nouvella

Saturday

#THE SMUDGE

I realized just exactly how uncultured I was two Wednesdays ago when I was walking from Lincoln Center down back to my apartment on 53rd. I first passed by a young woman in her 20s with a smudge mark on her forehead. She was holding her boyfriend's hand and I thought, "What a jerk! The dude's not even telling her she has a smudge!"

Then I proceeded to walk down 9th avenue a couple more blocks when I saw another young woman with a smudge too. Both women were in sneakers so I thought, hmm maybe it's part of some sorority event because I was just passing Fordham University. Yeah, that's it...a field event of some sort! Maybe like a scavenger hunt and part of it was to mark your head. Content with this conclusion, I continued my walk.

However, this theory was proven wrong about a block later when I noticed an older woman with a smudge mark that looked like a cross on her forehead...then I saw a man with it. Then three more people with it. Suddenly the marks were everywhere and I couldn't figure out what was happening! I wanted to stop someone and say "Excuse me, what does that mean?!" I didnt though because around the same time I was contemplating approaching someone, I came upon some large trailers parked on the side of 9th Avenue.

Ohhhhh it must be part of some type of tv filming...reality show where they see how people react to these marks! Like a..."would you tell someone if they had food in their teeth" type of deal or would you ignore it.

With this second theory in place, I didn't question the following flood of people approaching rapidly with smudge marks anymore. So I'm still walking and really happy I figured out the whole mystery when I reach like 58 street or something. I stop dead in my tracks.

To my right, I see a church billboard with the words ASH WEDNESDAY.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Monday

#2012 RESOLUTIONS

2012 will be fabulous. I have decided this is the year I will be reckless and take risks. I don't want to be safe and afraid of what people think anymore. I wanna be that girl I used be three years ago. Happy.

2010:
Walked in a fashion show for LA Fashion Week
Traveled to Vietnam (twice!)
Quit my job and moved to New York

2011:
New apartment
Independence
New friends
Attended DVF show at NYFW

2012:
Learn to play the guitar
Speak French conversationally
Run a 5K race
Lots of dating!

Sunday

FINDING YOUR LIMITS//

I'm awful sometimes. And in the end, it all turns out the same. I'm alone again.

It's a beautiful weekend so I arm myself with a book, a mind full of questions and head over to Central Park. I walk down the lengths of the park a bit until I find a nice patch of shade underneath a gigantic tree. It's next to a small walking path that not many people venture down. I know I'll be safe in my thoughts. Falling down to both knees, I smooth out the grass and lay down against the cool soil. I'm lost. I'm confused. I'm utterly heartbroken and there's no one to talk to.

After a couple hours, I eventually pick up the fallen pieces of my soul and trudge back to the apartment.