How's this for a send off?!
After a 3 week run of intense activity of moving out of my apartment (what a job THAT was!), AND prepping for shows, I've had to switch gears immediately into prepping for travel. I was running around today doing last bits before heading to the airport, which included of course a completion of a creative jaunt... I had to document images of a wheat paste session I did on a side street with my buds last night.
I still had to turn in my cable box and close out my account. Yup...just a couple hours before leaving the country. I was online at Time Warner on 96th + Broadway with a ticket number that was sure to take at least 30 minutes to come up on the screen. I took a chance by jumping on a bus heading over to the East side - the opposite side of town - to the little side street where we pasted up our prints.
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While rushing to archive our handy wheatpasting work, I thought, "maybe I should catch a cab back across on the main avenue to save on time or I may not make it...". Within moments of this boggle, this man walks by...looking at me casually
yet quite intently.
As he passed in front of my camera he asked, "Do you need a cab?" and gestures towards his yellow. I immediately said yes and acknowledged internally the fortuitous timing and his seeming ability to read my mind!
Now understand people - this NEVER happens in New York city. Not with yellow cabs at least. Maybe Livery cabs (the black town cars that recently turned that god aweful lime green) once in a while, but not yellows.
Anyway, he was double parked so we had to jet.
It was a completely silent and peaceful ride to the other side of town.
As I was getting out he calmly turned to the back and a pro po of nothing he said,
"You are being watched closely right now....by your grandmother... Yes," he paused to confirm, "... not by your uncles or your cousin who are helping you, but by your grandmother. You are on the right path. It's not going to be easy, but it will be good. Very good work. You will be fine, and you will do just fine."
After a 3 week run of intense activity of moving out of my apartment (what a job THAT was!), AND prepping for shows, I've had to switch gears immediately into prepping for travel. I was running around today doing last bits before heading to the airport, which included of course a completion of a creative jaunt... I had to document images of a wheat paste session I did on a side street with my buds last night.
I still had to turn in my cable box and close out my account. Yup...just a couple hours before leaving the country. I was online at Time Warner on 96th + Broadway with a ticket number that was sure to take at least 30 minutes to come up on the screen. I took a chance by jumping on a bus heading over to the East side - the opposite side of town - to the little side street where we pasted up our prints.
.jpg)
.jpg)
While rushing to archive our handy wheatpasting work, I thought, "maybe I should catch a cab back across on the main avenue to save on time or I may not make it...". Within moments of this boggle, this man walks by...looking at me casually
yet quite intently. As he passed in front of my camera he asked, "Do you need a cab?" and gestures towards his yellow. I immediately said yes and acknowledged internally the fortuitous timing and his seeming ability to read my mind!
Now understand people - this NEVER happens in New York city. Not with yellow cabs at least. Maybe Livery cabs (the black town cars that recently turned that god aweful lime green) once in a while, but not yellows.
Anyway, he was double parked so we had to jet.
It was a completely silent and peaceful ride to the other side of town.
As I was getting out he calmly turned to the back and a pro po of nothing he said,
"You are being watched closely right now....by your grandmother... Yes," he paused to confirm, "... not by your uncles or your cousin who are helping you, but by your grandmother. You are on the right path. It's not going to be easy, but it will be good. Very good work. You will be fine, and you will do just fine."
Needless to say I sat there shocked, my jaw dropped...just staring at him...blinking blankly. He was looking at me calmly chewing at his toothpick with a knowing smile only detectable in his eyes. I began to say "If you knew the momen...", and he cut me off saying, "I know the moment. It is a very good and meaningful moment. You will be fine African daughter."
I balked again but quickly composed myself to ask his name. "Malik from Mali" he said. "Berette from Sierra Leone" I said, "and thank you Malik for that." We took each other's hand, we smiled, locked one more momentary gaze and then off I went.
I ran across the street into the Time Warner praying I didn't just screw myself with the timing. The counter was at #233 and my number was #234.
I went up to the counter ready to pay my final bill, and was told, "You never cashed in on our promotion before canceling your account, so we owe you money. The credit will be sent in the mail."
What?!! lol
And...when I got to the airport just now, the seeming major issue I had with Air Berlin and their baggage handling fee that I'd griped about just days before on was all cleared up without a hitch. And I found a new hippie friend from behind the counter to boot!
Wow. That's what you call Bon Voyage Bless Ups - wouldn't you say?!
Floored. Grateful. Smiling. Ready.
I balked again but quickly composed myself to ask his name. "Malik from Mali" he said. "Berette from Sierra Leone" I said, "and thank you Malik for that." We took each other's hand, we smiled, locked one more momentary gaze and then off I went.
I ran across the street into the Time Warner praying I didn't just screw myself with the timing. The counter was at #233 and my number was #234.
I went up to the counter ready to pay my final bill, and was told, "You never cashed in on our promotion before canceling your account, so we owe you money. The credit will be sent in the mail."
What?!! lol
And...when I got to the airport just now, the seeming major issue I had with Air Berlin and their baggage handling fee that I'd griped about just days before on was all cleared up without a hitch. And I found a new hippie friend from behind the counter to boot!
Wow. That's what you call Bon Voyage Bless Ups - wouldn't you say?!
Floored. Grateful. Smiling. Ready.
