Love Survives, So We Can Rock Forever

I’ve written this before, but many times when people will ask how many kids are in my family, it feels like a lie to say “three”. Yes, technically I did grow up in a family with three kids, but we’re so loud it seems like more. Not only do we each have our own ticks (my Irish dancing and Conor’s drumming on any hard surface, Brighid’s piano playing, etc.), but we’re also all huge music lovers. Unfortunately we’re all extremely different as well, so at any given moment growing up you could hear big band coming from one room, reggaeton from downstairs, singer-songwriter from another corner, mariachi from the bathroom, and disco from the kitchen. It was, at times, enough to drive everyone absolutely crazy . . . can you imagine the fights in the car? Even though music (what kind, which artist, volume level, etc.) led to many disagreements, I think that Motown is something that everyone could agree on.

I remember my brother and I listening to “The Big Chill” soundtrack over and over again, singing “Tell Him” by The Exciters and thinking we were so funny. I remember my brother and sister dancing to “Heat Wave” and “My Guy”. These were songs that my parents obviously introduced to us, and even though that was the case, they never seemed uncool. I was never embarrassed to admit that, “yeah, The Temptations are really, really good”, unlike some of my parents other musical inclinations, say, Cat Stevens or even Joni Mitchell.

And I think Michael Jackson was the best representation of this phenomenon.

Probably like many people, I didn’t really think about how much I like Michael Jackson’s music until yesterday. When I heard he died, I automatically wanted to listen to “I’ll Be There”, and I just kept thinking of songs and what they meant to me and their memories. Something as stupid as “I had to sing ‘Heal the World’ with my fourth grade class in the talent show!”, “Oh my god, I was so proud of myself because I learned how to play ‘Will You Be There’ by ear on the piano”, and “I remember watching the world premier of this video (Black or White) with my family after The Simpsons and thinking it was the coolest thing ever!” Those are my personal memories, but it was also just so common to walk into my house and find my sister singing “Ben” or my brother playing “Butterflies” – and what was Christmas in our house without “Give Love on Christmas Day”?

It’s just really unbelievable to think that an artist who was insanely popular when my parents were teenagers would even still be able to be relevant to me and my siblings. And not just relevant in the sense that we can all agree that The Temptations made great music – relevant as in still being the King of Pop. That being said, I grew up in the early-mid 90s, and making fun of Michael Jackson was definitely the most hilarious thing a kid on the playground could do.

I don’t think it’s funny anymore, and I don’t think I really ever will again. People can remember him for his faults and his demons, but I choose to focus on his soul, his genius, and the music that really is one of the few things that can bring me and my siblings together in full agreement. When I heard he died, I immediately sent them text messages. I guess that even though I thought his death was sad and tragic, my instinct was to feel sad for us, for that weird, unspoken bond that resonated through boom boxes and computer speakers for so many years. Shamone.

Michael Jackson - New Music - More Music Videos

Why NY?

When I started telling people that John and I were moving to New York, people weren’t really worried about holding back their feelings. Most were excited, many were “jealous” as they regretted not giving the city a try when they were young, and several were confused. “Um, yeah, not sure if you’re aware, but there’s, like, this economic crisis going on, one that’s sort of festering in, um, NEW YORK”. Fair enough. When John started school two years ago, there was a sort of mutual understanding that when he finished we’d leave DC. We weren’t exactly sure where, but we were so ready for something new that at the time it didn’t really matter. London, Munich, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Miami, and yes, New York, were all among the options that we discussed. And shockingly, New York just won out job-wise (ok ok yes, for John, not for me, get off my back I’m working on it).

When John was offered a job that required this relocation, it was basically a no-brainer. Not only did the timing happen to be right, but since we were and are contemplating leaving the US at some point for some period of time, we agreed that you can’t really live on the East coast and be “done” with the US until you give New York a shot. We knew that if we didn’t try it now, there was a chance that we never would. Luckily, the timing just happened to work. I guess the best way to sum up what appears to be going on in the city right now is “nice work if you can get it”. Rents are down about 30% from last year, and so if you have a job, you’re probably able to enjoy this place a lot more than you were last year - a perfect shot and at least a one-year stint in the Big Apple.

In fact, when looking for apartments we actually had the luxury of being picky. I had the old “search the obituaries” notion about New York real estate, but that’s not how we found the current market. Nice, but when you’re both grossly picky and obscenely indecisive, you’re looking at spending every weekend for a month traveling (by bus) to New York. Yeah. In the end it was worth it and we shouldn’t complain; we found a great place that is bigger than what we had in Clarendon in a really nice, convenient neighborhood.

So that’s the general, bare-bones version of the how and why so now we can get on to the fun stuff! Like the fact that New York is absolutely bursting with delicious food to eat, pictures of the new place, and hopefully the end to all of this horrible, horrible rain!

But to answer some of your questions: no, I don’t have a job yet; yes, it seems that I have altered my life to suit my boyfriend’s; no, we’re not getting married. You know what? Shut up. I’m happy and you’re jealous. Kiss!

Yes, as a matter of fact I WOULD like to be a part of it.

Kon-Tiki is the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian Islands. Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in pre-Columbian times. His aim in mounting the Kon-Tiki expedition was to show, by using only the materials and technologies available to those people at the time, that there were no technical reasons to prevent them from having done so -Wikipedia

Like Thor Heyerdahl, I like adventures, and like the Kon-Tiki, I’ve set sail on one. Welcome aboard the Kon-Kiki! All together now: awww! Eye roll.

Look at me, I have a new blog! Friends will not be surprised – this is what, the third or fourth attempt? Each attempt was in earnest – I really, really meant to update more often - but things happened and . . . whatever. My first blog was a genuine personal blog, covering anything that came to my small head. The second focused on my traveling and inevitably the election, and when that ended it sort of fizzled as well. This one is to keep friends and family updated on the goings-on with my big move to New York. I’ve only been here a week but there is A LOT to talk about. Finding an apartment craziness, moving madness, and living without a garbage disposal just to name a few.

Anyway, since the past several years have been full of great adventures I’ve had a lot to talk about . . . but I’ve also always had the comforting notion that I’ll be heading home soon, filling out that little card and claiming that I’ve purchased some stupid yet priceless item, promising that I haven’t come into contact with any goats or am concealing a kumquat in my purse, etc. -- but this time there isn’t any homeland security guy welcoming me home, because evidently I’m already there. This is a notion that hasn’t really sunk in as of yet - that I actually live in Manhattan, I’m not just here for a weekend trip, and oh right, this IS the same bed that was in Arlington and oh, I guess we DO need to buy paper towels. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a moment where it hits me, or if John and I will just naturally assimilate to New York life, but I suppose that’s what this blog is about: excitement, discoveries, and potential meltdowns. Like a miniature version of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Well, you know, without the kids and free stuff and abuse and 23-year old girlfriends and cameras. But other than that . . .

The point is, I really hope to keep you updated and entertained, so bug me if I don’t write often enough. If you’re new here, I really, really like ellipses and the capitalization of random words. I’m sarcastic and have a very dry sense of humor that doesn’t always work well in type, but believe me, I am very funny. If you don’t understand something, it was probably a hilarious joke, so just laugh and move on. I bake cookies. I like warm weather and taking pictures. I have a phobia of looking like a tourist. I dare anyone in New York to heckle me for wearing my Orioles hat. I’m good at Sudoku. I hope to befriend Sarah Jessica Parker.