...is a really great group to get involved with for a few reasons:
1- They pull hilarious large scale pranks all over NYC. Nothing scandalous or illegal is involved- it's more along the lines of "once I wondered what would happen if I did xy&z" or "once I did this weird thing for psych class in college to find out what the reaction would be," only the activities are way more fun than running screaming through The Met or staring someone down in the library.
2- The people involved are, in general, just the right brand of lunacy-meets-awesomeness, and even if you go alone (which I have been known to do), you are sure to make a friend or two.
3- It's all free!
I've been taking part in IE stunts for a couple years now, and have had the time of my life. From de-pantsing on the subway (which, after 6 or 7 years, is now at the scale of a national holiday) to freeze-framing in Grand Central to participating in a giant game of twister in a plaza downtown, the antics are always jovial, light-hearted, and loads of fun. As a mid-western parent might say, "Good, clean fun!" And it's not often that something this clean is actually this much fun, people. Let's face it- at this stage in our lives, "fun" is generally a little more scandalous than The Little Rascals.
Last night hundreds of people braved freezing rain to span the entire length of the Brooklyn Bridge, in the dark, for the purpose of "doing the wave" with flash photography. It was cold, it was wet, and it would have been miserable- except for the collective thought that when else would you EVER get the chance to hang out on the Brooklyn Bridge with hundreds of other people, taking pictures in the dark to create a giant light show for the guys filming from the Manhattan Bridge? There were literally so many people that came out in the crap weather- all of us completely unknowing what the event would be, going on blind faith that it would be rather awesome- so many people that, when standing in a close single file line on the bridge, we had to double loop a second line of folks because there wasn't room for everyone.
I don't know if I did a good idea of describing the ultimate fun-ness of Improv Everywhere, but if this sounds like your cup of tea, go here and sign up for their mailing list:
improveverywhere.com
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Good Life- on a budget
It's come to my attention that someone *gasp!* possibly even more than one someone, reads this little rag and actually finds what I have to say entertaining. Yikes. I'm not letting the adoration of a few random fans get to my head, I know I'm no literary genius- but the truth is, I've let my quest to make money off Google Ads lapse waaay too long. I guess my excuse for being away from the blogosphere is that I was simply spending way too much time 1)trying to find jobs so I could get money, and 2) trying not to spend the little money I do have.
Anyhoo, I might be better at sharing humorous stories than I am at imparting money-saving wisdom, but I'll try to do both. It might work. It might not. I make no promises, people.
But since I've been away so long and am sooo boringly out of shape, I'll steal a nugget of wisdom from Susannah and tell you to READ THIS ARTICLE NOW.
Not only does it give some sound advice for "Enjoying the good life on a budget," but it completely explains my entire raison d'etre. After years of almost-daily existential dilemmas, I finally came to the conclusion, as I was sitting in a dirty plaza in Florence Italy, that I might not have a "purpose," per se, but that maybe I should pursue adventure, and embrace my wanderlust, and see the world! and that would suffice. I think seeing the world is a pretty decent purpose. Certainly more preferable to me than sitting in a dim office making lots of money. If I had to pick between being a broke-ass artist and writing this crappy blog, and putting on a suit and sensible pumps to trek to an office where the windows don't even open to make loads of money, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I am pretty sure I would go with the broke-ass bit. I can't handle another "subway ride of doom" on a regular basis, especially since I ran for the 1 train and immediately sat in a puddle of liquid- water! water, people! it just *had* to be water... - yesterday. No mas!
So one last bit of advice for today: look before you leap. Seriously.
Anyhoo, I might be better at sharing humorous stories than I am at imparting money-saving wisdom, but I'll try to do both. It might work. It might not. I make no promises, people.
But since I've been away so long and am sooo boringly out of shape, I'll steal a nugget of wisdom from Susannah and tell you to READ THIS ARTICLE NOW.
