ACL 2009

Ok, a coupla tidbits to get everyone caught up:

• New York was a blast. I may be back there in January.
• Jeff and Austin, my roommates, finally made it back to Austin from Massachusetts.
• I have a punishing schedule this semester and am graduating in December, crazy!

Ok, now you're caught up, ha.

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS!

I went to ACL this weekend and had an incredible time. I saw The Walkmen, Bon Iver, Ghostland Observatory, Passion Pit, Mos Def, Dirty Projectors, Girl Talk, Phoenix and a few others.

I was quite excited to see Passion Pit and wasn't too impressed with their performance. I'm not sure if it was the acoustics or the pitch of Michael Angelakos voice, but something just didn't sound right. So, Caitlin and I went over and saw Dirty Projectors instead.

Girl Talk and Ghostland Observatory were, by far, the most fun. Also, the UT marching band came went onstage and played during Ghostland's last song. That was pretty cool.

Here's a clip from Girl Talk:


Back in January '09, the City of Austin spent $2 million to lay down new grass that could survive heavy foot traffic from 60,000 people over the course of three days. The grass looked like this at end of the weekend.

I took a few pictures to document the mud fest.





I wish I had gone to more of these while I was in Austin. I hope to go next year, too.

dw

Good Times

Andrew, Claire, Tyler, Me, Zach, Abby and Matt

My internship ended on Friday and I headed to Quogue as soon as I said my goodbyes. I met up with Andrew, Claire and Abby for a ridiculous weekend which will be remembered for a long time to come.

Claire and Helen at Mustachio Pistachio

Friday night is a bit of a blur but I remember going to the dock and and ate pizza before going to one of the annual summer parties, Mustachio Pistaschio. Basically, everyone drew mustaches on their faces and played beer pong. Afterward the party we went to Casey's, a bar in Westhampton. We got home around 3 a.m. after begrudgingly paying the cab driver $8 per person for driving less than 3 miles.

The next morning we woke up and watched Andrew and Matt play in the tennis tournament against these two young guys, one of whom had an awesome backhand. They won their game and we sang their praises as we headed off to the beach.


I'm glad I was able to get back to the beach before I head back to Texas this week.

dw

TV on the Radio

I saw TV on the Radio in Brooklyn the other night. They put on a good show. They played all of my favorites except:

• "I was a Lover"
  
• "Stork & Owl"
  
• "Playhouses"

I'll post a video of "Staring at the Sun" when I get back to Texas.

dw

Fun in the Sun

I went to the beach this weekend and spent time with Andrew and his family. It was nice to have a few home cooked meals and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. I'm going back next weekend, too. Can't wait.


Also, I moved out of my dorm and am staying with a friend in Midtown while I finish up my internship. I'll be back in Austin around August 21.

dw

Weekend Wandering

I spent Saturday hanging out with Emily and Lauren. The three of us when to high school together and haven't been able to meet as often as we would have liked this summer. We had lunch at Cozy Soup n Burger and got ice cream from a Mister Softee truck across the street.

After eating we walked...everywhere. We walked around in Chelsea, West Village and the Financial District. Some of the places we visited along the way:

In Chelsea -
The High Line: A railroad track which has been converted into a park.
Chelsea Market: A wide assortment of imported and gourmet food may be found here.

In West Village -
Magnolia Bakery: Awesome cupcakes.

In the Financial District -
Battery Park: Great place to watch the sunset.

Here's a picture of Lauren enjoying her cupcake:




Oh, I almost forgot. We after visiting the market, we found a park nearby and sat down to relax. Emily had an interesting encounter with a bird:

In the Heights

Image Credit

I went to my first Broadway production today with Taylor and her friend from school. We saw In the Heights and I was blow away, really. It won 4 Tony Awards last year: Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestration.

