Free Movie Screenings
Living Room Lounge, 245 23rd Street, at 5th Avenue, South Park Slope, Brooklyn.
5pm FREE on Tuesdays
myspace.com/livingroombrooklyn
Keep searching for the resources to help you…to excite you…to give you a little fun in your life
RG
Mmm…bad news is all around. The thing that comes to my mind is KISS-Keep it Simple Stupid. What does that mean to me right now? Be thankful for the place you live, the food you have to eat and the work you have to do. Focus on the simple every day needs that are being met. My grandparents are 86 and 92, they are still alive. They survived the depression. That is good to know, we can look to the fact if there are people who made it back then, we can make it today. I will try to take my own advice that I give to you. If you run into me and I start to complain, feel free to remind me of this post.
KISS, KISS
RG
Shubert’s Alley was full of charisma today as everyone was out on the street selling Broadway Memorabilia to raise money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. There were posters, cds, props from the shows-all on sale to raise money for AIDS awareness. The funniest thing I saw was the anatomically correct green baby from the show Wicked. It really really looked real, I am not kidding! I couldn’t take a picture because it costs 5 bucks to take a picture with her/him/it, (sex was not identified).
Then it was a long stroll up 8th avenue amidst the street fair (New York has street fairs until the weather will permit them), where I resisted the 1,234 stands of the pasmina scarfs. From what I can see the bag and the scarf are really the “must-have” of fashion accessories this year. With my bank account, I don’t have a fashion “must-have”, I have a “do what you can with what you can” fashion mantra at the moment (Have you seen the news??).
My pleasant walk, complete with my 1 buck lemonade (who can resist the signorita hawking the sweet lemonade), lead me to Literary/Poet’s Walk in Central Park for www.newyorkisbookcountry.com. I met one of my book heros Rudy Shur. He wrote How to Publish Your Non-Fiction Book. I was overjoyed to meet someone that was so instrumental in my journey with my book.
Walking along I saw quite a few inspirational books. One woman was born without part of her arm and she wrote a series of books to help people understand what real beauty and value is. Check out www.visionworksonline.net. She is a beautiful soul who has 7 children and has not allowed a glitch in her body to stop her amazing optimism.
Oh and in all of these places there were promotional models. I wasn’t working today but greeted my promo models along the way. It was good to see all of you! What a great day to give out free Ghirandelli chocolate, but then when isn’t it good to get free chocolate.
After chatting with a friend and making sure that I left my promotional postcard for my book with all the people that need to know about it, I made my way to my next stop The ShowBiz Expo. Which was totally, 100% free, if you registered before 6pm yesterday. Going from booth to booth I saw faces I knew and others that I didn’t. Gently pushing my book, I did, as well as taking information that I need. I am looking to do 5 higher quality videos to help you guys, with someone other than my well-meaning boyfriend (He has taken many of the videos but he is not always here to do so). Look out for those!
Then one last stop, my local watering house (I don’t drink but am very social), for an espresso to keep me going for the rest of the night; because in NYC the work is never done and I am about to start my “homework” that I have to do for the jobs that I am doing this week.
In a New York Minute…
RG
Okay so I set aside all the fun in the world to attend to my adult activities i.e. cleaning, paying bills and so on. There is nothing to say about it, other than it is a soul sucking activity, but it must be done. I will stay awake and pursue responsibility until my comfy twin bed begs me to jump in it.
RG
The Resource Girl took a break to enjoy the company of her boyfriend (yes the Italian, same one, if anyone is paying attention as I try to keep this blog about helping you not talking so much about me) and I have to say while doing that I discovered two really cool things to do in NYC.
First of all if you are here and ask people where Staten Island is, they might be able to tell you but I bet most of them have never been to the island. It is to be discovered. There is only one train line but while you are on the island it is free to get on and off, you only pay the regular metro fare when you get back on the ferry to go back to Manhattan. (To get to Staten Island take the 1 train to South Ferry and get out and ask for the directions to the boat, very near by)
We got on the Staten Island subway and we went to Greater Kills Recreation Park. You can walk for several miles and you will reach a harbor full of sail boats. It was extremely peaceful and the coolest thing is that I felt completely safe. I felt like I had completely left a city and had landed somewhere else.
