An introduction to New York City through Airbnb

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My first trip to New York City, and I chose to stay in a $60/night room in Brooklyn through Airbnb. Google Maps and Street View showed me a desolate world of graffiti-lined warehouses and a trucking company. I couldn’t imagine being safe walking those streets at night from the subway to the apartment. What had I gotten myself into? The owner insisted that it was safe, so I took my chances.

Tiny room I rented on Airbnb in Brooklyn
Tiny room I rented on Airbnb in Brooklyn

The room turned out to be one of several off a common area and kitchen, all sharing a small bathroom. The only other inhabitant was some guy in the next room who came in after 11 p.m. and coughed all night. One night I heard him jostle the door handle on my room, trying to see if I were still there. I tell myself he just wanted to know if the apartment was empty, not that he wanted to do me any harm. He could have easily broken down the flimsy door.

Those graffiti-lined warehouses had been converted into stores I’d find at home — a health food store like a mini Whole Foods, a coffee shop, wine store, restaurants, etc. And the famous Roberta’s pizza was just around the block. This being Williamsburg (though near Bushwick), the streets were filled with young “hipsters” in their skinny jeans and tattoos. I felt perfectly safe walking alone three blocks from the subway to the apartment at midnight. (Yes, I went alone very happily! I’ll write more about solo travel in another blog.)

Graffiti-lined warehouses turned into "hip" little stores.
Graffiti-lined warehouses turned into “hip” little stores.

Every morning, I’d walk a few blocks to the L at Morgan and Bogart and ride 20 minutes to Manhattan. I spent all day walking, taking pictures, and discovering places that would become my favorites. Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village. Strand books. Ben’s pizza. The dimly lit Bemelman’s bar at the Carlyle Hotel — magical moments with an incredible dirty martini and a live pianist playing Gershwin. Stumptown Coffee. The Whitney, Met, and MOMA. The Gargosian art gallery. Central Park. By the time I got back to the apartment late every night, I was spent. Garbage trucks at 1 a.m. every morning didn’t keep me awake.

Would I stay in this $60/night apartment with a shared bathroom and invisible roommate again? No, but it sure made for a memorable introduction to New York City.

Ralph Lauren window display
Ralph Lauren window display
My first afternoon in Central Park, I happened across this protest, a great opportunity to take pix.
My first afternoon in Central Park, I happened across this protest, a great opportunity to take pix.

Random acts of kindness

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First, I want to admit to you that I’m in a long-distance love affair.

With New York City.

It’s a magical place for me — full of energy and possibilities and history and renowned architecture. Just walking around Manhattan makes me happy. I’m really into photography and constantly visualize photographs whether or not my camera is handy. NYC is full of great photographic moments. Here’s one such moment I captured in Washington Square Park, one of my favorite places:

Handsome man in Greenwich Village
Handsome man in Greenwich Village

On my second trip to NYC, my friend Leah and I were walking in Chelsea. It was about 6 p.m. Two scantily clad young women and a guy were arguing. In particular, the blond with twig-like arms and low-slung skinny jeans stumbled toward us, drunk, crying and yelling at her friends. She appeared to be incredibly distraught.

“I just want to die,” she screamed.

With the bitterness of a scorned woman, I said “I bet this drama is over a man. Let’s go talk to her.” We’ve all been there, right, ladies?

Leah’s motherly instinct took over. We ended up talking to the anorexic woman (let’s call her Marie) from Denmark, sitting on the sidewalk, for about an hour as the sun set. Leah stroked Marie’s hair and arm and listened to her plight. She explained why suicide wasn’t the answer, that the guy wasn’t worth Marie’s time. Marie had been hospitalized for anorexia for six months. We knew she was in bad shape.

Marie planned to move into a house in Brooklyn, where she lived for free with other young women. The only requirement was to hang out at the owner’s bar a few times a week. I asked “Do you have to have sex with the customers?” She said “no”, however, I knew. Later I learned that my hunch was probably right on. Sex trafficking is a big problem in NYC.

I was most impressed with Leah’s compassion towards this stranger. While I would have stopped to talk and listen to the woman, I probably wouldn’t have touched her. I have to know a person fairly well to go that far. Haaa.

We ended up persuading this young bony model to eat dinner at a nearby diner. Marie first ordered a wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with plain tuna fish. “I don’t care if I get fat!” she repeated in her Danish accent. “It doesn’t matter” as she ordered a piece of chocolate cake. To “get fat”, this woman would have to eat a cake a day for two months. Leah and I tried not to laugh.

Marie’s friend from Brooklyn picked her up from the diner, and Leah and I caught a cab back to the hotel.

We spent three hours trying to help Marie, and yet I knew her future looked bleak. A few weeks later, Marie texted Leah a photo of her with the sleazy boyfriend. Some lessons are hard to learn.

I Don’t Know

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How often do you wonder why?

I wonder why a lot, trying to make sense of all kinds of things. Usually, an answer makes itself apparent. Now, I’m flummoxed.