I'm definitely going to try and see another show before I leave.

dw

Coney Island

Alex came came back to the city last weekend. On Sunday, we had breakfast at Delicatessen as we tried to think of something we could do to fill our day. We thought about going to MoMA, but we decided to do something outside since the weather was nice. After much deliberation, I suggested that we go to Coney Island since neither one of us had been.

We hopped on the subway and were at Coney Island about 45 minutes later. Once we made it to our destination, I paused for a moment to take in my new environment. I was greeted by a case of sensory overload that you wouldn't believe - people, music, food and laughter all around me. We walked up and down the pier and watched the little kids run around in their swim suits and chase bubbles. Coney Island is a great place to people watch. The crowd was diverse: black, white, young, old, fat, skinny. Some people had on too much clothing, some didn't have enough. But everyone was having a good time.

We walked over to Nathan's and waited in line for about 20 minutes for hot dogs. The hot dogs didn't look like much, but they were surprisingly delicious to say it was just a weenie on a bun. As we walked down the pier in the other direction, we found an ice cream stand and heard people cheering and laughing in a large semicircle. We joined the crowd and watched as the dj played music and people danced until they were drenched in sweat.
Maybe I'll jump in next time?

dw

Something To Consider: Be Nice

Image Credit

Something happened this morning and it really made me take a step back and think about things.

I woke up around 6 a.m. and decided to go for a walk. I got dressed, grabbed my phone and headed out the door. As I walked to the elevator I realized that I didn't have my wallet - no cash, credit card, room key or I.D. to swipe in and out of my complex. As we're all painfully aware, I have a habit of bundling all of my valuables in one place. I walked back to my room and hoped that I'd left the door ajar, of course it was locked and shut. After going downstairs and speaking with the guard, I was informed that I would need to wait until 8 a.m. when one of resident assistants is on duty.

It was a beautiful morning and I refused to let this minor hiccup disturb my good mood. I had a nice walk and was surprised to see so many people out and about so early in the morning...and on a Saturday at that. I get back to my place around 8 a.m., thinking the R.A. would be on duty. FAIL. I was less than thrilled when the guard told me that no one would be on duty until 9 a.m. What happened next was unexpected.

The guards in the NYU dorms rotate every 8 hours or so and by the time I'd returned, a new guard was on duty. Here's a snippet of our exchange:

Me (looking through the glass partition where the R.A. usually sits): "Is the R.A. on duty? I left my key and I.D. in my room and need them to get back in."

Guard: "What's your room number?"

Me: "1005"

Guard: "Ok, well, I'll help you out this time as long as you don't tell anyone. I'm really not supposed to do this."

Me: "Oh, great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

And with that, he used his key to go into the room where the R.A. sits and gave me a key to my room and told me to bring the key right back with my I.D. so I could swipe in (they are supposed to charge $25 per lockout). I got my wallet from my room and went downstairs to return the loaner key when it hit me: I've seen this man almost everyday since I've lived here and haven't spoken to him besides the occasional "good morning" or "good afternoon." Aside from his physical appearance, I knew nothing about this unique individual to distinguish him from the man sitting in his seat only two hours before. He didn't have to help me at all. He didn't owe me his kindness, and honestly, I'd done nothing to deserve it.

We spoke for a bit and introduced ourselves. Turns out this guard has a name - Frank. I plan on giving him a gift card to Starbucks (Edelman client).

Now, a moment to reflect. I know you're probably reading this and thinking "He gave you a key - big deal." But, it really is a big deal.

For the most part, I'm pretty good about speaking to people and learning names of those who pass in and out of my life everyday. It is quite easy, especially in a time-starved city like New York where everyone is rushing to get somewhere, to get into a routine and stick to it. Everyday, I walk out of this building and go to work. After work, it's drinks / dinner with friends or an event to mark off my "things to do in New York" list. But at the end of the day, I'm back at my place and hardly pay any attention to the people who sit at the front desk.

I'm going to make a conscious effort to get to know the gatekeepers in my life and I challenge you to do the same.

