Colonialism/Cronuts: A Two Month Update

Full disclosure: I should be writing a paper about The Tempest and Montaigne's "On Cannibals" and then discussing what they say about colonialism but I can't focus, which might have something to do with the British boy I just saw in the elevator or fact that tomorrow is two months that I've been here. In New York, I mean. In some ways, two months sounds like infinity and there's no way I've been here that long, but in most ways I feel like I've been here my entire life and two months sounds like nothing.

Here. Have some pictures about this month (but prepare yourself because it's basically just selfies and puppies):

This woman on the train is me in 40ish years.

Someone on 12 burnt popcorn at 12 am and we all had to evacuate and the firetrucks came and Hayden is just a real fun time.

We went to the opera and then got pizza because we know how to do college. 

Playbills from my favorite day where I saw two shows in one day and it was the best, especially because Alex and Ernest and Michael surprised me with Big Fish and we all sobbed together.

 Favorite picture ever taken -- selfie on Madi's birthday fisheye during our birthday celebration for her.

 Selfie.

My other favorite picture ever with my favorite human Michael who Ernest knows from home who came to visit us and I immediately made him be my best friend of ever.

Selfie.

Seen on the way home from French class in Washington Square Park. (The happiness circle goes multi-lingual!)

 I leave my roommates alone for an hour and a half and this happens outside our door.

One of the best shows I've ever seen. (Plus my nails look great in this picture.)

Selfie -- WITH ZACHARY QUINTO.

Other favorite picture ever because we got yelled at by the security guard right as it was taken because the bench was closed (??).

MILEY CYRUS ON THE TODAY SHOW. YES.

And then my very best childhood friend came to visit me (so, selfie, obviously).

And we did Top of the Rock.

And ate Shake Shack.

And went to the 9/11 Memorial (which is one of my favorite places in the city).

And obsessed over a teeny police cart (not pictured: the taxi on fire).

And obsessed over Matilda.

And ate at my favorite restaurant.

And... selfie.

And accidentally took an express train to Harlem (my fault (not pictured: the express train we also accidentally took to Brooklyn (my fault also))).

And we did eventually make it to Central Park.

Where we took some more selfies.

And got this snapchat from my dad.

And went to the Statue of Liberty.

And went to the sketchiest/best restaurant in the world down in Chinatown...

...with some of my favorite humans. 

And got up at 5:30 am for cronuts.

And it was so worth it.

 And then Harli went home and Anis Mojgani performed, so I went, obviously, and I cried, obviously.

And then my dad went to Thailand without mentioning it to me and that is hilarious and weird.

And I have a birthmark-like scar from that time I fell while running and scraped up my whole body and a homeless man rubbed Neosporin on my shoulder and it is my favorite scar.

And then my mom came to visit (so we took some selfies).

And went for a waterfront run.

And went shopping.

Outfit-I-Was-Proud-Of Selfie.

And saw Pippin, because as you know, it is my favorite.

And went to the greenmarket in Union Square.

And I took some dog pictures because I have been obsessed with dogs lately and I'm convinced Alex and I need to buy a puppy.

And did some laundry at Tian Tian which was the best ever.

And took some selfies on the train.

And I screamed over more dogs.

That feels like a sort of rushed, odd photo tour of this most recent month of my life. Mostly, I just feel like I just want to say that I'm happy. New York makes me calm in an insane way (except for when I get stuck walking behind slow people and start to hyperventilate). Alex has basically filled all the roles as my family -- he manages to be my mother, brother, husband, and son all at the same time, and I would probably actually be dead without him (especially considering how many times he has stopped me from crossing the street and getting hit). Alys is the best roommate I could ever ask for because she makes me laugh and helps me understand politics and sports and talks about theater with me and cries with me and has the cutest giggle and is actually the best, nicest, loveliest person alive. Abby and Luca and Tris and Adam are the actual best, most talented humans, and I die over the fact that I know them. Having Harli here one weekend and my mom here the next was the absolute best. It was so good to have a little taste of home. Avery and Tanner keep me sane when I need a little Utah in my life, but I wish they'd just move out here already and live with me and Alex and Alys and our dog or something.