On March 16, 2013 at Artspace in downtown Raleigh, I walked into a gallery to find a wall lined with dozens of small watercolors, each fastened with tiny nails. Several things about this art struck me as unique. The simplicity of nailing unframed art to a wall. Vivid color breezily layered over nostalgic photos. Sardonic, some suggestive, subtitles penciled in all caps. Obscured faces and headless bodies and bodyless heads.

The painting below, in particular, captured my imagination. Why?

painting by Pete Sack
Everyone Has a Riot Inside Them by Pete Sack

I don’t know what this painting signifies for me. But it made such an impression, I took this photo and posted it on Flickr and Pinterest. The image has haunted me ever since.

That was several years ago. I later wandered into Artspace and discovered the friendly artist in his workshop. (I expected a menacing man with a dry, dark sense of humor.) And the painting shown above — Everyone Has a Riot Inside Them — was buried in a stack. Now it’s hanging on my wall, fastened atop a white matte in a simple black frame.

Now that I think about it, Warhol’s more interesting portraits come to mind. Elizabeth Taylor with her smeared red pout and Marilyn with the Pepto Bismol mask. Could this explain the fascination? No, it’s not that simple.

The best art captures one’s imagination and doesn’t let go.

p.s. The artist explains what inspired him in this article.

Overcome labels and change the world

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Last Sunday, I listened to a string of Harvard Business Review podcasts while raking the yard. This was the first raking of the season. Even with a tiny yard and a wide rake, I was out there until sunset.

Bill Gates' mug shot
Photo ~ Bill Gates, dyslexic and a criminal. There’s hope for everyone.

HBR interviewed cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman regarding his latest book, Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. The most important point is that labeling kids as “dyslexic”, “shy”, “autistic”, etc. disregards their innate gifts. And dysfunctions can trigger a different area of the brain to compensate. Today’s dyslexic child might be a new incarnation of Bill Gates.

Some kids never get past the label. Others fight hard to overcome the barriers erected by family, friends, and society.

I’d been thinking about the topic of overcoming labels after watching the documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, the story of the infamous and fabulous fashion editor.

Diana (pronounced dee-ahna) Dalziel was labeled the “ugly” sister. Alexandra Dalziel bore the traits of a classic beauty — symmetrical proportions and sunny blond hair. Diana, with her dark hair and large nose, never measured up. Her mother proclaimed, “It’s too bad that you have such a beautiful sister and that you are so extremely ugly and so terribly jealous of her. This, of course, is why you are so impossible to deal with.”

Fashion editor Diana Vreeland
Photo ~ Fashion editor and icon Diana Vreeland: the “ugly” sister

Diana spent life promoting the innate beauty and unique qualities of women, and celebrated her own uncommon beauty. The pages of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue featured women with prominent noses and gapped teeth rather than only cookie-cutter beauties.

Undaunted Diana Dalziel Vreeland overcame the “ugly” label. The women who pored over those magazine pages were forever changed.

Don’t stop at “dyslexic”, “special needs”, “ugly”, “slow”, “worthless”, “evil”, “doomed”, “lazy”, “dummy”.

Prove the labellers wrong.

What is or was your label?

Masterful monologue from Masters of Sex

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The fascinating new Showtime series Masters of Sex is based on the story of Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson, pioneers of research about human sexual behavior.

The truths of intimate relationships abound in this show. Here’s just one example.

Allison Janney in Masters of Sex
Photo ~ Margaret Scully’s pained plea

The wife of the university provost, tired of being ignored, stumbles into her own affair. Recently dumped by her lover, she sits recovering at the bar and, by chance, strikes up a conversation with (unknowingly) her husband’s young male lover. Her husband walks in to meet the guy, and the truth silently reveals itself.

Allison Janney, who plays the provost’s wife, shined tonight with her pained plea to the young man:

Stay single.
I only say this to you because, when you’re young and in love, everyone thinks they’ll be the exception.
Sure, maybe Mom and Dad slept in separate beds and then separate rooms.
Maybe the older couples you know bicker or fight.
At your age, you can’t imagine it will ever be you
but it will be,
which is bad enough, but what’s even worse
is how much you’ll feel like a failure.
Because when the person who knows you best loses interest
that really takes something out of you
like surgery almost
and you really start to wonder
if you’ll ever be whole again.

Even those of us who don’t miss a single minute of those old relationships can identify.

Keep it simple: cast nice people

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Have you ever compared your life to a movie, for which you are writer and director?

Who are your co-stars?
Who’s in a cameo role?
And which actors should be fired?

Appreciate Oscar-worthy co-stars. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from Jessica, Sally, Pamela, and Kellen. For example, avoid interrupting a story with your own anecdotes. Don’t judge. Balance your desire to protect one from pain with the knowledge that life is pain. We’ve made some great movies together.

Some actors in cameo roles deserve Oscars. Betty is cast in that role. Wicked sense of humor, a great listener, full of wisdom, and, most importantly, boldly herself. She inspires me to be a more generous, compassionate person.

