), but I think it's a pretty sure thing that we'll be getting it.

Afterwards, we grabbed some dinner at a nearby El Salvadoran place. It actually reminded me a lot of Honduras. I got a frijoles con queso pupusa (tortilla stuffed with refried beans and cheese), aguacate (sliced avocados), and enchiladas de pollo (chicken enchiladas). It was muy delicioso, que rico, and all that good stuff. But above all, it made me really nostalgic to be back in Honduras to see my girlfriend again :(

A Dodgy Part of Town

So it's official, we're moving to Brooklyn! I signed the lease Wednesday and my first act as a proud Brooklyner was to hop on a bus with one of my college roommates and travel up to Boston to visit some of our other college roommates. To be fair, it'll take a little while to get our new place up to speed (turn on utilities and the such).

My mom sent me this article from "The Cinematical" about Emma Watson and her boyfriend filming his band's new video. She refers to her character being in "a dodgy part of New York." From all I can glean from this music video, that dodgy area looks a whole lot like Brooklyn. I took offense to her statement, but my mom reassured me that Emma was just paying an homage to the baseball history of Brooklyn. Somehow, I doubt that.

But honestly, Brooklyn is most certainly not "dodgy." My brother and I walked around it last Sunday and, for a Sunday night, it was actually kind of happening. There's a nearby street called Smith Street that one of my brother's friends said is his favorite street in all of New York. We're also not too far from the promenade, which apparently is supposed to have a great view of Manhattan and I think the Statue of Liberty. We have a park of our own, just around the corner from our building.

Anyway, I'm heading back down to New York today after two days of catching up with old friends. My brother and I are planning to move some stuff into the new apartment when I get back, and I've been put in charge of setting up our internet tomorrow. Either tomorrow or Sunday will be the first morning where I will officially be waking up in Brooklyn.

Just a Leisurely Stroll

So I woke up especially early this morning under the belief that work started at 9am (as opposed to the usual 9:30) per the orientation calendar I received with my acceptance letter. So abiding by the film mantra that you're late if you're on time, I showed up to an empty office at 8:30. People slowly started trickling in around 9. Apparently I missed the memo that the seminar indeed started at 9:30.

When we finally got started, we continued yesterday's discussion on paperwork and went over the homework assignment. As difficult as it was to do yesterday, it actually seems pretty straightforward now. Also, the good thing is that in the real scenario of putting a production report together, I will basically just be copying each department's daily notes into my report, so it won't require too much deciphering on my part. It also seems like production's beginning to pick up. On our first day, we all drew numbers. I drew number four, so I probably won't start until mid-August. But the guy who drew number one is 99% certain to be assigned to Gossip Girl and the girl who drew number two will likely go to Law and Order: SVU. I wonder what I'll get?!?

After work, I decided the day was too nice to take the subway, so I walked home through Central Park. This city really is quite remarkable. When you get lost in the depths of Central Park, you really don't feel like you're in one of the most populous cities in the world. Especially when the hillsides are dotted with sunbathers in swimsuits, it's easy to forget that around you is a logjam of traffic. There are also somethings that I think are only suitable near bodies of water, and swimsuits are one of those things. Semi-clothed men and women just look awkward sunbathing in Central Park. Also, I guess New York has installed pianos all across town and I stumbled across this one on the main drag of Central Park (see above). He was playing a stylized version of "Brown Eyed Girl." I can't believe I'm saying this, but I kind of enjoy living here.