But seriously. I am happier than I've ever been. And that's something that's hard for me to describe in words and also hard to explain on the internet because it feels very personal and complicated, but also it's not, really. I wake up every day and I look out the window at the Empire State and I like mornings here because I'm here and I like nights here because I'm here and I have all these beautiful, talented people in my life who understand what I meant my entire life when I said that I just had to get here, just had to go to NYU, just had to follow my heart, as cliche as it is, and I just... I just feel so happy. My life is here. And it always was, I guess.

"When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about." -Haruki Murakami

Yours forever,

Addy Sue

IT'S MY ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY

Hello, my beautiful, beautiful people. Guess what today is? Yeah, it's the one month anniversary of my real-live-residency relationship with New York City.

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. I feel so overwhelmingly happy every time one of you contacts me and says something like, "Please blog!" You guys are really way too kind to me. Sometimes everything is so exciting and I try to write blogs and they turn out... Well, basically like this one is going to turn out. They're like, "WE SAW FIRST DATE AND MET KRYSTA RODRIGUEZ," or "I WENT TO A REALLY COOL PARTY IN A REALLY PRETTY EAST VILLAGE APARTMENT." It's sort of overwhelming because sometimes I don't know how to put into words everything that is happening. So, I mean, here are a bunch of phone pictures and let me try and update all of you on the wild and wonderful that is life here.

WE SAW FIRST DATE AND MET KRYSTA RODRIGUEZ.

Quite honestly, it's not exactly the best show ever. Like, 3 stars (if that). Zachary Levi is gorgeous and it's a cute show and all, but the music is forgettable HOWEVER, it sealed my friendship with the cutie in the middle who is called Alex and he lives down the hall from me and we're soul mates and I'm probably making him crazy at this point, but I don't know how to live without him anymore.

I GOT TO COVER A FASHION SHOW FOR WSN.

This was really exciting. I've never been to a fashion show before, and I got to sit front row with a press pass and my dear friend Jake took gorgeous pictures and it was so exciting. The review is here, and I'm quite proud.

I... face planted and shoulder planted and elbow planted into the ground mid-run.

This doesn't deserve caps. Honestly, at this point, it's starting to get hilarious. This picture is fairly embarrassing, but now I'm starting to giggle about the whole story. My whole shoulder bruised up and I had to get a new phone case (because it cracked when I fell) and headphones (because they broke in half catching my fall) and like, 15 people saw me fall, and I just lay on the ground in shock for a little bit while everyone was like, "Oh my gosh are you okay do you need help did you hit your head can I help you up" and I just wanted to be like, "Everyone please leave me alone so I can cry out of embarrassment and horror and my shoulder and cheek and elbow and side and knees are bleeding and bruising," and the guy whose foot I actually tripped over was this homeless man who had Neosporin in his bag and started rubbing it on my shoulder and the whole deal was just ridiculous. I had been here for TWO WEEKS and I was lying on the ground because I am a total klutz and ah. Just last night Alex pointed at my shoulder and goes, "Did you cut yourself?" NO, ALEX, I AM STILL HEALING FROM WHEN I FACE PLANTED WHILE RUNNING. I know. It's really actually hilarious. I'm finally finding it funny. You're all allowed to laugh.

Being in New York during 9/11 was a really odd experience. The whole city was quiet and somber and there was a sort of remembrance that you could just feel in the whole city. This picture is right at the end of my street with the lights from the memorial. It's one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen.

On the night of 9/11 my best friend and roommate, Alys, went and saw Pippin the musical, and she came home and cried and told Alex and I about just how beautiful it was and the way it made her think about how lucky we are to have the freedom to create good art, how resilient we are as a country... So. Obviously, Alex and I woke up at 4 am Friday morning to get rush tickets.

We're very cute friends. Even before sunrise.

SO WE GOT RUSH TICKETS ARE THEY WERE IN BOX SEATS.

And it was the best show I have ever seen. I can say that with complete and total surety. I've never seen something so electric. I've never seen a show so perfectly produced and gorgeously put together. I've never seen a new concept work so well. I've never seen an entire show stop in the first act for a standing ovation. I've never cried so much about little beautiful things. I've never seen anything like it. 5 stars.