Not only does it give some sound advice for "Enjoying the good life on a budget," but it completely explains my entire raison d'etre. After years of almost-daily existential dilemmas, I finally came to the conclusion, as I was sitting in a dirty plaza in Florence Italy, that I might not have a "purpose," per se, but that maybe I should pursue adventure, and embrace my wanderlust, and see the world! and that would suffice. I think seeing the world is a pretty decent purpose. Certainly more preferable to me than sitting in a dim office making lots of money. If I had to pick between being a broke-ass artist and writing this crappy blog, and putting on a suit and sensible pumps to trek to an office where the windows don't even open to make loads of money, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I am pretty sure I would go with the broke-ass bit. I can't handle another "subway ride of doom" on a regular basis, especially since I ran for the 1 train and immediately sat in a puddle of liquid- water! water, people! it just *had* to be water... - yesterday. No mas!
So one last bit of advice for today: look before you leap. Seriously.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Ciao! Take Me to the Peneatery
Susannah and I had a lovely time arguing (and drinking) our way through Italy. We made a personal vow to ourselves that, no matter what should happen, we would eat gelato at least once a day. I had also made a personal vow to myself that I would drink at least once a day throughout my entire trip (though I think we managed to outdo ourselves at least a couple times). I am happy to report that I haven't gotten horrendously sick or hungover and am still enjoying sampling the local beverages of each country I visit!
Rome was historical, warm, and best of all, full of food and fun. Despite the many amazing sights and loads of fountains we saw, one of the best parts was cooking dinner in the tiny hostel with our international friends (until I beat Susannnah over the head with a frying pan- photo to follow shortly). Boxed table wine for a euro, chicken piccata, limoncello, and Francis making us curry and chai at midnight make for a very memorable evening. While in Rome, San made the mistake of asking me if we had reached the Sistine Chapel yet (as we were winding through endless hallways). So far we have reached at least 17 Sistine Chapels and she'll never live this one down. We have a plethora of ridiculous photos of ourselves desecrating ancient monuments and "taking the piss out of" (as our Brit friends would say) various historical attractions.
Florence was also historical, and even warmer! I think I can never spend another winter in NYC. Throughout my trip, I have decided to move to at least 3 different European countries and now I'm entirely confused! Luckily, I no longer care about the age-old bother of "what to do with my life" and am instead trying to figure out where I want to live next and how to go about doing it. Anyhow, back to Florence. Despite the four year gap, most of my local sense of direction returned and amazingly, almost all of my "old haunts" were still around. I had a great time leading San around to various places, both touristy and not, and she had a great time making fun of the fact that almost every time I pointed out something I recognized, it was somehow related to wine or drinking in general (except when it had to do with food). "Oh, that's where I used to run out for a cheap bottle of wine... I loved that bar! Once I drank in this piazza."
It was lovely remembering these excursions, seeing my old apartment building, and trying to speak Italian again (though even more poorly than before). We made friends with an Aussie named Jessica, and briefly, with two Americans who were living in Rome. Our giant dinner at Trattoria Za Za was amazing, until about 10 hours later when I was regretting eating so much (mirroring the great guacamole incident that many of you have heard about). However, the next night we were feeling better and Susannah and I had a romantic dinner for two at my favorite Florentine restaurant, Aqua al Due, and we both voted it "better than sex." Better than sex?! Yes, better than sex.
We're now on day 4 of a 7 day jaunt through Spain, so more about Priya's sweet flat, Ramon's jamon, and the healing powers of paella and sangria in Valencia soon.
Rome was historical, warm, and best of all, full of food and fun. Despite the many amazing sights and loads of fountains we saw, one of the best parts was cooking dinner in the tiny hostel with our international friends (until I beat Susannnah over the head with a frying pan- photo to follow shortly). Boxed table wine for a euro, chicken piccata, limoncello, and Francis making us curry and chai at midnight make for a very memorable evening. While in Rome, San made the mistake of asking me if we had reached the Sistine Chapel yet (as we were winding through endless hallways). So far we have reached at least 17 Sistine Chapels and she'll never live this one down. We have a plethora of ridiculous photos of ourselves desecrating ancient monuments and "taking the piss out of" (as our Brit friends would say) various historical attractions.