Lesson Learned:

• Be nice. It doesn't take much to speak to people.
  

dw

Stellastarr*

Yes, I'm still alive.

So, Andrew made it back from Hotlanta and gathered up a couple of people to see Stellastarr*. ("My Coco" is a good one.)

Before the show, we went to Artichoke and got some pizza. I bet you can't guess what kind of pizza they are known for...Artichoke, yes! We waited in line for about 30 minutes, it was kinda ridiculous, but once I had my slice, I was okay with the wait. After Artichoke, we jumped in a cab and went over to Off the Wagon to meet more people. Claire, a friend from UT was there. It was nice to see her again.

We skipped the opening bands - The Postmarks and another group. I forgot the name of the venue but it was the perfect size. The acoustics were good and we were able to get pretty close to the stage which was nice. They played a good set and we all had a good time.

Oh, and it turns out that a woman I work with is good friends with the band. Apparently they have Friday night ritual and frequent a bar near my place in the village. I definitely plan to crash the party before I head back to Texas.

Lesson Learned

• Go to more concerts.
  

dw

Reunited And It Feels So Good

My family came to NYC to visit me. Aren't they precious?

They were here for 4.5 days and did just about everything tourist do in the city. We started off by going on a few bus tours and we went ALL over God's creation: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Harlem - you name it, we drove past it. Surprisingly, I learned a lot from the tour guide. For instance, Central Park is completely man made - all of the plants were placed there and the lakes can be drained with the flip of a switch. I think one of the lakes was already there, though.

I think it is important to note that the weather was absolutely beautiful for the duration of their trip. In June, it rained something like 23/30 days. While they were here: nothing but clear skies.

We went to the Apollo Theater in Harlem and saw the memorial wall for Michael Jackson. It was an amazing sight to see. We went down to Chinatown, too. My mom and sister haggled with the vendors as though they were natives and walked away with some nice stuff.

While I was at work, they went to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. DeMarcus, my brother, was adamant about going to the museum. Christina, my sister, couldn't have cared less. They had a good time, though.

Our final dinner together was spent at P.J. Clarke's on the Hudson. The food was delicious and it was great to sit down with everyone and relive the experiences of the past few days. I'm
glad they made the trip up here. It's always nice to see familiar faces. :)

Lessons Learned:

• I need to explore more of the city
• Family in town = free food (and everything else)
  

dw

Independence Day

I celebrated Independence Day with Taylor and a few of her roommates at Pier 54 on the Hudson. The fireworks didn't start until 9:30 p.m., but everyone knew to get there very early if you wanted a decent spot. We got to the pier around 7:45 p.m. and got a spot close to the water. I made friends with this really nice German lady and Taylor's roomies befriended an older couple whom invited them to meet up for breakfast one day (who says people from New York aren't nice?). The show was good. I didn't like the fact that the building blocked my view a bit and that the wind blew debris into my eyes. It was a fun time, though.

I took a picture so y'all could get a feel for the crowd - it was packed. I love the fact that the woman in the blue shirt and black vest smiled for my picture.



After the fireworks, we went to get something to eat at Pop Burger. The food was pretty good and the music selection wasn't too bad either. As I walked back to my place, I stepped into a store to get some water because I refused to pay $3.75 for a bottle of VitaminWater at Pop Burger. I hear the frantic pleas of a woman as I leave the store:

"Oh no, no, no, no! Please, don't do that! Put it up, put it up, I say!"

I was a little startled and proceeded with caution. I walk by and see a women and 5 kids in a semi circle. In the middle of the group I saw a little boy with his pants around his ankles as he hosed down the sidewalk. People on the street egged him on as his mother rushed to pull his pants up. Oh, kids.

My family is coming into town today; I know I'll have some good stories about their trip. Stay tuned.

