Today I went to a friend’s East Village apartment for brunch. Get this – I did not have ONE Mimosa. Or Bloody Mary. Are drinks capitalized? Like states? but not languages? I’m not googling it. I’m leaving it. Anyway, I did not have any alcohol – and this was by design. It was a catered brunch with french toast and little bacon quichelettes and oysters and plenty of booze. I have to say that I find brunch drinks particularly tempting. So I felt I had to talk myself up before hand. Anne, you want to go to this brunch. You want to see old friends and meet some new people, and generally socialize. But you also want to come back and do some drawing and some painting and you PROMISED yourself you’d write for this blog idea that will REMAIN an idea until you actually DO IT.
As an aside, a woman at brunch today told me not to be so old fashioned when I remarked that though it all starts in your head, it has to end in action. I really enjoyed that one (stone cold sober!) Oh ‘Action’. That’s sooooooo 80’s. or 90’s. Or last week. Or whatever. So stuffy. So stuck in the mud. Come on LIVE A LITTLE! Keep it all in your HEAD! Whatever you do don’t take Action. You’ll look like a TOURIST!!!
So this brunch was thrown by my friend M. for the 6 month anniversary of her accident. One day she woke up in the hospital. The last thing she remembered was being on a Citi Bike. Which she had apparently returned before she was found unconscious on the sidewalk with a broken leg. She still doesn’t know what happened. Maybe only one person does. During the brunch she thanked everybody there for having done something for her while her Humpty Dumpty got put back together again. (Note to self – This sounds like a great hip hop line if you ever write a rap song. ) Some of us had apparently protested that we had done almost nothing. I myself merely stopped by one day to visit and keep her company for an hour. But she said that every little piece from every person ‘filled it all up.’ I’m going to remember that next time I wonder if it’s worth doing that ‘little bit’.
When I came back home, my roommate R. – a young (well young to a 46 year old) Canadian man of Lebanese descent (and a lovely roommate) was hosting his birthday party, which was in full swing. A whole new host of alcoholic beverages to avoid! Fortunately, I find evening beer and wine and a crowd of 20 somethings happily shouting at each other easier to resist. But I mention this because to me, NYC seems to be a constant tug of war between socializing (and therefore drinking) and trying to actually have a rich solo life as well. Yes and as I’m writing this, a little ad has popped up coyly in the margin to encourage me to go on a “Boozy Tour of Brooklyn’s Best Cocktail Bars”. I’m not sure by what agency – Google, Facebook, my Mac (Et Tu Mac?). Possibly it was the Devil. That would be less disturbing.
Anyway, the point is: I’m Anne. I’m in New York. I’m 46 years old. I’m single. I’m trying to find happiness. And be happy at the same time. I think I’m getting somewhere. And I know I’ve been somewhere. And I think it will all work better if I relay it to you. I feel you’ll understand. And when I figure it all out – or just bits of it, I’ll let you know how I did it so you can try it too. So today’s experiment I believe can be chalked up as a SUCCESS. How did I get there? I said I wouldn’t have a mimosa at the brunch. I went to the brunch. I did not have a mimosa. IT WORKED!!!! WOOHOO!!! Try it – it might work for you too! If it doesn’t, don’t blame me. Just try something else — and tell me if it worked. I like to have a variety of strategies…
Boozy NYC Birthday – Lebanese style!