Florence was also historical, and even warmer! I think I can never spend another winter in NYC. Throughout my trip, I have decided to move to at least 3 different European countries and now I'm entirely confused! Luckily, I no longer care about the age-old bother of "what to do with my life" and am instead trying to figure out where I want to live next and how to go about doing it. Anyhow, back to Florence. Despite the four year gap, most of my local sense of direction returned and amazingly, almost all of my "old haunts" were still around. I had a great time leading San around to various places, both touristy and not, and she had a great time making fun of the fact that almost every time I pointed out something I recognized, it was somehow related to wine or drinking in general (except when it had to do with food). "Oh, that's where I used to run out for a cheap bottle of wine... I loved that bar! Once I drank in this piazza."
It was lovely remembering these excursions, seeing my old apartment building, and trying to speak Italian again (though even more poorly than before). We made friends with an Aussie named Jessica, and briefly, with two Americans who were living in Rome. Our giant dinner at Trattoria Za Za was amazing, until about 10 hours later when I was regretting eating so much (mirroring the great guacamole incident that many of you have heard about). However, the next night we were feeling better and Susannah and I had a romantic dinner for two at my favorite Florentine restaurant, Aqua al Due, and we both voted it "better than sex." Better than sex?! Yes, better than sex.
We're now on day 4 of a 7 day jaunt through Spain, so more about Priya's sweet flat, Ramon's jamon, and the healing powers of paella and sangria in Valencia soon.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Europe is the new Spring Break
As it turns out, the rest of Ireland was pretty delightful. The next stop after Dublin was Galway, which is a very cute little city but also pretty much a college town. When I arrived, Sunday night was pretty slow- my first order of business was to find some fish and chips, and while doing so I met a juggler. The juggler (whose real business is teaching kids circus tricks, thus the juggling) took me to a very authentic Irish pub where I proceeded to down a couple Guinnesses (Guinni?) before the juggler and I exchanged an earring for a used Metrocard. I then moved on to another pub with live traditional music, which was lovely, and met a couple students who asked me how the crack was in Dublin. Considering I saw a girl doing a line of coke off the windowsill of my hostel a couple days before, but since I also try to stay away from (most) drugs, I was a little hard pressed to answer this question. They laughingly explained that "craic" (pronounced crack) is an Irish word for fun. Who knew?
The next couple of days were spent sightseeing in the Irish countryside. The Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking- as are the Aran Islands. After taking the ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the 3 islands, I rented a bike and rode around seeing ruins and cliffs and ocean views for about 4 hours. It was amazing- and the Irish breakfast and coffee with Bailey's wasn't so bad either :)
Upon returning to Galway on Monday evening, I found that the city was in full swing of an Irish phenomenon known as "rag week" (I didn't go into what americans use rag to refer to...). Basically, rag week is a cross between Mardi Gras and spring break, under the guise of a fundraiser. Apparently students drink for a week straight and pull pranks (no idea what kind of pranks, as all I witnessed were drunken antics) to raise money for a designated charity. The city was insane, but in the midst of it all I found a vaguely-sober 21 year old who claimed to be a "boy racer," referring to The Fast and the Furious. I managed to convince him to teach me to drive a manual car, which I have always wanted to learn, and he did! By the sea! I was pretty sure that if he tried to pull anything shady I could take him- he probably weighed about half what I do. He did tell me that American girls are known to "kiss with class" in Ireland... he may have just been angling for some action, but I took it as a compliment to our great nation.
I returned to Dublin for one night before flying to meet Susannah in Italy, and a very cute boy who worked in my hostel took me out to a couple pubs- which was a very nice end to my time in Ireland :) After seeing amazing sights, being taught to pour a shamrock into a proper pint of Guinness, learning such grand drinking games as Fives and Wiggly Worm, and jumping on beds to Vampire Weekend (who is really popular in Ireland for some reason, yay!), I might just have to come back here real soon.
Next up- adventures in Italy with Susannah and Bonnie! Stay tuned for stories such as how we found the Trevi fountain, cooking curry in the middle of the night with Francis, and cheeky little buggers.
