2011 so far

January:

NYC-Boston-Durham-Knoxville-Birmingham-Nashville-Chicago-sleepover at O'Haire thanks to snow-Indianapolis-Columbus-28 hour greyhound ride-Dallas (siiiiiick)-LA to rest and cry for 2 days

February:

Honolulu-LA-Fillmore-San Luis Obispo-Bay Area to cry for 2 days

March:

19 hour amtrak-Portland-15 hr amtrak-Sacramento-Bay Area where my mind is breaking

soon to pass: fly "home", go to grandmother's, unplug phone for 4 days, cry; work a few jobs in Boston and NH

April:

NYC-Boston for a few days-SoCal/ San Luis Obispo- Boston for 2 days to attend pow wow and hope hope hope my friend doesn't make me dance... my spirit is breaking, my body is breaking...

I feel bad for being such a negative person and making such a negative post, but I have nothing else to write... I think I'm done talking for a while...

Hoping for the Best...

...preparing for the worst.

It's my personal approach to modeling trips, and it has served me well. Often, things go about like I expect them to. There may be a delayed connection here, a traffic snag there, but nothing too crazy. Nothing like, say, a blizzard on I-80 right where I planned on being.

Yesterday afternoon I wrapped up my last shoot in the Bay Area. From there, I planned on heading across I-80 to Salt Lake City to pick up a few more shoots on my way home. Alas, things didn't go quite as I had planned. Checking the weather on the passes revealed a line of cars inching along a solid white roadway. Yegh. Chains or 4WD were required for all vehicles, neither of which I have. Even if I did pick up chains, I was not convinced that the pass would even be open by the time that I arrived. Plan B? Detouring south through Mojave and Las Vegas, then coming back north through Utah. Ouch.

It can be tempting to schedule shoots thisclose together. Wrap up one shoot at 2, make the half hour drive to the next spot, start shooting again at 3. Finish shooting in one city in the evening, drive 8 hours to the next and be shooting again the next morning. But it's a gamble. Appointments run over. Construction and traffic can wreak havoc on estimated drive times. Flat tires, inadequate directions, and any number of variables can throw a wrench into schedules.

Fortunately for me, I make a habit of planning for those wrenches. The extra time that I scheduled in for unpredictable delays allowed me to easily cover the additional distance. I even made it to SLC in time for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, arranging a last-minute drawing session, and blogging- and I'll be refreshed and ready to go for my shoot this evening.

NYC Public Transportation for Beginners

As yo may or may not know, I primarily travel in and out of the NYC area. I live two weeks in Buffalo, two weeks in NYC. I've been doing it for roughly four years, so I would say I know NYC fairly well. The question I would say that I field the most from models on their NYC trip is "How do I get around New York?"

Many first time travelers look at the NYC transit maps with a sense of confusion and potential impending doom. When I first started going to NYC 6 or 7 years ago to visit friends, I also found the transportation system a bit intimidating. But once you learn it, it isn't too difficult.

NYC Subway
The best way to get around in NYC is via subway. You can get just about anywhere underground. I suggest using hopstop (http://www.hopstop.com) or googlemaps (http://maps.google.com/)to plan your routes. I find both services to be pretty much the same. The exception is if you are going to Staten Island and need to use the Ferry. Only hopstop acknowledges the ferry as a mode of public transportation (don't know why that is.) If you have a smartphone, I suggest you get the googlemaps app. This will make charting your course much easier if you happen to get lost. (NOTE: phones only work above ground. You do not get reception in the subway tunnels.)

Be aware that NYC is big and the burroughs can be far away. It may take you two hours (or more) depending on where you are going to get from Queens to Brooklyn, so make sure you plan your schedule with enough time. Subway fare is $2.25 with free transfers, but the metrocard machines offer deals depending on how much you put on it ie: a $20 metrocard you get a $1.40 bonus. If you run out of money on your card you can recharge it at any machine.

