Thursday, January 28, 2010

relationships

i had a new realization recently that has caused me to rethink a previous thought. not really sure if i've written about this, but new york is full of people that seem to work out their relationships in public places. there have been a number of times riding the subway that i'll see, and hear, a couple hashing through the finer details of who was self centered, and who is paying for it. occasionally it happens on the sidewalk under my window. those are the best ones...good and loud! every now and then i think i should offer my services as a certified prepare/enrich counselor of couples.

it's not hard to understand why various public venues become the location for these discussions. we all live on top of one another, so it's either inside the apartment next door with the thin walls, or in the open air, or taking advantage of the public transportation. i think people use public space because whoever hears you air your matrimonial displeasure will never see you again. but your neighbors who hear you through the walls will always be aware that something is not going so well.

anyway, i have a new explanation for public relational conversation. my new explanation comes from a personal experience on 57th street between 5th and 6th avenue at the wonderful rizzoli book store. i'm shooting a small web series there right now called "blank paige" and having a lot of fun. very fun cast and as soon as the first few episodes get edited, they'll be on youtube for fun viewing.

this past tuesday morning, several of us were waiting outside the book store and running lines for the day's shoot. my character, dewey, has a scene in which he is confronted by rosemary about something that happens in the store. as we ran our lines, the confrontation became heated. of course we were just acting, but it was on the sidewalk outside the store...in public. heads started to turn.

that's when it hit me. all these couples i had seen managing their relationships were probably just actors running lines for some one-act they were doing, or a scene study for a class, or a student film they were getting ready to shoot. i mean, the city is full of actors. i'm sure that's what i've been seeing.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

true yorker

well, i'm a few steps closer to being a true new yorker it seems. i hadn't really thought about it and i guess it has a way of sneaking up on a person. we all want to adapt to our surroundings and feel a part of things, accepted, etc. this is normal, right? i mean, i'm sure there are some things we shouldn't adapt to, but on the whole, blending in is not a bad thing in itself.

so as i was undressing the other day, i took off my black wool coat from austria that my sister elaine gave me. then unzipped my black lululemon shell that my friend kerry gave me. then pulled off my black long sleeve t-shirt that is a bit form fitting to try and sell myself a little more around here. of course, before all this, i kicked off my black shoes that footed my gray/charcoal jeans. yeah...three layers of black just on top along with all the rest. not to mention my black scarf loosely and fashionably wrapped about my neck. i've almost arrived...

now, if i could just say "fogedduhboudit" right...