The next couple of days were spent sightseeing in the Irish countryside. The Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking- as are the Aran Islands. After taking the ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the 3 islands, I rented a bike and rode around seeing ruins and cliffs and ocean views for about 4 hours. It was amazing- and the Irish breakfast and coffee with Bailey's wasn't so bad either :)
Upon returning to Galway on Monday evening, I found that the city was in full swing of an Irish phenomenon known as "rag week" (I didn't go into what americans use rag to refer to...). Basically, rag week is a cross between Mardi Gras and spring break, under the guise of a fundraiser. Apparently students drink for a week straight and pull pranks (no idea what kind of pranks, as all I witnessed were drunken antics) to raise money for a designated charity. The city was insane, but in the midst of it all I found a vaguely-sober 21 year old who claimed to be a "boy racer," referring to The Fast and the Furious. I managed to convince him to teach me to drive a manual car, which I have always wanted to learn, and he did! By the sea! I was pretty sure that if he tried to pull anything shady I could take him- he probably weighed about half what I do. He did tell me that American girls are known to "kiss with class" in Ireland... he may have just been angling for some action, but I took it as a compliment to our great nation.
I returned to Dublin for one night before flying to meet Susannah in Italy, and a very cute boy who worked in my hostel took me out to a couple pubs- which was a very nice end to my time in Ireland :) After seeing amazing sights, being taught to pour a shamrock into a proper pint of Guinness, learning such grand drinking games as Fives and Wiggly Worm, and jumping on beds to Vampire Weekend (who is really popular in Ireland for some reason, yay!), I might just have to come back here real soon.
Next up- adventures in Italy with Susannah and Bonnie! Stay tuned for stories such as how we found the Trevi fountain, cooking curry in the middle of the night with Francis, and cheeky little buggers.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
On The Cheap NYC Goes to Europe
If anyone actually reads this rag, I'm sure you've noticed I've been on quite a hiatus. Sadly (for you, not me) I've been traveling on and off for the past couple of months (holidays, NC, Sundance Film Fest, now Europe- some more interesting than others) but I'm happy to report I'm back! As you read (or rather, I type), I'm in a hostel in Rome and I'm rather unhappy to report that this keyboard sucks and is quite difficult to get the hang of. Regardless, I'll proceed to report on the happenings so far.
First of all, let me be the first to inform you that Europe is not cheap. However, I am writing in this blog because the others I write for have even less to do with traveling, and I'm not about to create yet another blog *sigh* for just the purpose of a month of adventures. I will try to put some cheapo advice in here for you travel fiends, though.
I started in Dublin, after a brief layover in Amsterdam (might end up staying there at the end of the trip, but we'll see how far my bank account carries me, ok?). Here is the very first entry in my travel journal... enjoy!
16 Feb 2008
This morning, my first in Ireland, I woke up in a flat in southeast Dublin sandwiched between an Irish guy and his Scottish friend. Fully clothed, thank-you-very-much! But fun nonetheless. From what I remember, we all drank way too much and stayed out way too late and I couldn't quite bring myself to make it back to my hostel across town. I remember playing drinking games (and losing miserably) in a pub white a live band sang old school Oasis and Travis (yay!), and wandering around town drunkenly getting piggyback rides and switching jackets, and dancing crazily in a nightclub, and being told my nose piercing is in the wrong nostril by a sketchy Indian man, and taking stupid pictures, and getting denied entry to another club becasue somehow a stolen pint glass ended up in my bag, and listening to the boys play a less-than-stellar (though very enthusiastic) guitar at 5 am, and lots of snoring. And that's about all I remember. This morning, I caught a taxi back to the hostel and my older Irish cabbie was hilarious- read the situation perfectly (my not so shameful walk o f shame) and provided some comical commentary. I told him it was a night to write home abou (as I am finally doing, now!), and he replied "or not, as the case may be"- we both had a good cackle. He left me with the hope that I will have many more fun nights where I can't remember much (as if I haven't had enough already) and I left him with a nice tip. So far, I am quite fond of Ireland!
The End.
I have so much more to tell, but I must return to my sister, my cheap-ass box of Italian Merlot, and the other awesomely drunken hostel-stayers. Tomorrow- promising an update of both the rest of Ireland (think learning to drive a manual on the other side of the road, hot Irish hostel desk-boy, and much more Guinness) and Roma, which has proved to be highly entertaining, as Susannah and I cackle through the Vatican and city in general.
Cheers! Miss you all- will see you when my money runs out :)
loves, Bon
First of all, let me be the first to inform you that Europe is not cheap. However, I am writing in this blog because the others I write for have even less to do with traveling, and I'm not about to create yet another blog *sigh* for just the purpose of a month of adventures. I will try to put some cheapo advice in here for you travel fiends, though.