Lessons Learned:

• When watching fireworks, stay away from Pier54. Buildings block your view of the show and debris will get into your eyes.
• When you gotta go, you gotta go - just probably not on the sidewalk.

dw

Greg's 25th & FAILED InternBar

A friend of mine, Greg, had his 25th birthday on Thursday night. The party was at a bar in the Lower East Side and drinks were free for most of the night. I met a bunch of financial types and luckily knew just enough about capital markets and hedge funds to fake my way through decent conversation. Oh, and I ran into Alex at the party - he graduated last May and is now living in Chicago. We chatted for a while and you wouldn't believe what he is thinking about doing - joining the Peace Corps. Those of you who know me know that I've considered joining for some time. Anyway, I'll write more about that later.

So...Alex and I said our farewells and headed off to an InternBar party. Now, InternBar parties have been a little hit or miss for me. When they are good, they are awesome and when they aren't good - I'd rather be at home in my bed sleeping (yes, I went to one that was that bad). We get in a cab and make our way to midtown which worked out nicely for Alex because his hotel was only a few blocks away from the venue. We get to the bar around midnight and find the place completely dead. Who pollutes my Facebook inbox with reminders about a party that ends before midnight? Pathetic.

The night got better when starving Alex went into a store and tried to buy a box of granola bars. The exchange between Alex and the cashier went a little something like this:

Cashier: "Is this all?"
Alex: "Yea, just this box of granola bars."
Cashier: "That will be $7.38."
Alex (looking as though someone had just set his left hand on fire): "I'm sorry, how much? There is no way that costs $7.38."
Cashier: "Yes."
Alex: "Oh, well, never mind then."

Lessons Learned:

• Fake it 'til it comes. Know enough about varied subjects to speak to anyone about something remotely interesting.
• InternBar = epic FAIL! (sometimes)
• NYC is expensive - deal with it. Although, $7+ for a box of granola bars is out of control

dw

Say Whaa!?!?

Guess what? No rain today! The weather was quite nice and I was able to get out and explore a little bit. This is the view from my room, not too shabby, eh? If you make the image larger, you can see the Chrysler Building in the far left corner.

***

The productivity bug bit me today and enabled me to do some things I've been putting off for too long, i.e. updating my resume, adding content to my LinkedIn account and cleaning up my room.

In other news, the United Nations made a huge food donation to a Third World Country. Yep, you guessed it, Mama Walk is the UN - I am the Third World Country. Here is a partial list of the goodies I received: chips, crackers, canned fruit, soup, pasta, spaghetti sauce, whole wheat bread, jelly, peanut butter, green beans, corn, disposable baking pans, mashed potato mix, evaporated milk and blueberry muffin mix...you get the picture. Thanks, mom!

dw

A Week in Review

Ok, so I haven't been around lately - my apologies. I'm still discovering my voice and the direction in which to take this soon-to-be masterpiece.

I'm definitely enjoying my job and am working on some pretty cool projects. eBay (client) launched a three day campaign in the form of a game show titled "Let's Make a Daily Deal, a nod to "Lets Make a Deal" - a popular game show from the 1960s. The game show started on Monday and ended on Wednesday with Mario Cantone from Sex and the City as the host and a guest appearance from Monty Hall on Tuesday.

Prior to Wednesday, I was conducting some social media monitoring and writing reports to track the online conversation around the event and the Daily Deals program. On Wednesday, my supervisors let me out of my cage and into the streets where I conducted interviews with contestants as they eagerly waited to enter Times Square Studio, which was decked out eBay style. Good times.

***

I purchased a camera today. Apparently, I left my other one back in Austin. Anyway, I'll start taking some fotografias to go along with my posts.

Today, while I was walking to Best Buy, I heard music playing and noticed a large crowd of people huddled a man sitting on the sidewalk. The man was sitting on a bucket and had an assortment of pots, pans and other cooking utensils scattered around him. The song he created was pretty catchy and the crowd was really into it. The little kids started dancing as the onlookers opened their wallets as though it were collection time at church. NYC is such a cool place. It was nice to get out for a bit and not need a canoe to navigate the streets. It has rained almost everyday since I've been here.

dw

In the Beginning...

