Positive People

Brittany: Do(h), Shannon: a, Brittany: deer, Shannon: a, B: female, S: deer, B: Re, S: a, B: drop, S: of, B: golden, S: suuuuun....this went on for the entire Sound of Music song. Two mornings ago, Brit just randomly sang "Dohhh" in the bathroom while getting ready, so from the other room I loudly responded "a," and from there- without a word of planning- we sang the whole song with each person singing every other word.  It evolved into a game of "try to make it sound as smooth as possible like there's only one person singing it"...but we didn't even say that out loud. It just happened. So there we were, Brit putting on make up in the bathroom while I'm making my lunch in the kitchen, performing some warped version of "Do-Re-Mi" at 8:30am. I think we're kindred spirits. Bet you wish you could've seen that.

Josh and me after dinner

These past two evenings have been fantastic. As mentioned in the last post, I saw Harry Potter 7: Part II for the second time two nights ago...ideal activity for a Tuesday night, in my opinion. Then last night, I went straight from work to meet up with an old friend from high school for rooftop Chardonnay and dinner at a trendy little restaurant. Josh is one of those guys you have to respect simply because of his unwavering confidence in his uniqueness. He was the only openly gay student in my high school, so you can imagine some of the bullying he took. At the same time, though, he stood up against it all and made a point of letting people know he wouldn't change his sassy attitude. These days, he's working for GILT.com- a successful designer flash sale website- and just loving life. He's such an open book, digging deep with everyone he meets so that he can better understand their perspectives. I love how he looks for admirable traits in other people and takes a genuine interest alternative ideas. I'm all about surrounding myself with people who have positive energy that will rub off on me...he definitely falls into that category :)

We also had the pleasure of hanging out with his neighbor on the rooftop before heading to dinner. She is a high school teacher at one of the most at-risk schools in Brooklyn. Her head is shaved except for a red mohawk and she wore dangly feather earrings with an oversized white t-shirt and black skinny jeans. Coming from straight-edge Virginia Beach, you can imagine my surprise when she said she was a high school English teacher. After 20 minutes of talking to her, I knew she was the kind of woman who is a true gift to this world. In that kind of educational environment, she has seen the worst of things: gang violence, students calling her a b****, and all around disrespect in the classroom. She explained that some days are better than others in terms of behavior, but it takes a strong woman to not be shaken by the aggression she's occasionally experienced. We're talking about kids from the projects, the streets, foster homes, etc. Her ability to recognize that none of the outlash she receives is personal, rather a reflection of their lives outside of school, has allowed her to help these teenagers in ways only a trusted teacher can. She's learned that only the students who meet her halfway are capable of accepting help, but in her daily office hours after school, unlikely students have come to her for direction. Transferring from a more up-scale school in Manhattan, she wasn't afraid of the challenge to be a positive resource to these struggling students in a less fortunate area of Brooklyn. I felt like I was talking to Hilary Swank in that movie Freedom Writers. Positivity just flowed out of her.

After watching the sun set on the roof, Josh and I headed to Williamsburg for dinner. The wine went right through me, so I reallyyyy had to go by the time we arrived. As Josh got the table, I rushed down the stairs through this strange curved opening in the pastel-colored wall that looked more like something from the set of Blues Clues rather than a real-life entrance to a bathroom. The line was just too much for me to handle, so I decided to use the mens room. They were single room bathrooms, so I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Besides, there were no men in sight and whoever was in the girls room was taking long enough that I had no desire to go in there afterwards. I tried to get out as fast as possible, but of course a good looking guy was waiting when I came out. CAUGHT. I kind of paused, laughed, mumbled "uh...sorry...," and bolted up the stairs with my giant bag holding my computer and work stuff still in tow. The new girl who had joined the line to the ladies room stared at me like I was green and had three eyes. I don't regret my choice.

Dinner was splendid: oysters in a sea urchin butter (whatever that is...), grilled portabella sandwich with avocados and brie cheese, and shoestring fries. Yummmmm. I rarely let myself go out to dinner up here, so I was in heaven. Don't get me wrong, I love my Velveeta mac/Honey Bunches of Oats, but this was a welcome change of scenery for my little taste buds.

Since I'm off work today, I'm going to invest in food that will actually satisfy me. Perhaps some real chicken breasts and fresh veggies...yes, I think so. A walk through the park may also be in store. We'll see. Tonight, Brit and I are going to a rooftop party (rooftops are super popular in NYC...so much fun) at her old friend's house. I can't wait to meet more new people!