Skylines, Subways and Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 3, 2010

An Entry Dedicated to The Hopeless, The Hungry & The Hopeful

(New York, NY) — It’s one of those days in the City where the most appropriate thing you can do is wrap yourself in a white goose down duvet cover, sip orange juice and obsessively check your Facebook. It’s ice cold outside and watching people walk by with their heads down (to block it from the wind), layered jackets, thick scarves and heavy boots all contribute to my decision of staying in. I’m sitting by my window, barely being able to type on my laptop since the majority of my arms are immersed in my duvet cover. Despite the difficulty, I’m sure I can bang out a new entry considering how I successfully typed one out last week while holding a popsicle in my left hand.

Situations and conversations this week have reignited in me the drive to pursue happiness in my career and in my friendships. I know in every entry I discuss the copious amount of emails I send out every day asking for an interview/job/freelance/internship, and the sporadic bursts of inspiration I get from people and/or things that keep me staying positive, courageous and driven. At times I feel completely hopeless and at times I feel completely driven. There’s an intense vacillation in my emotions when doing the job search thing. I realize the redundancies in my blog at times, but I must make it clear that this is what New York is like. I’m wanting to project to you the struggle and the hustle it takes just to get through a day (which may I say that for every one day in NYC it equals to about 6 days in Texas…like, FOR REAL)

I came here thinking that with my personality and flair, I would own the City, buy the franchise, and sell its entire stock within a weeks time.  This is not the case; apparently, you’re supposed to work hard and put in long hours to get what you want. Everyone wants to do what I want to do. Everyone wants to do what you want to do. There’s competition and opposition everywhere in New York City and in the world in general. At the end of the day I, and you, have to let go of what you can’t control (the competitors and the competition), and maintain control with what you can( your end result): getting out there and taking what’s yours.

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

-said the Jesus of the Macbook Pro, Steve Jobs, after giving a speech stressing the importance of staying driven, humble and to never give up the primitive hunger you have of pursuing your dream.

# MINI-NEWS ALERT! This week has been so comforting because A) I MADE NEW FRANZZZ B) one of two of my favorite bosses came up here on business and met up with me in NYC and C) I got to eat a FULL FLEDGED meal at a restaurant thanks to my little boss D) my good friend (whose drag name alias will remain undisclosed until the perfect one comes to mind) and I are beginning to mend our recent disconnection and E) my boo boo Slash did a surprise performance on the Grammys!

Earlier this week, I was walking through W25th and Broadway trying to walk like a fast New Yorker and act like I knew what I was doing. In the midst of my catwalk, I was impetuously stopped on the concrete runway by a rugged, short and round Latino that reminded me of my Uncle Anonymous- after a few too many drinks at my cousins Quincenera. He decided to be a gentlemen and compliment my hair:

“Awww, SHIT girrrrrl WHATCHU’ GOT UP IN THAT HAIR! CAN UH’ FEEL IT?!” I take it the Texas-teased hair hasn’t quite caught on yet…

To understand the wonderful time I had with my old boss you must comprehend that 1/2 of the Fave Bosses Duo is ex-boss exhibit A) DeedJra (dee-druh’) Clairestotle ( a name all too appropriate for an ex-boss that became a second mother to me and gives advice so PROFOUND that it rivals that of Aristotle. The classic, eloquent decorum of a princess but has the constant hunger of a pauper. SEE ALSO: the “Wild Excursions of Deedjra Clairestotle and Erika” in the kitchen scarving down- ALL BUT NOT LIMITED TO: mexican food, fries, desserts, wraps, black beans, tamales, guacamole, salads, veggie patties, the EARTH- pg.63, Played her role as D.J. at the office every other day spinning records of Mika, Journey, Chester French, The 88, Queen, WHAM!, and cheesy Christmas songs.) has been keeping in touch with me and managed to send me a little gorgeous, dark rock-n-roll angel with pretty lashes to stop by and visit me in NYC. This dark angel of the world, completes the other half of the Fave Bosses Duo and her name is Anna Riot (SEE: the Anna Wintour of Rock’n’Roll in Texas. Glamorous enough to allure you and dangerously dark enough to keep you. She IS the edgy, she IS the class. Not one to mend hearts but is one to break a few. Fiercely independent with a heart of gold. SEE ALSO: pg 23 index IX: Isn’t one to be a diplomat but is one to condone anarchic behavior.  and riots? I’m 99% sure she’s guilty of igniting a few…)

Anna Riot and I had dinner with Smile Smile, one of her many clients: a current acoustic-pop band that you would enjoy, and I will tell you that the dinner WAS MUCH NEEDED. Not only for survival purposes, since I haven’t had the luxury of eating a full course glamourous meal, but for emotional stability and positive purposes as well. It was therapeutic, cathartic and exhilarating to see and speak with her. It reminded me of talking to my parents, my best friends and my mentors all in one. Her and Deedjra Clairestotle have been through it all with me and to see Anna Riot inspired me to make not only myself proud, but to remain driven and focused to make my family, friends and them proud and/or prouder of me.

