Memory Lane

I sit here writing this on the Acela (the saving grace turned nightmare fast train of Amtrak) somewhere between Boston and NYC (we will call it no where USA). I am about to drop off my bags and begin my hunt for a NYC apartment and the one thing I have learned so far is that I need to give up my first born son in order to get one. But have no fear, or actually I have plenty, but I am supposed to be embarking on this odyssey of mine fully able to handle everything that is about to happen to me. Lets be serious, leaving home and going away to college is a joke. You aren’t ready to be thrown into the world and college turns out to be the social experience that will locate you in some position so you will be ready someday. Six years ago I left my house in Rhode Island to head to Boston for art school and now six years and six apartments later I am moving to NYC, a dream of many, to paint and become an artist, full time, a dream of mine.

Boston has been a great city to grow up in. It is incredibly intellectual, beautiful, growing, and fun. But it is also a city that now feels small to me. I would never choose any other direction then when I first chose to head to Boston for school. I have learned an incredible amount and I truly owe the city and the people that I have met along the way everything. They have made me who I am. I wouldn’t be sitting on this train about to be killing myself for an apartment in Manhattan without them. If I didn’t stand on a certain street corner waiting for a trick, I would have never met the one person who truly changed my life, Tom. I would have never met the second person who truly changed my life, Jerry, if I never met Tom either, though I only became incredible friends with him once Tom broke up with me, haha, but well... it was needed I guess. Continuing, I would have never met Matt, my best friend in college, who now recently moved to SanFran (via Miami and Tahoe) if I didn’t meet some random boy online in college. This random online gay boy who wanted to introduce me to his friends for unknown reasons. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? Well, it turns out I was still horrifyingly still in the closet and being seen with homo’s in the main cafeteria wasn’t near the top of my list of things to do. And so I met Matt (and Nick though he kinda fell on the wayside after college) who six years later is now just a phone call away. Somehow I fell into one of Boston’s biggest money making art galleries during my last year of art school and did that for three years, too long, but had a truly life changing moment. I proved that following my art dream is viable in the eyes of others. And even though I was greatly underpaid (especially with how much they made), I met my truly amazing boss Susan, my best girl friend Donna and Suzanne, and grew up. Three years later I followed Susan to her new gallery, which I just left to come to NYC. Donna is about to move to San Diego and Suzanne is more than likely going to get married. During the whole part time turned full time gigs in the galleries as an art handler, I always stayed in touch with painting. First forced by Tom to paint what I felt and then later encouraged by selling my first painting, I had three public shows to display my art. And a fourth in M2L Furniture Boston is about to be organized sometime in September.

Fast-forward 6 years and enter relationship with Tom part two, where I met Brian, who further changed my life. Brian, who I eventually hurt, showed me that there is a life out there without needing someone and without holding back who you are. No one has shown me that being who you are is one of the most essential things about life. Throw in an incredible friend who is always there for me, and a gym buddy that I am going to desperately miss. But without Tom and Jerry and on some level Brian I would have never gotten on a cruise ship that I was looking forward to for more than a year. After breakup part two (ha), getting on a gay cruise with your ex sounds like an abortion of incredible magnitude. As my therapist said (yes, therapy is awesome), going on that cruise would be like not knowing how to swim and being dropped from a helicopter without a life preserver into the middle of the Antarctic ocean. I nearly didn’t go but something in me, we will call it cosmic forces/fate/karma pushed me to become confident and get on the ship. Brasil, the ship and the one person ho created an earthquake in my life (in an awesome way) Marty changed my life. Without a question it is who I am now and why I am sitting on this train writing this.

So the blog is about to change, I guess. I am about to be yet another Manhattan or New York blogger though I don’t expect anything on the blog to specifically change. In the next month, I am going to be having to find an apartment, then pack up my old apartment, then move, and possibly wait for cable internet to be returned to me. I don’t deal well with that because the internet is like my heroin, lol. I don’t expect a shortage of blogging but I do expect my attention to be distracted for a little while. But then again, I might also take you on the journey. Stick around for the ride, it is about to rocket.

Comments

[anonymous]

That's an awesome post about all these great people and what they did for you. But surely it can't all have been a one way street. What did you give back? How did you help them? You wouldn't just suck up all that growth, money, and emotion and then just bail when the well is dry.

[Chad]

"just walk like it's for sale and the rent is due tomorrow" and you'll be fine!!! good luck.

[Y]

Live it! You're so my hero.

xx

[Tommy G]

Defy gravity, kid. I know you can fly. (and not just because I know you are a witch) :P

[dan]

dang man! can't wait to read aobut how it goes, art--- NYC--- etc.. all only dreams for this OKC boy. later.

[Groove]

Who isn't a transplant to NYC nowadays anyways? You'll blend along just fine. And sadly, there will be more Tom, Dick and more Dick to break you heart, so just be strong, I suppose. That's my two-cents. Otherwise, GOODLUCK babe! And when Avalon or Spirit is calling you ... go to Therapy instead. HAHAHA!