I woke up really happy today. Something about the morning just struck me right - I woke up a little before my alarm went off, and I just laid in bed for about an hour listening to the sounds of Brooklyn. Of Bay Ridge, maybe most specifically, and Bay Ridge certainly has its own sound to it. My friend mentioned that Simon and Garfunkel were the best music for New York, and when "America" came on (because it reminds me of Almost Famous, which is absolutely one of my favorite movies ever), it just put a smile on my face. Laying in the top bunk with music on and light coming through my bay window, and the sounds of many generations of mass-goers walking by, I felt some of the comfortable euphoria that I've missed since being out of Columbia. It's a really hard thing to explain, when I feel like things are falling into place and like I have many things to look forward to, and like I'm happy with where I am and how things are around me. One of the reasons I was most devastated about losing my apartment was because this last semester held so many of these perfect moments for me, and this was due in no small part to the consequences of having that apartment.
I think it's rare for me to be able to live completely within a moment, being as I am one of those people who worries about things more than is necessary. I'm trying to learn to appreciate these times more, and I feel like I'm succeeding - especially thanks to this blog. And I realize I'm rambling, but this morning listening to Bay Ridge, feeling the cool air and feeling like there just might be a place for me here; a few nights ago, spending those hours laying on a bench looking out across a river and watching people and their dogs interact and meander by; these are the impressions and the emotions that I'll remember most vividly for years to come.
So right now, I'm sitting in this adorable little coffee shop called Perch Cafe. I'm hoping that all my good references and charm will get me a job here - this place is great. They've got a pretty full bar and a really interactive staff, and I really feel like I might have a good time working here if they gave me the chance. The odds aren't good, but I've been chatting with the counter guy for a while, and he seems to like me, so hopefully his good word will get me a shot at least. I'd work here just for the music they play: Silversun Pickups, Corinne Bailey Rae (which I think may be the artist for the entire summer), and "Down In Mexico," which I remember very fondly as being the lap dance song from Death Proof (one of the coolest movies ever). I like the way all the workers interact with one another, and I'd love to learn some bar tending, which looks like it would be part of the job. Here's hoping.
Two performances tonight. I think the third and fourth performances should be the ones where we really hit our stride. Or at least we hope so. The second performance wasn't bad, but I think the second one tends to often be the roughest, because we're coming off the opening night high and forgetting that we really do have to work for it. I'm still sort of trying to figure out where my place is in this thing, but I think Simon intends to teach me how to run it in the very near future. I'm a little nervous about that - it's a lot of pressure, and people will yell at you if your timing's a little bit off - but in the meantime, I'm just watching him run the show and turning projectors on and off. Grueling work, I know.
If you want to stay not-depressed, here's a tip: don't look on Craigslist for housing. Ever, at all. Craigslist got me my Brooklyn apartment, but looking at Columbia housing for next semester is probably one of the most discouraging things I've ever done. I know it's way too early to start looking, but that's not going to stop me. And since I'm dead set against the condo-styles like Garnet Riverwalk and Pointe West, I'm going to have a hard time finding things without actually walking around Columbia and searching in person. There will be lots of couch-surfing for the weeks or months that it will take me to find something upon my return. Volunteers?
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