Huddle 'round, kids. I wanna tell y'all a story.

*Flashback to May 30 - June 1, 2009*

The week prior to my move to New York was less than exciting by any measure. Because I love the stress that comes with doing things at the very last moment, I moved out of my apartment and packed for a summer in the Big Apple in four days time. Awesome idea, I know. On Saturday, May 30, I departed from Austin and arrived on The Mountain (my hometown: Beaumont, Texas - more to come on this) late that night and went through my luggage to make sure I didn't pack my lighter fluid, meat cleavers or swords in my luggage. After a few hours of sleep, the family loaded up the truck and we made our way to Houston for my grand departure. We said our goodbyes and I made my way through security and boarded the plane. I was exhausted at this point and would have loved nothing more than to curl into the fetal position and sleep for three days.

On the plane, I was determined to get some sleep. I was green with envy as everyone around me snuggled into their seats, selected the "sleepy time" playlists on their iPods and dozed off. As my eyes started to close, I was jerked back to reality by the screeching of a small infant. The mother tried her best to hush her little one, but he was persistent and cried for what seemed like an eternity. The mother's other child was about 5-years-old and sat directly behind me. He had fun pinching my ears and slapping me across the top of the head when his mother wasn't looking. Yea, you guessed it - no sleep for me on the plane.

Finally, I land in New York Citay! Before I get on the Super Shuttle, I do a self-check to make sure I have all of my belongings.

"Wallet? Check. Two suitcases? Check. Backpack? Check. Looks like I'm good to go."

I get on the Super Shuttle and ride around for about 2 hours as the other passengers are dropped off. We get to my place and an overwhelming sense of joy washes over me. Like a dehydrated man in the desert, I run towards the mirage of my summer housing, ready to unpack my bags and take a nap. I take my bags and go into the lobby and perform another self-check while I wait for the receptionist to set me up in a room.

"Wallet? Check. Two suitcases? Check. Backpack?....umm, backpack?!? Oh *insert expletive here*!"

I run outside and place my hands on top of my head as I see all the cars driving by with no Super Shuttle in sight. Let me give you a little rundown of the treats in my b-pack and you will understand why I'd rather walk barefoot on flaming coals than experience this again.

My backpack contained:

• Laptop (No explanation needed)
• Passport (Ditto)
• External hard drive (8000+ songs, work samples from prior internships and important documents)
• 2 checkbooks for different accounts (Wrong thing to lose)
• Check card (Even worse thing to lose)
• Important papers for work (I was given explicit instructions to bring these on my first day)
• Phone charger (My cell was down to 30% and I had some serious phone calls to make)

Basically, everything I needed to survive for the summer and everything anyone off the street needed to steal my identity.

I frantically call Super Shuttle and was reassured that my bag was safe with the driver. The dispatcher took my number and said the driver would call me later when he wasn't on call to work out a time to drop off the goods. My dad and I spend the next 24 hours going back and forth with Super Shuttle as they worked to locate the driver with the nondescript North Face bag holding my most prized worldly possessions.

The next day, the driver makes contact with me and returns my bag. A hasty look through its contents revealed that everything was accounted for! I gave him a generous tip and said a quick prayer of gratitude as my heart stopped trying to jump through my chest to punch me in the head for doing such a foolish thing. I still haven't told my mom this story - she would flip 12 kinds of crazy if she knew.

That night, I went to La Linea to have a drink and calm my nerves. I spoke with the bartendress, Robyn, and explained my journey from Texas to NYC. "Welcome to the city," she said. To which I simply replied "Thanks, Robyn, it has been quite an adventure thus far. Lord knows what will happen next..."

Lessons learned:

• Get plenty of sleep
• Don't pack all of your important things in one bag
• When traveling, keep your phone charged
• Be nice to service people - they handle your things

dw