TODAY IS MY MOMMA'S BIRTHDAY! i love you so much, and I can't wait to give you a giant birthday/i've missed you/love-filled bear hug :)
it's been much too long since i've written anything, and to tell you the truth, i don't even have time to be writing this. instead, i'm going to give you a little snippet of something i've done recently :)
finals are this week, and i'm flying home on thursday, and after that i'll be able to breathe again. i apologize for my lack of writing... a girl can only do so much!
this is one of three songs i sang for a benefit this past weekend that one of my friends in boston coordinated. enjoy!
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
200 Greenwich Street
Being in New York on September 11, I figured it would only be appropriate to go down to Ground Zero, look around, pay my respects... Never in my life have I been more emotionally stirred. I've always had an affinity for firemen; I find them to be among the most admirable, phenomenal people on this planet. It's making me choked up just thinking about it!
The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous, with plenty of sun, little humidity, a slight breeze.. yesterday, however, was dreadful. As cliche as it sounds, I declared that New York was crying yesterday. The entire city felt tranquil, especially near the site, and the second I walked up out of the subway, my emotions were on high sensitivity mode. I walked along the entire outline of the site, giving and receiving sad smiles and hellos, observing the hundreds of different colored roses and notes and letters that had been stuck through the fence, until I finally made it around to the WTC Visitor's Center. 
It had closed already, but right next door was a firehouse, which looked like it was only for viewing purposes, but it could have been active.. I'm not so sure. There were a couple engines in there, a whole bunch of quite attractive firemen (especially one named "Burns", which may or may not be ironic.. I liked him though :) hehe) They were posing for pictures, standing in front of a gorgeous motorcycle with 9/11 insignia on the sides. 
Down the side of this building, there is a giant memorial plaque which read "DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO FELL AND THOSE WHO CARRY ON... WE WILL NEVER FORGET" At this point, my eyes had been filled with tears for a good ten minutes; as I was observing this wall, though, someone yelled, "Make way! Make way!" It ended up being a captain who was trying to clear a path for the changing of the guards at this wall. As the three men slowly marched past me, I completely lost all control. The tears that had been resting in my eyes began spilling out, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. 
These men, so regal and noble, had witnessed such an enormous tragedy, lost friends, comrades, and willingly worked themselves past exhaustion in order to find hope in the most heartbreaking event of their lives. And here they were, still standing, right in front of me, on the eighth anniversary of that horrible Tuesday morning.
After attempting to compose myself, and realizing that this was the one day that I decided to wear regular mascara, as opposed to the waterproof that usually coats my lashes, I wandered around for a while longer. On the opposite side of the street that the plaque was on, there was a giant poster that had the name of every person who had been killed written on it. People were able to write on it, so I spent quite a while reading the different tributes and messages that people had left. One fireman walked up to the wall with a friend and pointed to a picture of a beautiful young woman, told this man that she was his daughter, and explained to him her story. It was so heart-rending! Just as I was about to leave, two things happened: First, I caught sight of the previously mentioned attractive fireman named Burns, so I casually ventured over to where he was. As I was venturing, I noticed a bunch of men with bagpipes start to congregate in the street and start warming up. Score! I had to stay for that, obviously.
They warmed up for a good half-hour or so, and I am so thankful that I stayed. They played a few songs, many of which I didn't recognize as anything in particular, but the follow two videos were just amazing to witness.
I wasn't able to get a video of this final ceremonial event, but after the men played, they all broke out into this pub-like chant, apparently titled "The Wild Rover (No Nay Never)" which then made me cry happy tears, just in admiration at the camaraderie that these men share. As they were singing, a few older firemen came up alongside, drinking beer, singing along, and they threw their arms over my shoulders and forced me to kind of sway along to the music. After the song was over, all twenty or so of them wanted to get their picture taken, so I became the official photographer for one of the Harlem firestations. Yes please!