Depending on how long you stay, you may want to consider an unlimted metro card. If you are staying a week to two weeks and plan to travel a lot, this is probably the best value for your money. I usually but a 2-week metro which costs about $55. A 1-week metro is about $27 if I remember correctly.

There are three major hubs in NYC-- Grand Central, Times SQ and Penn Station. If you even get lost, you can go to one of these big spots and chances you can either find the train you need or find a train that will connect to the one you need. If you have any doubts, these three major hubs have large subway maps and despite what people say about New Yorkers, everyone is pretty helpful and friendly.

Here is another quick tip about the subways- if you take the "number trains" (1,2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) trains keep in mind that on the uptown train the numbers go up and the downtown train the numbers will go down. The only one of the number trains that does not follow this rule is the 7. It is a cross-town train which goes from Manhattan to Queens. The numbers go down from Manhattan then back up again when you hit Queens.


LIRR & MetroNorth
Depending on who books you and where, you may have to use the Metronorth or the Long Island Railroad (LIRR.) The LIRR goes through the suburban parts of Queens and Brooklyn. MetroNorth travels into Connecticut and about an hour or two "upstate". Unfortunately, your metrocard will not work here and you will have to buy a ticket. The prices aren't horrible, usually no more than $20 round trip if you are going out really far. Buy your ticket in advance from a machine to save money. They jack to prices up if you by them on the train. Although you can get the LIRR and MetroNorth at different locations, the easiest places if there is not a stop near you are the big hubs; Penn Station for the LIRR and Grand Central for the Metro North.

New Jersey
Another place you may travel is into New Jersey. If the place in NJ it is relatively close to New York City, you can get to it using the PATH train. The big Path Station is by World Trade. One end of the PATH goes to Hoboken and the other end goes to Newark. The big transfer hub on the PATH os Journal Square. You can use your Metrocard on the PATH, however it must be a pay-per-ride. Otherwise, you can buy a PATH ticket for $1.75.

The other way to get from NYC to NJ is NJTransit. This is like an Amtrak that runs from NYC to NJ and goes to more places than the PATH. It is a bit more expensive, probably comparable to taking the LIRR or MetroNorth. You will need to use this if your destination is father than the PATH will take you.

In Closing
There are other methods of transportation depending on where you are going, shuttle buses, Ferries, etc. but generally the photographer will let you know if he or she is in a location that requires a special mode of transportation. If you are confused, ask him or her. Most people know how to get to their home or studio from Penn Station or Grand Central. If you are relying on public transportation to get around, make sure the photographer knows this ahead of time. It may affect the travel instructions he or she gives you.

Even if you master NYC travel, you may still get lost. Don't worry, everyone gets lost in New York sometimes. I still get lost. If it happens, don't panic. In most cases, as long as you are in touch with the photographer and let him or her know what is going on, they are usually pretty understanding.

I hope this helps you get around NYC.



Picture of me, taken by Keith Broadhurst

Kindred Spirits in an Alien Nation

Sometimes, once in a great while, the energy that comprises me seeks out and is aligned with energy from outside of me.

Words are superfluous.

Maybe through shaving my head I hope to accomplish some sort of anonymity, some sort of escape from what others generally perceive me as. To start anew. To be born again.

Those on my wavelength with persist; those who clash with me will disappear from my immediate train of thought, and I from theirs.

I belong to an Alien Nation.

I no longer believe in coincidence.

I have not known how to word my next post, what to include, what to omit.

Instead, I will pose an open-ended question: What do we fill our lives with, and why?

On the way from Los Angeles to San Francisco recently, I answered a craigslist ad. Since my smartphone is really a dumbphone, I had to handwrite the craigslist encoded email on paper, then hand-enter it into an email on my phone's browser. The person who posted the ad was an amateur sketch artist on the Peninsula, and we worked out that we would not exchange money, but rather I could stay with him for a week or so and I could sit for him when we were both free, and for a group he hosted on the weekend.