I started in Dublin, after a brief layover in Amsterdam (might end up staying there at the end of the trip, but we'll see how far my bank account carries me, ok?). Here is the very first entry in my travel journal... enjoy!
16 Feb 2008
This morning, my first in Ireland, I woke up in a flat in southeast Dublin sandwiched between an Irish guy and his Scottish friend. Fully clothed, thank-you-very-much! But fun nonetheless. From what I remember, we all drank way too much and stayed out way too late and I couldn't quite bring myself to make it back to my hostel across town. I remember playing drinking games (and losing miserably) in a pub white a live band sang old school Oasis and Travis (yay!), and wandering around town drunkenly getting piggyback rides and switching jackets, and dancing crazily in a nightclub, and being told my nose piercing is in the wrong nostril by a sketchy Indian man, and taking stupid pictures, and getting denied entry to another club becasue somehow a stolen pint glass ended up in my bag, and listening to the boys play a less-than-stellar (though very enthusiastic) guitar at 5 am, and lots of snoring. And that's about all I remember. This morning, I caught a taxi back to the hostel and my older Irish cabbie was hilarious- read the situation perfectly (my not so shameful walk o f shame) and provided some comical commentary. I told him it was a night to write home abou (as I am finally doing, now!), and he replied "or not, as the case may be"- we both had a good cackle. He left me with the hope that I will have many more fun nights where I can't remember much (as if I haven't had enough already) and I left him with a nice tip. So far, I am quite fond of Ireland!
The End.
I have so much more to tell, but I must return to my sister, my cheap-ass box of Italian Merlot, and the other awesomely drunken hostel-stayers. Tomorrow- promising an update of both the rest of Ireland (think learning to drive a manual on the other side of the road, hot Irish hostel desk-boy, and much more Guinness) and Roma, which has proved to be highly entertaining, as Susannah and I cackle through the Vatican and city in general.
Cheers! Miss you all- will see you when my money runs out :)
loves, Bon
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Cheapo Nuggets
Despite that it's "the most wonderful time of the year," I have very few nuggets of wisdom. Nugget #1 is don't ever be self-employed: it tends to freak you out around the holidays, when you seem to be spending what you're not earning, without a regular paycheck in sight. I'm in about week 4 of this ongoing freakout, but the end is in sight! Tomorrow I fly home to NC to try and get my life in order (haha) while my mother pumps me full of cookies and cheap wine (aka the "pink stuff"). Maybe by the time I come back I'll have some plan for the coming year and, with any luck, a pocket full of cash compliments of far-away relatives. At any rate, with the impending doom of the airport looming over my head, this is the best I can come up with.
Top 5 Things to Know Before You Go: North Carolina, & the Burbs in general (because my brain is too addled for a Top 10)
5. Do not buy airport food. This should be a no-brainer, as it's always expensive, luke-warm, and generally gross. However, if you need a fast-food fix, wait til you roll up in the south- land of the two best cheap chicken joints in the world: Bojangle's and Chick-Fil-A. And it's all half the price of NYC food! You can actually get an entire meal for under $5.
4. Do go see lots of movies- most cities outside of NY have second-run movie theatres where the ticket price drops from the already low $7 to $2 or $1.50.
3. Drink. Lots. Last time I was outside New York City, I literally bought an entire round of 4 beers for $11. What? That's less than I pay for one friggin glass of wine in certain neighborhoods! Yes, it's true- give up the joys of city living and you can drink on the cheap ALL THE TIME. Uh, ok, no thanks- I can't do the suburbs again. But I will make like a camel and have my fill before I come back up here!
2. Sleep. Unless A Christmas Story is on TV, there's nothing worth doing before dinner time anyways. Don't tell Mom I'm badmouthing my hometown, secretly I miss it, really!
1. And the number one thing to know before you go away from NYC is, enjoy driving! This may seem like stupid advice, perhaps a filler because your favorite blogger can't think of anything else to write? No way! I plan to enjoy driving so much that, in fact, I am not flying back to the frosty north- no, I am road-tripping with 2 or 3 other brave souls, and it will be AWESOME! This is not because I couldn't find an affordable flight. I just love being in the car that much. And a few years ago, this would have been said in jest- but since moving to NYC, where the average cost to ride in an actual car is about $10 per minute, I just can't get enough of those plush bucket seats. Damn, if that doesn't feel better than a mustard yellow subway bench! Not to mention that gunning it down I-95 is kind of cool.