After taking a couple of their pictures, it was necessary that I get in the pictures too, apparently, so there are a couple with me in middle of them. We all introduced ourselves, chatted for a while, and they LOVED me! I'm not saying that in an arrogant way either, I'm serious. To every person who walked up, they'd yell, "HEY! Did you meet Ashley yet? She's Irish! She's new to New York!" They were all so friendly and nice, and they were appalled that I was down there alone. "You are NOT spending September 11 on your own. You're coming with us!" they said to me, so before I knew it, I was walking arm in arm with another very cute fireman named Noah, directly into a "pissing rain" on our way to catch a cab to go bar-hopping in Alphabet City, Little Italy, and Chinatown. So there I was, laying across the laps of three huge New York firefighters in the back of a cab, exchanging "Where were you when the Towers were hit?" stories.. It was unreal. Their stories were like something you would expect to read in a memoir, and it completely overwhelmed me to be in the company of these brave, noble men who were literally right there when everything happened. We ended up at some random tenement in Chinatown first, 
and as these guys were guiding me up this sketchy staircase, I wondered if my attempt at being spontaneous had backfired, and I was about to be murdered; however, as we walked through the front door of this apartment, my brief worries completely disappeared. Here we were in the home of these two people who throw a private party every year for any and all firefighters and their friends. Let me tell you, this was a complete insider, invitation only, private party. SO AWESOME! We all just hung out, swapped stories, drank, played pool, ate food... It was unbelievable. I still can't believe it happened. 
I ended up chatting with a couple of Navy boys for a while, all of whom were Southern, 22 years old, married, with children already. One of them told me that it was his dream to come to New York and recreate the classic Times Square kiss from World War Two, so I gladly volunteered to fulfill that wish :) 
Why not, right? I ended up getting home around 2 AM, pinching myself the entire way to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I still cannot believe I spent September 11 with hundreds of New York firefighters.. That's a dream come true, not just for me but for anyone, I would imagine! It was amazing.
The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous, with plenty of sun, little humidity, a slight breeze.. yesterday, however, was dreadful. As cliche as it sounds, I declared that New York was crying yesterday. The entire city felt tranquil, especially near the site, and the second I walked up out of the subway, my emotions were on high sensitivity mode. I walked along the entire outline of the site, giving and receiving sad smiles and hellos, observing the hundreds of different colored roses and notes and letters that had been stuck through the fence, until I finally made it around to the WTC Visitor's Center. 
It had closed already, but right next door was a firehouse, which looked like it was only for viewing purposes, but it could have been active.. I'm not so sure. There were a couple engines in there, a whole bunch of quite attractive firemen (especially one named "Burns", which may or may not be ironic.. I liked him though :) hehe) They were posing for pictures, standing in front of a gorgeous motorcycle with 9/11 insignia on the sides. 
Down the side of this building, there is a giant memorial plaque which read "DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO FELL AND THOSE WHO CARRY ON... WE WILL NEVER FORGET" At this point, my eyes had been filled with tears for a good ten minutes; as I was observing this wall, though, someone yelled, "Make way! Make way!" It ended up being a captain who was trying to clear a path for the changing of the guards at this wall. As the three men slowly marched past me, I completely lost all control. The tears that had been resting in my eyes began spilling out, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. 
These men, so regal and noble, had witnessed such an enormous tragedy, lost friends, comrades, and willingly worked themselves past exhaustion in order to find hope in the most heartbreaking event of their lives. And here they were, still standing, right in front of me, on the eighth anniversary of that horrible Tuesday morning.
After attempting to compose myself, and realizing that this was the one day that I decided to wear regular mascara, as opposed to the waterproof that usually coats my lashes, I wandered around for a while longer. On the opposite side of the street that the plaque was on, there was a giant poster that had the name of every person who had been killed written on it. People were able to write on it, so I spent quite a while reading the different tributes and messages that people had left. One fireman walked up to the wall with a friend and pointed to a picture of a beautiful young woman, told this man that she was his daughter, and explained to him her story. It was so heart-rending! Just as I was about to leave, two things happened: First, I caught sight of the previously mentioned attractive fireman named Burns, so I casually ventured over to where he was. As I was venturing, I noticed a bunch of men with bagpipes start to congregate in the street and start warming up. Score! I had to stay for that, obviously.
