My day began with a series of phone calls that would give me a taste of how quickly things change out here. The first call I received was from my filmmaker friend Megan who hooked me up with tickets to see Banda AfroReggae at Carnegie Hall. The show was just incredible! These guys fuse some many genres from Reggae, to Drum & Bass, to salsa, you name it I heard it. And the show itself had all the theatrics of any good Broadway show. Broadway as in New York not San Francisco. I met the guys after the show and they're super super cool. Oh I forgot to mention that I also met the legendary Fab 5 Freddy! Not bad for a night on the town in New York huh?

 

So the next call I received was in relation to a studio I inquired about in Clinton Hill. I went by and checked it out. The landlord was so kind and understanding about my situation. One of the major challenges I have to deal with is not having a job right now. I told her I was willing to pay rent in advance for april may & june, plus the deposit, just to give myself enough time to get settled, and find some source of income. Bottom line, she said the place is mine and I am meeting with her on Friday to sign the lease.

 

Incredible! That's all I can say.  

 

So I'm conflicted about why there is still something that makes me feel like I need to check out the apartment one more time before I agree to it. It's difficult to decide because of my need for a place immediately and not having multiple places that I've checked to compare it too. I've been wrestling all day with this. God knows Terra is probably sick of hearing me talk about! Well, I think I'm gonna check it out one more time before signing the lease. It's a year lease and my main concern is having enough space in the apartment to not feel cramped. Not much more I could do to change the outcome today so I went to the Stinger Club and Checked out an Emcee showcase.

 

Every Thursday, there is an open mic where anyone can get up there and show their skills. Most of the emcees brought their originally produced tracks to flow over. I ain't talking some, poor sounding, crappy non-mastered, below the basement stuff, I'm talking, fully mastered complete with backgrounds, echoes, breakdowns, the whole nine. I was extremley impressed and it made me think about doing more underground hip hop shows. Same story; so much talent, so little resources. That's their reality in this system we call "freedom" in America.

 

 

After taking another lookout at this studio, I decided not to sign the lease. This decision goes against all logic, but I've been going on feeling this far, why stop now.

 

So why not this place? It was just too small. The stuff that I have with me would fit, but as you know over the course of time, items are accumulated and I would have no place to put them. Gosh, the charm of the place, the neighborhood and subway vicinity made this place super desirable, but something told me to keep looking. Who knows, if I'll regret this decision, but I have to trust my gut instincts and that's would have done. But, I couldn't have made this decision without hours and hours of counseling from Terra! That coupled with Earl(from New Orleans) taking the time to go to the place with me and give me his honest opinion. Thank you both!!! And thank you to Lauren for the positive apartment Karma & apartment leads, Earl( from NY) for knowledge & support, Jeff for the lead on his crib, Nerissa for positive reinforcement, Gary for the low-down on the neighborhood and everyone just emailing me letting me know you're out there. I love you guys and I apologize if I left someone out.

 

Well, the quest continues bright and early tomorrow morning.

 

 

In the mist of all of this relocating to New York stuff, I completely forgot about the start of the NBA Playoffs! Not that I have to tell you that the Lakers are gonna win right? Probably gonna get hurt out here for saying it, but I gotta  "pop my colla" one time for cali! The Knicks are playing the Nets out here & it's being dubbed the "Lincoln Tunnel" series. It should be called the "We're not gonna win the title anyway" series. I talk big stuff in my room on the net, but kinda quiet on the streets of NY.

 

So I kicked up my feet and watched some games and regrouped mentally for the week ahead. This place seriously drains my energy fast. My futile attempts at putting up my energy shields fail because of variables such as the constant sound of car horns, the overemphasis on $$$$$$, the sky is falling sports talk radio and paying for another night at this hotel. I must be a shareholder in this place by now! No worries, I will survive( as in Andy Kaufman not Gloria Gaynor)!

 

   

 

I'm not gonna sit here and lie that it hasn't crossed my mind about packing up the jeep and getting back on I-80 West. In fact, today I've been thinking about it a lot. Does that mean that it will happen? Hopefully not, but I refuse to be homeless or to stay in some dump for a year, just to say that I found a place. So where does that leave me? Right now, it means that I've gone from the Golden State to the Garden State. Staying in Jersey isn't as sexy as living in the city, but I gotta start somewhere. Believe, my hotel room is a lot better then some of the places I've seen, hence the problem. It's expensive though! So maybe a new strategy is in order.

 

I was hoping to take a few months off and just focus on art, but I might have to find a steady stream of income in the hopes of maintaining a nice place to live. Having a safe, quiet crib to crash in away from the hectic pace of New York is as essential to my peace of mind as H20 is to the human body. The life of an empath is not easy.

 

Got a couple prospects tomorrow, one of them is $1000 a month. It's more then I wanted to pay, but if it's worth it, I'll do what I gotta do to make it work. Cause there's 8 million other folk out here doing it why not me?      

 

 

 

I saw this apartment today and the layout is fabulous!! Compared to what I've seen so far, this place is a mansion. I want it! To make it work, I have to sacrifice certain elements in my plan, namely getting a job immediately.

 

The plan was to wallow in the bliss of unemployment and take advantage of having time to create for a couple of months. I like this space so much that I'm willing to accelerate my work timetable to make it work. Drawback; I don't want to be working so much that I don't have time to create and grow. Sleep is on the cutting room table. It's overrated anyway right? Besides, who sleeps in New York anyway?

 

Well, gonna sleep on the decision tonight and I'll have an answer very soon..... 

 

 

 

On the apartment that I loved so much yesterday, I turned it down. I called Gary who is a native New Yorker and told him where it was located & he advised me not to sign the lease. In his words, "It's better to have an ok place in a good neighborhood then to have a great place in a bad neighborhood". I agree 1000%. It was so nice though! I was feeling a bit discouraged, so what better way to cheer up then to go to a High Times party!

 

So how in the world did I get invited to this party? Well, a couple days into the roadtrip, my friend & co-worker Angela  from Link Tv, sent out an email introducing me to some friends that she knows in the New York Area. From this group, Lauren reached out to me and shared her experience of leaving the bay area and relocating to the big apple. I can't tell you how much I appreciated this because some days driving in the middle of nowhere, I started to question my sanity.

 

Lauren told me that she writes for High Times and invited me to the issue release party, which took place tonight. We met face to face for the first time and it was wonderful! I was introduced to Dave, Shelly & Jerry among others and they all reassured me that what I was going through is a rite of passage for everyone who comes to New York. What a relief!

 

Before leaving, I was staring out the window overlooking Manhattan thinking, "I can not believe that I am in New York!" Unreal!

 

My energy reserves are full again & I'm sure there will be many other good people I will cross paths with!