I seem to only get blogs written when I’m in a coffee shop. Maybe it’s something about watching other people’s lives as they walk by, or maybe it’s drinking coffee that I didn’t brew myself. Or maybe it’s Bob Marley’s voice echoing overhead? Whatever the reason, here I am.
Sometimes it boggles my mind that I live in New York City. When I was young, my thoughts of New York City were, “Big. Scary. Dangerous.” Now I live here, and it just feels like home. I have my neighborhood, I see the same people all the time (Manhattan’s not that big, folks!), I go to the local farmer’s market… it’s just like any other town, just a lot more people and things to see.
This morning is absolutely beautiful. It’s about seventy degrees outside, not a cloud in the sky. I am sitting in the Eastern window of B-Cup, my favorite local cafe, and the sunbeams are entering through the door and warming up my feet. It just feels so lovely right now. Kids are on their way to school, and they’re actually being walked by their parents (not nannies like in the UES). There are business men and women hurrying to work, older couples strolling the streets, NYU students shuffling through iPhones on their way to the subway, teenagers sporting fake Gucci handbags, pet owners walking their dogs… the list goes on.
In an effort to connect with all types of people, I am actually traveling this weekend to a small town in Pennsylvania called Doylesville. My roommate, Brooke, and I will be volunteering for the Obama campaign in registering voters and sharing all the reasons that he is the candidate to better our country. I am so excited to meet voters and face whatever they have to dish out, whether it be support or ridicule. I really need to memorize all the policy differences between McCain and Obama so I can fight back pointed questions. Wish me luck. I was a little nervous of how we would get down there, but I luckily have a friend who works for a rental car company and hooked us up with an AMAZING deal… I will be spending half what I originally thought. Thank goodness! On Saturday night we will be staying with a volunteer host (hopefully). In the unfortunate circumstance that we cannot find one, we will be playing John and Mary and searching couchsurfer.com for a place to crash. Again, wish me luck.
I just hope that wherever we stay, our hosts are Lorne Michaels fans, because I really want to watch the season premiere of Saturday Night Live! One of the top performers at UCB was cast on as a featured player for this season, and I am so excited to see him in action! Brooke and I both submitted our information for the ticket lottery for this season, so hopefully we can land some tickets sometime soon! Speaking of TV, I am starting to think about how much my not having DVR anymore might affect my life…. dare I go by a blank tape and set an automatic record on the VCR? That is so 1993. Did anyone watch that new show “Fringe” last night? I saw ads all over the city… wondering if it’s any good. J.J. never ceases to amaze me, so I wouldn’t expect anything less than greatness.
Okay, I need get back to work… then I’m meeting up with Jess (happy birthday!) to eat our lunches at Bryant Park and gawk at all the anorexic fashion week models. Go out and enjoy your city!
Ashley Harrell 
Ashley, so nice to hear from you. I was thinking of calling you today and then we were without power for most of the day. Glad you are still happy in NYC. We have lovely weather here as well. The heat spell finally broke and now it is perfect.Take care, much love, your Oma