What It Could Bring

I am seeing what this semester could bring. I do not know what it will bring. I do not know what I want it to bring. I do not know if I even have a choice. But I am seeing some possibilities of how I'll reconstruct this memory.

That's it. I am seeing a glimpse at what I could remember from this semester. But what it could bring, that I am living right now.

Great People

The best things in life are either those that come from great people or those that lead to meeting them.

This is never so evident as when in a new place.

Veins of That City

With the right perspective, New York feels like an incredibly small city.

Not small in the way that Douglassville, Pennsylvania or Pobunk, (insert Midwestern state here) is small. Not small in the way that everyone gets their hair cut at the same place or you know the gossip of every neighbor you pass. But small in the this-is-the-modern-capital-of-the-world-but-I-can-see-it-all-from-this-balcony sort of way.

Now, by any common and reasonable standards, New York is a huge city. No one will argue that. Compared to any other city in America, there is no question of it's superior size and influence.

But what happens when you compare the city not to another city, but to its near-mythical reputation? Our collective conversation has built New York up to be at the epitome of culture and influence. It has told us that if you can make it here, than you can anywhere. It has given us an idea of its scale that is incomprehensible from afar. And there is truth to all of this.

So then why, as I sit on this balcony with its scale in view, does the city look so small?

What Is Our Catalyst

I glance into the fragmented souls of those all around me. We are forever on the edge of a collective leveling, a truce and companionship. Yet helpless without a uniting catalyst. Destined to live in parallel.

Sweet Song

Alongside the rumble of the wheels and the faces of routine comes the subway performer—as much a part of the commuter's life as scheduled maintenance or dodged glances.

The concept itself is hopeful. A series of hopefuls with a powerless audience, calling for judgement, though typically ending in indifference.

But then, the sweet song of a violin brings the car to life. Every person aboard cannot but let their attention flock to a boy seemingly unaware of the cabin's transformation in his presence.

The applause is a cry for more, the bills in deference. But the boy's attention never seems to stray from his tool, packing it up, then disappearing out of our collective moment.

Settling into NYC

I laid my very temporary roots into a small two-story apartment in Astoria, Queens late this afternoon. Because of the kindness of a man I have still never met, I will stay here until I begin my slightly less temporary sublet.

With my dad now gone, I find welcoming glances in the passing eyes of subway strangers. I wonder if they can tell I'm on my first day.

Tomorrow I start to make this place feel like home.

Anticipating NYC

It's always a bit difficult to sleep the night before I make a big move. It might also be that I'm still on California time. Or that I took a two hour nap at 7pm. Or that it's only midnight. But the point still stands.

Tomorrow afternoon I will get on a $7 Megabus that will drop me at 7th and 28th in Manhattan, leaving me to fend for myself in one of the world's biggest cities. I've been to New York City a number of times, but this time is different. This time I will be meeting a neighbor of a friend of a friend to pick up a key to an apartment I've never seen before. This time I'll be buying a 30-day metro pass and scoping out bodegas and laundry mats. This time I'll be thinking about how to carve out a life that can keep me fulfilled and connected and happy and growing through the end of the year.

My life in New York will doubtlessly be rich with the varying experiences of a new city, and it will all exist because of one opportunity, which I am remarkably fortunate to have. That is my internship at the irreverent and legendary chat show Late Show with David Letterman.

I can't lie that it is very cool to be entering a position at a show I grew up watching and a show that is familiar to my friends and family. The prospect is fun and exciting, and the experience most likely will be too.

But what is even cooler to me is that I get to continue learning how to turn a medium I love from a hobby and an extracurricular into a profession. There is a dynamic process and a dedicated staff behind this show, as there is with any sophisticated form of entertainment. And as this process becomes demystified for me, I'll become more and more capable of giving myself back into the system.

I will be kind. I will be conscientious. I will be open. I will be optimistic. And I will do my best to make the most out of every day that I've been presented at this job and in this city.