After the show, Alex and I stood by the stage door for an hour to meet our idols, and Patina Miller was so kind and warm and welcoming and gracious and we took pictures with her and she signed them for us and I was just overwhelmed by how beautiful the whole show and the whole day was.

So this is my desk and me and my wall, and it's covered with wonderful little mementos that my really cute family and friends mail me. I'm actually really obsessed with my dorm room, because it's really pretty and I feel inspired to do great things by it.

I saw this on the side of a falafel truck on my way to class earlier this week, and it thought it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. "Sari, will you marry me?" As always, I love New York.

SO a so cool thing that has happened is called I Have Terrible Shin Splints. My mom, who is feeling terrible for me, told me to take some Advil and go buy myself some new running shoes and some new boots. I took all afternoon to go uptown to go shopping, and I looked like a little ball of joy when I came home laden with shopping bags. Also, my shin splints are cured.

So Alex's favorite band is Ohio's own Walk the Moon, and because he is the best human, he got me a ticket and took me to the concert. It was as amazing as it looks.

Seriously. It was super fun, and they were all so cute and so gracious and so wonderful live and the whole thing was gorgeous and it was just feel-good music and I loved it all so much.

After the concert, we -- WAIT OH, ALSO. We got STUCK IN THE SUBWAY. Because someone pulled the emergency brake and it was absolutely terrifying and we thought for sure we were going to die and we were stuck in the tunnel for a while and we were half scared/half bored as can be, so it turned into just a lot of jokes and a nice bonding experience for everyone on the train. Misery loves company or something.

The point is, after the concert and the terror of the subway holding, Alex and I went to a party of a friend of ours who lives in the East Village. The apartment was gorgeous and everyone was so nice and it was all so glamorous and we went on the roof and everyone was the best ever.

On our way to the party, we ran into a few of our friends, so we brought them with us. This is my cute friend Adam. He has great glasses. After the party me and Adam and Alex got cheap late-night pizza and I walked around the city holding hands with both of them and I loved everything very much because my friends are absolutely the cutest.

Saturday is laundry day. I end up wearing really odd outfits on laundry day (oh, but notice my pretty new comfy boots) because all my clothes are dirty. I had to help Alex do allllllll of his laundry because he's allergic to his laundry detergent, so we spent the entire day in the laundry room. Thrilling. But actually enjoyable in a weird way. It good to get everything clean.

MY NEIGHBORS FROM HOME WERE AT MY CHURCH IN FRONT OF ME TODAY.

This was a thousand coincidences -- no, a thousand miracles, actually, and it made my whole week. I started crying and we hugged a lot. It was good to have a little taste of home again.

My library is really, really pretty. I spend a lot of study time here because it just makes me feel ultra-studious. Today, though, I got to do an especially exciting assignment, because I wrote my first piece for my brand new, weekly column about women in the arts, Matrons of Art, that comes out either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week on the NYU arts blog called The Highlighter. I'll get you the link soon, but til then, look at the pretty column header I made!

So that's a really rough rundown of my first month. I know it's not exactly beautiful and poetic like you've come to expect from me, but for some reason when my life itself is beautiful and poetic it's hard to put it into beautiful and poetic words for some reason. Does that make any sense?

Guys, I need you to know another thing, though, too. This has been one of the hardest months of my entire life, and I know you don't see that in my pretty photos and happy writing, but I want you to know that there are still struggles and moments of doubt and I cry all the time. But I have the most amazing people who take care of me. My roommates are amazing. Alys. I need to specifically say that I  love her very desperately. Alex is amazing. Avery is amazing via telephone, like, every day. My family is amazing from 2,000 miles away.

But I need you to know another more important thing: I have never been more grateful for my anything in my whole life. I just can't get over the fact that my life is here now, and I have beautiful friends and my own weekly column and it's all just overwhelming and perfect and exciting and I eat a lot of sushi and read and write a lot and I love it here. I really, really love it here.

"And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes." -Kurt Vonnegut

Yours,

Addy Sue