They warmed up for a good half-hour or so, and I am so thankful that I stayed. They played a few songs, many of which I didn't recognize as anything in particular, but the follow two videos were just amazing to witness. I wasn't able to get a video of this final ceremonial event, but after the men played, they all broke out into this pub-like chant, apparently titled "The Wild Rover (No Nay Never)" which then made me cry happy tears, just in admiration at the camaraderie that these men share. As they were singing, a few older firemen came up alongside, drinking beer, singing along, and they threw their arms over my shoulders and forced me to kind of sway along to the music. After the song was over, all twenty or so of them wanted to get their picture taken, so I became the official photographer for one of the Harlem firestations. Yes please!
After taking a couple of their pictures, it was necessary that I get in the pictures too, apparently, so there are a couple with me in middle of them. We all introduced ourselves, chatted for a while, and they LOVED me! I'm not saying that in an arrogant way either, I'm serious. To every person who walked up, they'd yell, "HEY! Did you meet Ashley yet? She's Irish! She's new to New York!" They were all so friendly and nice, and they were appalled that I was down there alone. "You are NOT spending September 11 on your own. You're coming with us!" they said to me, so before I knew it, I was walking arm in arm with another very cute fireman named Noah, directly into a "pissing rain" on our way to catch a cab to go bar-hopping in Alphabet City, Little Italy, and Chinatown. So there I was, laying across the laps of three huge New York firefighters in the back of a cab, exchanging "Where were you when the Towers were hit?" stories.. It was unreal. Their stories were like something you would expect to read in a memoir, and it completely overwhelmed me to be in the company of these brave, noble men who were literally right there when everything happened. We ended up at some random tenement in Chinatown first, 
and as these guys were guiding me up this sketchy staircase, I wondered if my attempt at being spontaneous had backfired, and I was about to be murdered; however, as we walked through the front door of this apartment, my brief worries completely disappeared. Here we were in the home of these two people who throw a private party every year for any and all firefighters and their friends. Let me tell you, this was a complete insider, invitation only, private party. SO AWESOME! We all just hung out, swapped stories, drank, played pool, ate food... It was unbelievable. I still can't believe it happened. 
I ended up chatting with a couple of Navy boys for a while, all of whom were Southern, 22 years old, married, with children already. One of them told me that it was his dream to come to New York and recreate the classic Times Square kiss from World War Two, so I gladly volunteered to fulfill that wish :) 
Why not, right? I ended up getting home around 2 AM, pinching myself the entire way to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I still cannot believe I spent September 11 with hundreds of New York firefighters.. That's a dream come true, not just for me but for anyone, I would imagine! It was amazing.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
woebegone.
I have read two books, watched seven movies, and walked countless blocks in the past two weeks, alone mind you, and now all I want is some company. I'm sick of this!
I realized last night that while independence is wonderful and quite necessary, it is much different than being lonely. Independence is within us, a trait if you will. Loneliness is a condition, usually temporary, and it is a burden on our esteem, mood, and being. Going out all day and knowing that the home I am about to return to is empty hits a very sad chord in my body. Perhaps if school had started already and I had company throughout the day, this wouldn't be so bad, but I really don't like it. It's heartwarming to be able to walk through the front door, anticipating a smiling face, having a intelligent conversation, sharing dinner with someone, and just enjoying someone else's company. Having another presence in the home is unbelievably comforting, something I would have never known had these past few weeks not occurred.
Perhaps this has been a learning experience for me, but I forevermore take back every conversation I had where I mentioned that I would love to live alone someday. I didn't know what I was talking about!
Love you and miss you all. Gimme a call if you read this.. I would love to talk :)
I realized last night that while independence is wonderful and quite necessary, it is much different than being lonely. Independence is within us, a trait if you will. Loneliness is a condition, usually temporary, and it is a burden on our esteem, mood, and being. Going out all day and knowing that the home I am about to return to is empty hits a very sad chord in my body. Perhaps if school had started already and I had company throughout the day, this wouldn't be so bad, but I really don't like it. It's heartwarming to be able to walk through the front door, anticipating a smiling face, having a intelligent conversation, sharing dinner with someone, and just enjoying someone else's company. Having another presence in the home is unbelievably comforting, something I would have never known had these past few weeks not occurred.