DOLLAH’ DOLLAH’ BILL YALL. CONFESSION: Due to my lack of monetary funds, I don’t have cable or a TV SOOOO I sorta, kinda, in a way,  saw the Grammy’s on Skype with Sinatra SKYY. This poor little soul stopped what he was doing to turn on his TV, log into Skype and situate his laptop in front his TV so that I could watch the Grammy’s and wait with intense anticipation for my IDOL- Slash to perform. If this isn’t a STELLAR friend…I really don’t know what is. While watching Bon Jovi perform on the Grammy’s:

SINATRA SKYY: “Ummm are we listening to 99.5 The Wolf?”

ME: “BeeArrBee. I need to put my 80s hairmetal wig on…NOW”

SINATRA SKYY:” Girl, you already got more hair than all the 80s bands put together.”

# BREAKING NEWS -“SOUTHERN BELLE ENGAGES IN CIRQUE DE SOLEIL MOVES TO STAND UP FOR GAY FRIENDS’ RIGHTS”—

I explored Columbus Circle and the Lincoln Center on W64th a couple days ago because I volunteered and participated in the NOH8 Campaign Photoshoot. The wind was freezing but I have never been so enamored by lights IN MY LIFE. Walking towards the Empire Hotel, where they had the shoot, I was thinking to myself how much money the mayor must pay every month for NYC’s electricity bill. Along the streets of W64th are trees adorned with sky-blue colored light bulbs. You walk down and the sharp wind hits you and forces you to look up at the gorgeous placement of skyblue glitter that is meticulously placed on each limb of every tree.

New York has a way of doing that. One minute you are walking down a filthy avenue permeated with the smell of death and rotten tomatoes and then you turn the next avenue and you see the most incredible vision of lights streamed across buildings, enormous trees and streets.

To get to the point, the photo shoot was fun. First thing, while I was about to take my picture it was sprung on me, that I had to pay $40.  I dont have liquid cash like that to shell out, but then I thought… all of my greatest friends are gay. RuPaul is gay and somewhere, somehow I’m probably donating scholarship money to some little gay boy aspiring to go to college. This was my rationality of the situation. So with a smile on my face and a cute “HERE YA GO!”, I paid. I will say that I am incredibly concerned of how my picture will turn out. I had practiced for a good 45 minutes to an hour on my poses and was ready to strike them as soon as the camera turned towards me. So I was ready.

What I wasn’t ready for was how as soon as I stepped in front of the camera the photographer had his own idea of how I should pose. He wanted me, to like, turn to the side and flip my opposing arm behind my head throwing the peace sign and then the opposite hand to do the “shh” pose, all while trying to “smize” (Tyra defines it as smiling with your eyes). If I knew I was going to be doing intense acrobatics and Cirque De Soleil with my limbs I wouldn’t have even bothered practicing my facial poses in my bathroom. My desperate need to rebuttal his posing suggestions was a complete failure seeing as to how I couldn’t speak. It’s tradition that in every shoot the model is supposed to wear a piece of duct tape over his or her’s mouth as a sign of silent protest. WELL, having this discouraging strip of silence on my mouth took one cup of fierceness, two quartz of cuteness and added 3 pints of insecurity to my photo shoot.  I spoke to my friend who did it in the past and he said that the photographer is brilliant and is known for taking great pictures. I see the final picture in about 5 weeks so until then, lets just hope I killed it and hope it didnt kill me.

This week as I continue my job/internship search I will also pitch my blog to New York Magazine and a couple other magazines and newspapers just to see if anything happens. Even more exciting, RuPaul will be doing a book signing at the Borders on W63rd this Friday!!!!!!!usbefiysdbg6w4t!!! YOU! DONT! EVEN! KNOW! HOW! EXCITED! I! AM! I also think that when I meet the Queen of the Glitterati- RuPaul, I am going to hand her a piece of paper with my blog on it and say to her, “I adore you and you are the reason why I look cute sometimes and you drive me to want to kill it in this world and conquer it alllllll. you should also read my blog because I write about you all the time and I know you will love it. ok thank you. love you. nice to meet you!” ::::FLASH FLASH PHOTO PHOTO POSE POSE SASH-SHAY SHAN-TAY POSE::::: WALK.

let us all bring the heat this week. let us all bring it in some way or another.

Putting the Stiletto to the Medal in NYC,

-erika

listening to: some asian man yelling in the hallway and “Float On” a Modest Mouse Cover by Ben Lee.

feeling: hungry, tired and I have to pee.

missing: my mom’s huevos rancheros, hot chocolate and whole wheat flour tortillas on a cold morning

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