Tomorrow, Brooklyn
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© Greg Wasserstrom
Hello New Yorkers, tomorrow I’ll finally be one you. I’ve been yearning to live in New York since I was about 14 years now It’s finally time, though it’s true that I don’t have a job or an apartment lined up, I’m going more or less blind. I do have a place to stay for a little while thanks to my friend Emily who is so graciously allowing me to stay at her apartment to feed her cat. It’s funny; thanks to this little publication right here there’s a long list of people I’m looking forward to hanging out with that I’ve never met or met only briefly - people I’m as excited to see as I would be family members I’ve been away from for a long time. I’m resisting the temptation to list everyone because that’s tactless and sort of bizarre, but I think a lot of you reading this can expect a phone call in the next week or two. I just have to overcome one minor setback, which is that I dropped my cell phone in a puddle a couple hours ago and it’s most certainly not working any more.
I’ll also say that in light of having spent the last two weeks doing all kinds of end-of-college bullshit, I haven’t been able to get as far along on my current project, The Honorable Parts, as I’d hoped. My negatives, along with everything else I own, besides the few things I have with me while I’m here in Houston, are in a storage unit on New York Ave. in Washington and will remain there until I have a place to live, which is as of now an indeterminable length of time. I have been quite happy with what I’ve looked at and have a few images that might end up as part of the book in my flickr stream. I’m looking forward to pulling more from the pages and pages of negatives I got back last week, but too late to avoid having to pack them away.
Also, I used some of my graduation money to finally replace the light meter that was stolen a year ago, though I’ll say I have greatly improved my exposure guessing abilities - it’s like I am a fucking light meter. But the spot meter I picked up is a great one. It’s about 30 years old and shaped sort of like a laser gun. I was looking through it in the parking lot of the hospital where my mother works on Friday, and a security a guard came over to the car to ask me what I was doing, probably thinking I’m some kind of terrorist. Nonetheless, I feel ready for anything.
Not really noteworthy but I’ll tell you anyway: I was at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston the other day and came across a copy of Niagara in their bookstore. What’s the deal, Alec? Is this thing out of print or not? I spent like two months (here, here and here) trying to track down a copy, and then I come across one in my own backyard. Anyway, I bought it sort of on principle so, fine, now I have two. I’m pretty much like one of those crazy people who compulsively buy Catcher in the Rye whenever they’re in a bookstore. I own several copies of the entire Hitchhikers Guide series for the same reason that reason being that I guess I’m a little unhinged. I shared my story with the cashier at the museum store and she did not care.
You may also have noticed by now that I can’t spell to save my life. I like to think that it’s part of my charm. And I promise my next post will be something substantive, maybe even something about photography.
So here we go, the biggest adventure of my life.
August 20th, 2007 at 9:33 am
The anti-spam word that came up is “soth”. Does it draw from your post or is he just popping up everywhere?
Anyway, I can’t believe I just left and you’re now arriving. Bad timing on our parts - we’ll have to visit one another, though. Hope finding a place goes well!
August 20th, 2007 at 9:38 am
haha it pulls from a list i set up when i installed it. they’re all photo-related. bad timing indeed! hope i see you soon!
August 20th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Half the fun of traveling is imagining yourself living there. If you know where you want to be and your not there then you can’t really be present for those experiences right in front of you. I’ve spent a lot of trips glued to pay phones because I was wrapped up in people and places that weren’t part of the string of things that were supposed to be interesting in my guidebook.
What you have on deck in NY is going to be really, really fun and I don’t think you should go into anything with a torn heart. You have always wanted this change and it’s going to be great.
August 20th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
be careful with that light meter now.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:08 am
Welcome to the big wonderful, enervating, overwhelming, stimulating, stinky apple! I remember moving here from DC almost 10 years ago. It’s thrilling and terrifying. You’re aware that anyone interesting in DC fantasizes about actually moving here and not just visiting. And you’ve done it.
Big step. Congratulations. Now comes the hard part.
August 27th, 2007 at 3:17 am
Welcome to New York! I have a feeling that I will see you around a lot!