Another great thing we discovered is that the Hudson River waterway bike path goes all the way up to the 200’s (there are a few detours where you need to go away from the water for several blocks, but you will get back to the water). We packed a picnic lunch and started at 51st and spent the day riding along the water. You can rent a bike for 5-7 dollars an hour, depending on the store you find on 9th Ave. Even though we brought our lunch we could not resist buying mangos with hot sauce from a lovely mexican girl. There was a whole community that we found eating tacos, tortillas, playing soccer and having birthday parties. No one spoke English and once again we felt we had left the city and arrived somewhere else, in this case, I felt like we were in “Little Mexico/Peru/Ecquador”. Oh the beauty of diversity in the city.
RG
Okay I know Art is very important for a full and vibrant life but in these difficult economic times, so is food.
Saturday September 27th 11am to 6pm is the grand opening of the Museum of Arts and Design. There will be free food. Yippeee, I am so there.
2 Columbus Circle
See you there,
RG
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, Let us strive to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan-to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”
Wishing peace to all and whoever wins this next election I pray that they can do what is needed for this world.
RG
Thinking about writing a book? This Sunday New York is Book Country will be held in Central Park at literary/poet’s walk. Hope to see you there. Yes I will be attending. Friday and Saturday night I will be home working on all those “dag-nabit” details of life but on Sunday I will take my book and saunter (hah! briskly walk) right over to do some very important networking for the next book.
RG
Sometimes you have to set something aside so you do exactly what you need to do. This weekend I would love to go out and see friends. This weekend I would love to enjoy the beautiful New York weather, but this weekend the most important thing is that I take responsibility for everything that is mine i.e. my mistakes, my money, my house, my health, my life. Sometimes it is hard to set aside things that provide instant positive gratification-to focus on those things that are not-as fun or positive, but very important for a healthy, productive life. So this weekend, I set aside fun and freedom to do what I really need to do.
RG
“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. For life is more than food and the body for clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap and they have no storeroom or barn; and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life span? If then you cannot do even a little thing, why are your anxious about other matters.” Jesus from Luke 12
Today the economy is suffering in a way that most of us (the Americans that I know) have not ever seen. My grandfather is 92 years old and he lived through the depression which gives me hope that we can live through this as well. Many artists may not be directly hit as hard, as so many do not have investments, as people who work in offices. However many times when times are rough those bigger spenders will cut back on items that will not be seen as “necessary”.
Just recently I went to the movies on a Saturday night and it was empty. That is one way people can cut their spending. Another might be that they go to a free gallery viewing of paintings but they might be less likely to buy one.
Take heart, there will always be places to be a waiter, there will always be places to serve others. As long as an artist remembers this, there will always be work for us to make money and therefore we can continue to create. So many times our art does not bring in the money we would like, but most artists understand the importance of creation that goes far beyond the concept of the bottom line.
At this difficult economic time remember when prices are down on stocks that you know will one day go up, it is actually a good time to buy. Seek out a good financial planner and talk about some of the stocks today that are having problems, but are sure to go up, and try your hand at investing. Just think how great you feel when you buy a prada skirt at a consignment shop for 100, when someone else paid 800 for it and when you wear it, your “value” goes up, even though you got it for a low price. In investing, buying low, means the only thing that can happen is it can go up (I am referring to things that will always make money-like toilet paper. No I don’t know if there is toilet paper mutual fund, but hopefully you get my point).
So I hope that today you will think about the gift of health. Because if you have that gift right now, you can always make more money. If you are willing to serve another person on this earth, you can always make money. If you are willing to part with your possessions, you can make money. If you are willing to find a way, you can always make money. So even in this very difficult economic time, take heart, there is a way. I, myself, am doing just that.