I can't describe why I felt compelled to answer this ad, or why he felt so compelled to respond; I had begun to feel like a hired object and needed to come down to earth, I guess was one motivating factor. I can't put words to the kindness he showed; he was respectful of my needs and space, cooked 3 meals a day when I was not working, drove me to the train when I was. He, one of his friends who attended the sketch group, and I had a very long conversation about life, and the things we go through. For some reason, I felt compelled to draw that day; I haven't drawn seriously in years.

The Universe gives us what we need in order to grow; sometimes, we have to go through challenges and what we may view as hardships. If we don't learn our lesson then, the Universe is patient, and the lesson will come in another form later. Our only job is to be ourselves; to really know our wants, desires, and purpose, in order to be a positive part of the world around us. If we do something untrue to ourselves, we surround ourselves with falsities- fake friends, a job we're unhappy with, a lover we don't really love.

This new friend ended up being the first person I saw when I found out my estranged father was diagnosed and in treatment for cancer. He was picking me up to get to another informal sketch group, and I decided that I needed to go. I felt compelled to draw that day.

I have gone through a few emotional breakdowns over the past few days, and a frantic call to my mother, saying I wish I could be there to take care of her, my grandparents, brother, and sister. I feel selfish. removed, and like I'm not a vital member of the family. Luckily, my mother echoed what I had heard a few days before- our only job in life is to be ourselves. I feel like I am on the right route; but, I think it would also be right to modify my life for a few months to be able to be an active member of the family again and still work as a traveling model. I have found a few places in Boston that would be potentially interested in using me as a life model in the Spring and Summer of '11, as well as a few artists in Boston and NYC.

As I type now, I am planning the next few months of traveling, comparing and contrasting Greyhound, Amtrak, and American Airlines. I have a complex system of formulas to deduce which days are best to travel by what mode. But, more importantly, I know where I want to be going. I do not believe I am the best model, the prettiest/ smartest/ whatever. I simply love what I do, know what I have to offer, and know what I want from those around me.

I can't describe how I feel; my father and I have never been close, especially not in the last few years. I had wanted someone that he could never be as a father; he had demonstrated that I was not what he wanted in a daughter. It was easiest to live separate of each other. But what now? The treatments should work, but it is still a shock to realize that we are all human, and only here for a limited time. We should not hold grudges, or do things that displease us just because it is an easier way to live.

In the end, what do we fill our lives with, and why?

A Different Experience

Frequent travel can have its downsides- anything from a sore back from sleeping in your car to missing out on time with family. And while I've certainly had my fair share of restless nights curled up in the hatch of my car, my lifestyle as a traveling model has allowed me to see much more of my family than I did prior.

I've never been good at selecting exceptionally profitable jobs. Before working as an art model, I worked in a low-cost veterinary clinic. Not surprisingly, low-cost clinics don't pay their employees especially well. I lived across the country from my family, and visits were exceptionally rare. Even when family members came to visit, I generally was working at least a few of the days that they were in town. I simply couldn't afford to take that much time off of work- nevermind the prohibitive cost if I wanted to fly out to Indiana to visit them. We used e-mail and phone to stay in touch, but I had relatively little face-time with my family.

A schedule with infinite flexibility and frequent travel changes things. I'm now able to visit my family in Indiana a couple of times a year. My father and I have been able to resume our ongoing Scrabble competition. My mother has gotten to know her granddog, Jitterbug. Were it not for the trajectory my life has taken, I would still only be seeing my next of kin once a year, if even that often.

I'm lucky. I know that. I'm thankful for my time on the road- it keeps things interesting, but it also keeps me close to family.

Family

These are pictures taken at my grandparents' 50th anniversary I was unable to attend:


Family is a very important thing for me. I don't see them enough. I spent two days with my grandparents this past week, which I haven't been able to do since the spring.

My grandmother and I talked about whether I was safe when I was traveling, whether I was enjoying the work I was doing. I said yes, but it comes with a huge cost.

Right now I'm working on getting more established with regular work, so that I can find a home base again, or just afford to spend more time with my family.

You should never live to work; work should enable you to live.