Love Each Other

Yesterday us BYU program kids had our last class of the spring term (and mine forever. Yay!), a class on gender, race, and diversity in the media. We only met once a week, but I really enjoyed the discussions we got into regarding diversity. Dr. Wakefield asked us a lot of tough questions, such as: What makes up a person's culture? Why do stereotypes exist? Are government programs helping or hurting those groups that are oppressed? Is America a melting pot, like it claims to be, or is it more like a salad bowl?

We never really came up with definitive answers to these questions, nor do I think there really is one.  But I was impressed how many different opinions and viewpoints this small group of white, Mormon, 20-somethings expressed regarding these issues. It was always a lively debate.

I realize that as a Single White Female I can't exactly push my views onto other cultures or expect them to see things the same way I do. I've never lived in their shoes. I've never experienced the unique pains and joys that come from living in an urban community, or a reservation, or a house full of immigrant families. However, I do believe that we should all accept each other's differences and Love Each Other, as GOB Bluth so eloquently puts it.

The vast array of cultures is probably my favorite thing about living in New York City. What's that old joke? That you know you're in New York when your doorman is Russian, your grocer is Korean, your deli man is Israeli, your building super is Italian, your laundry guy is Chinese, your favorite bartender is Irish, your favorite diner owner is Greek, the watchseller on your corner is Senegalese, your last cabbie was Pakistani, your newsstand guy is Indian and your favorite falafel guy is Egyptian.

I don't think any other city exists like this in the world, and I love interacting with those so different than me on a daily basis. It's the reason Humans of New York is one of my favorite websites. It just shows that no matter how different we are, we all have hopes and dreams. We all want to make it in this crazy world. We all have a story to tell.

It's not hard to be kind. It shouldn't be hard to not be judgmental. No matter the person's race, gender, sexual preference, hair color, size, political party, whatever, there's no excuse for hate. We don't have to agree. We just have to Love Each Other. 

Missing Maurice

Hey look, three posts in a row! This must be some kind of record. 

"I still think the same way I thought as a child. I still worry, I'm still frightened...Nothing changes."- Maurice Sendak

In case you either weren't aware or didn't see today's wonderful Google Doodle, today would have been Maurice Sendak's 85th birthday. I'm not sure how many people know this, and it's not that original, but Where the Wild Things Are is one of my favorite books of all time. When I  was little I would imagine myself as Max, escaping the duldrums of my life to have adventures with the Wild Things. It's probably the book that made me love fantasy and the ways the imagination can come up with worlds more exciting than our own that we can retreat into every once in a while. 

So imagine my happiness when I was asked to help pitch the new PBS Digital video at work today. This is why I love PR, because you can help share wonderful things that you love and that inspire you to the rest of the world. This interview, along with every other interview I've watched of Sendak, just made me respect him even more. Sendak's life and views, at least on religion, were very different than mine, but there was something so raw about the way he spoke about children and the regard he has for them that you can't help but admire him and his view of the world. What an inspiring visionary and creative mind, and I hope we can all learn a bit from this wild rumpus. Let's not ever forget Mr. Sendak, and let's not ever forget what it felt like to be a kid. 

Also, the interview series he did with Colbert will always remain one of my favorite things ever. I only hope to be as crotchety and carefree as Sendak was so late in life. 

"That is the truth of her life. That she must accept her inadequacy and her failure to live up to expectations...but no one really wanted anything more from her."

Becoming a New Yorker

The other day I was walking through Times Square to transfer to a new subway stop (the trains stopped at 50th and it was this whole big mess, don't ask) and it was loud and bright and crowded and the people were walking as slow as my grandma and I bumped into someone without apologizing. I didn't even feel bad. I was more annoyed at them for getting in my way.

When I finally got to the train, I sat next to this large man who smelled quite horrible, but didn't care, because it was a seat, and thought about what had just happened. I had gotten annoyed at tourists. I hated being in Times Square. When had I become this person?

I think I'm finally becoming a New Yorker, you guys. Here are some other indications:

• I bucked up the courage and bought a $20 umbrella. Those dinky $5 ones were just not cutting it.
• I always move to the middle of the train. 
• I know which lines go to which area. 
• I successfully gave a lady directions to the Met.
• I don't feel bad about ignoring "homeless" people or hecklers.
• I feel no desire to do my hair in the heat. 
• I fall asleep to sirens, instead of waking up to them. 
• I successfully avoid eye contact with the people on my train. I know some of them are there on the same car with me everyday, but heck if I've even smiled at them before. 
• Falafel is my new favorite food. 
• I know that paying more than $40 for a Broadway show is a fool's errand.
• I wanted to give pointers to this poor kid trying to perform on the subway because he was going about it all wrong and had no confidence. 
• I've jaywalked in front of the cops more than once and they didn't even bat an eye.
• I look forward to getting into the subway car because it has air conditioning.
• My favorite drink is Snapple. 
• I have a favorite cheesecake place. And a favorite pizza place. And they're better than yours.

Oh Hey.

I know. I know. I'm the world's worst blogger. Like, if they were handing out awards for People Who Say They're Going to Post but Never Do, I would win, hands down. To be fair, though, 1) I was out of a computer for two weeks, 2) life has been nonstop craziness, and 3) I've been more worried about getting my life together than keeping up this blog. I'll talk more about that in a future post very soon (I'm serious!) but for now I just wanted to give you all the highlights of these past three? four? weeks. 

Also, I've been a little bit better at updating my videos than my blog, so subscribe to my YouTube channel for better updates. I have iMovie now so hopefully they're getting better in quality. Besides, who wouldn't rather watch a five-minute video than read well, anything. Not me, that's for sure. Here's one about my Memorial Day weekend in D.C., for example:

Ok. So. It's been a fun-filled, crazy past few weeks. There's just so much to do here, and no matter how long I'll live here, I don't think I'll be able to do it all. I do think I've gotten most of the touristy stuff out of the way, though. Here are some of my favorite things I've done:

seeing lion king again. probably my favorite musical that i've seen so far.

getting to tour around d.c. with chelsea and alyse.

and brooke.

it was a pretty patriotic weekend. my first time in d.c.! the holocaust museum was probably my favorite thing we visited. i can't stop thinking about it. 

seeing jesse tyler ferguson in shakespeare in the park

my all-time favorite painting at the moma

coney island beach

riding roller coasters with these fools

meeting mr. grimaldi at his original restaurant.

the first time i couldn't finish a milkshake. props, serendipity 3

amateur night at the apollo. literally the coolest thing i've been to.

biking for the first time since high school and seeing the city in a whole new way.

That's all for now. There's a lot more to say about my internship and life in New York in general and worries about the future, but I'll save that for another time. Just know that I'm having a blast out here and miss all of you! I have a Mac now, so no excuses not to Skype me! Or FaceTime, as the Apple people call it. 

xoxo.