Keep it simple. Cast nice people.
Photo ~ Or keep it simple. Cast nice people.

In lieu of an Oscar, learn how to give good hugs…a hard lesson for some of us.

Playing with a new lens

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Playing with a new lens in my backyard.
Cheery yellow flowers

The 50mm f1/8 is a popular lens for street photography. For years, I primarily photographed landscapes and my humorous basset hound Star. Star died, and taking pictures of flowers got old. One day I decided to start taking more pictures of people. Many factors contribute to an expressive candid photo. I have to be in bubbly/chatty mode to start talking to strangers on the street. The subject must be receptive to conversing with a stranger and have a few minutes to spare.

Here’s a photo from the Mission district in San Francisco. The gap-toothed smile of the Arabic woman struck me, with those rosy cheeks. The little girl in her rhinestone-studded shirt and fuzzy tendrils. Mom spoke little English but did understand when I held up my camera. Smiles are universal. Mother and child

Paul Flack, an artist at Raleigh’s Artsplosure, had no problem being himself.Paul Flack

Here’s a photo I took near the corner of Cyril Magnin and Ellis in San Francisco one morning as everyone rushed to work. My intent was to catch the handsome Lenny Kravitz lookalike in front. Somehow, the yawning little guy sneaked in, probably not an intentional photobomb. The yawning interloper

Always be curious

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I had an interesting (I dare say “fascinating”) discussion with Greg and Stephanie today about the value of summer interns and tips for working with them. Stephanie is in the masters in tech comm program at NCSU and works with Greg on his web site.

There’s much to say, which might end up in an STC Carolina newsletter article, so I’m not going into great detail.

Summer interns can be cheap labor, sure.  Sometimes they’re stuck with unglamorous tasks, such as taking dozens of screenshots or categorizing wiki pages.

But they have different skill sets and perspectives that we older folks (the 30 and over crowd) can adopt. For example, Stephanie bends WordPress to her will and is building her resume. Greg will have a fabulous web site, he’ll know WordPress like the back of his hand, and he’s learned a lot about search engine optimization (SEO).

A B C. “Always be closing,” as Alec Baldwin’s character repeated in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.

or

A B C. “Always be curious.”

Continue to learn about the latest developments in technical communication, the more effective tools and writing methods.

The Society for Technical Communication is a great place to start. With live online webinars, recorded webinars, online access to conference presentations, you’re on the right track. The archived seminars are free. And you’ll learn from getting to know other technical communicators and participating in your local chapter.

STC membership is what you make of it.

Hmmming about The Hum

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My previous residence was in one of the yuppiest areas of Cary, North Carolina, a few hundred feet from a busy road. The apartment was so noisy, I spent little time there. And sleeping was impossible without earplugs. Green Acres Farm across the street provided visual but no aural consolation.

Fast forward to my current residence in a quiet, cozy cul-de-sac. Listening to the humming crickets and katydids is so relaxing. For the first time in decades (for many reasons), I actually enjoy being home. It’s my little nest.

On one side of the house, I’ve discovered a different kind of hum at night…a deep rumbling vibration that comes in swells. I envision a neo Dr. Frankenstein in some musty basement, with Rammstein masking the cries of his subjects.

Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein
Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein

I Googled “constant hum” and discovered that Dr. Frankenstein does not live down the street and I’m not delusional.

Turns out, people around the world also hear The Hum. One likely source is cell phone towers, many of which live in my vicinity beginning a few blocks away. Go to AntennaSearch.com and look up your own house.

An article in the Journal of Scientific Exploration provides details about this worldwide phenomenon. The Hum: An Anomalous Sound Heard Around the World. Written by David Deming (College of Geosciences, University of Oklahoma), the fascinating read concludes:

As a working hypothesis, it appears probable that the Hum can be attributed to electromagnetic radiation that some people have the ability to interpret as sound.

(Mathematicians, skip to page 19 for the equations.)

Is electromagnetic protection in order? A Star-Tri Pack Resonator, perhaps? Hmmmm….

Other information:
Wikipedia article on The Hum
The Hum Heard Around the World
Mysterious Hum: Viewers Guess What Causes the Strange Noise

Competition for free time

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Free time these days is divided among the following activities in no specific order:

Regarding item #3, I’m the STC Carolina chapter president for 2013-2014. The eternal questions for the chapter president and admin. council are “What makes members happy?” and “How do we attract new members?”.

This I know: One of the most crucial issues is free time. STC activities are up against tough competition. Loving (or not so loving) families and friends. Work. Play. Sleep or the attempt to get said sleep. Shiny new electronic gadgets. Netflix.

Where does the STC fit in the above list? What are the compelling reasons to attend a two-hour monthly meeting every third Thursday of the month or write an article for the newsletter? I will attempt to answer these questions in the next year. And I’ll share my personal answers in future blog posts.

Regarding my free time, item #2 is calling.