Perhaps this has been a learning experience for me, but I forevermore take back every conversation I had where I mentioned that I would love to live alone someday. I didn't know what I was talking about!
Love you and miss you all. Gimme a call if you read this.. I would love to talk :)
Saturday, August 15, 2009
why i love new york, parts two and three and four.
the second reason i love new york is because the subway runs 'round the clock. PLUS, i can take five different trains home - not just one! so when i got home around 1:30 AM after a fabulous dinner in little italy the other night, i didn't have to worry about not being able to get back to brooklyn, or cutting the night short because i had to make the last train. SO cool.
the third reason i love new york is because of all of the lights. this city is so alive.. i walked through times square the other evening well after midnight, and from my streetview, it could have been seven o'clock in the evening, it was so bright! not only that, but there were still bunches and bunches of people walking around, dodging and weaving through the crowd. "the city that never sleeps..."
the fourth reason i love new york is because of its majesty. from the countless number of songs written about this glorious city, to the dreams of young stage actors singing on broadway, to the hopes of the fashionistas wishing to have their clothing showcased at fashion week, to the tourists who cannot wait to catch a glimpse of the statue of liberty, walk on ellis island, catch a show or a game at madison square garden, mosey through central park, or to the young romantics hoping to fall in love... this city holds so much potential and possibility.
the third reason i love new york is because of all of the lights. this city is so alive.. i walked through times square the other evening well after midnight, and from my streetview, it could have been seven o'clock in the evening, it was so bright! not only that, but there were still bunches and bunches of people walking around, dodging and weaving through the crowd. "the city that never sleeps..."
the fourth reason i love new york is because of its majesty. from the countless number of songs written about this glorious city, to the dreams of young stage actors singing on broadway, to the hopes of the fashionistas wishing to have their clothing showcased at fashion week, to the tourists who cannot wait to catch a glimpse of the statue of liberty, walk on ellis island, catch a show or a game at madison square garden, mosey through central park, or to the young romantics hoping to fall in love... this city holds so much potential and possibility.
Friday, August 14, 2009
why i love new york, part one.
The first reason why I love new york is because of its layout. What are you talking about, ashley? you ask? It's simple! I love that new york is built on a grid system and that the streets are numbered. This trait seems obvious and unimportant, but believe me, numbers are phenomenal. Between Boston and San Francisco, both of which are incredible cities too, the street names give no sense of direction or position unless a person has previous knowledge of the city and its layout. Numbers, on the other hand, make it simple for everyone!
For instance, if you're in manhattan and you find yourself on the corner of 27th and 5th yet you're supposed to be at 14th and 6th, you know immediately that you're 13 blocks up and 1 block over from where you need to be; however, if you're in boston on the corner of newbury and mass ave, yet you're supposed to be on boylston and mass ave, how are you supposed to know which direction to head in order to be where you need to be? You may not know that the two streets are just a block away from each other, and the panic attack you experience while believing you are lost in boston is entirely unnecessary.
(I may not be very good at math, but I've always loved numbers, looked for patterns and relationships between them.. Nerd alert, I know, but I can't help it!) It's so easy to navigate and nearly impossible to get lost here. For someone who's brand new to such a big place, not once have I walked down the streets of manhattan and felt invisible or overwhelmed by the city's enormity. New York just makes sense!
For instance, if you're in manhattan and you find yourself on the corner of 27th and 5th yet you're supposed to be at 14th and 6th, you know immediately that you're 13 blocks up and 1 block over from where you need to be; however, if you're in boston on the corner of newbury and mass ave, yet you're supposed to be on boylston and mass ave, how are you supposed to know which direction to head in order to be where you need to be? You may not know that the two streets are just a block away from each other, and the panic attack you experience while believing you are lost in boston is entirely unnecessary.
(I may not be very good at math, but I've always loved numbers, looked for patterns and relationships between them.. Nerd alert, I know, but I can't help it!) It's so easy to navigate and nearly impossible to get lost here. For someone who's brand new to such a big place, not once have I walked down the streets of manhattan and felt invisible or overwhelmed by the city's enormity. New York just makes sense!
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