My New Year's resolution? Come up with something more valuable to tell you. I've got about 10 days to come up with something delightful, so check back soon.
Top 5 Things to Know Before You Go: North Carolina, & the Burbs in general (because my brain is too addled for a Top 10)
5. Do not buy airport food. This should be a no-brainer, as it's always expensive, luke-warm, and generally gross. However, if you need a fast-food fix, wait til you roll up in the south- land of the two best cheap chicken joints in the world: Bojangle's and Chick-Fil-A. And it's all half the price of NYC food! You can actually get an entire meal for under $5.
4. Do go see lots of movies- most cities outside of NY have second-run movie theatres where the ticket price drops from the already low $7 to $2 or $1.50.
3. Drink. Lots. Last time I was outside New York City, I literally bought an entire round of 4 beers for $11. What? That's less than I pay for one friggin glass of wine in certain neighborhoods! Yes, it's true- give up the joys of city living and you can drink on the cheap ALL THE TIME. Uh, ok, no thanks- I can't do the suburbs again. But I will make like a camel and have my fill before I come back up here!
2. Sleep. Unless A Christmas Story is on TV, there's nothing worth doing before dinner time anyways. Don't tell Mom I'm badmouthing my hometown, secretly I miss it, really!
1. And the number one thing to know before you go away from NYC is, enjoy driving! This may seem like stupid advice, perhaps a filler because your favorite blogger can't think of anything else to write? No way! I plan to enjoy driving so much that, in fact, I am not flying back to the frosty north- no, I am road-tripping with 2 or 3 other brave souls, and it will be AWESOME! This is not because I couldn't find an affordable flight. I just love being in the car that much. And a few years ago, this would have been said in jest- but since moving to NYC, where the average cost to ride in an actual car is about $10 per minute, I just can't get enough of those plush bucket seats. Damn, if that doesn't feel better than a mustard yellow subway bench! Not to mention that gunning it down I-95 is kind of cool.
My New Year's resolution? Come up with something more valuable to tell you. I've got about 10 days to come up with something delightful, so check back soon.
Monday, December 10, 2007
I wanna take you to a FREE! gay bar
For anyone who knows and loves the easily stuck-in-your-head chorus to "Gay Bar," have I got a holiday treat for you! I just found out the always-crazed men of Electric 6 will be playing for FREE! yes, FREE! in (of all places) Southpaw in Park Slope this Wednesday, December 12. To the best of my knowledge, Southpaw is not a gay bar, nor am I gay, nor will Electric 6 be taking anyone to a gay bar at any point. However, "Danger, danger- High Voltage!" is more than my tagline on Myspace- it's a rocking good time, even if you're not a mosh-pit-loving, testosterone-driven, oversexed male. Which I am not. But I just can't stay away from these guys!
They usually play Bowery Ballroom for actual amounts of money so a free show by a rock band of this caliber is an event to be celebrated! I can never find any girls to go with me, actually, I can never find anyone at all to go with me since my bro & his nutty friends moved away. However, for those uneducated in the wonders of Electric 6, their lyrics are strangely catchy (I wanna be a dance commander!) and they give a new meaning to "rock out"- I have yet to witness another band with as many high-kicks per measure as E 6. You will see jumping. You will be jumping. You will love it!
Wed. December 12, 9:00 pm, people. Southpaw. Be there. I will.
They usually play Bowery Ballroom for actual amounts of money so a free show by a rock band of this caliber is an event to be celebrated! I can never find any girls to go with me, actually, I can never find anyone at all to go with me since my bro & his nutty friends moved away. However, for those uneducated in the wonders of Electric 6, their lyrics are strangely catchy (I wanna be a dance commander!) and they give a new meaning to "rock out"- I have yet to witness another band with as many high-kicks per measure as E 6. You will see jumping. You will be jumping. You will love it!
Wed. December 12, 9:00 pm, people. Southpaw. Be there. I will.
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