Tatiana

Wednesday night I met Tatiana. Let me begin my saying...I love her hair. How could I not?!? It makes me think of this. : )

Put simply, I think Tatiana is a cool girl. She is a graphic designer from Berlin, spending two months in New York because...she wants to. Funny, I happen to have another friend, an artist from New York, who moved to Berlin because...she wanted to. Small world, isn't it?

Tatiana's favorite food is a spicy tuna sushi roll, and her favorite film is High Art (which I have never seen, but, after seeing the ImDb description, think I would kind of like to!)

Her favorite thing about New York is the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Love it. : )

And her message to the world?

"Eat more vegetables."

Tatiana, I like you. I am overusing the smiley face in this post, and I don't even care, because, let there be no doubt, you made me smile. : )

Sabrina, Whitney and Veronica

FOR MY SISTER JAIMEE : )

Right after I met Olufemi, Veronica, Whitney and Sabrina (from left to right) got on the train. Veronica and Sabrina were having a great conversation, and I had just finished talking with Olufemi, so my first instinct was to pretty much keep to myself. But.

Then there was Whitney. And there is my sister. She has two Pomeranians, with whom I was fortunate to share an apartment with for two years of college (the sister lived there too). Her Myspace profile listed 'playing with my dogs' as a hobby last time I checked, and her bed has little stairs leading up to it so the puppies can get up without too much trouble. : )

I love her, and her dogs. And so, obviously, I couldn't let Whitney pass in and out of my life without getting a picture for my sister.

As it turned out, I'm so glad I was compelled, because Sabrina (Whitney's mom) and Veronica were lovely women to share a conversation with!

Here's their onthetwo info:

Favorite Food: Both Sabrina and Veronica said 'junk food.' More specifically, Sabrina goes for ice cream, and even more specifically specific, chocolate Carvel ice cream. (I wonder if she's seen this...) Veronica's favorite is a white frosted doughnut. However, when Entenmann's Louisiana Crunch Cake came up, both seemed to agree that was pretty much the most indulgent thing ever.

Sabrina raved about the movie Pineapple Express. She recommends watching it when you need a good laugh. Veronica went for a different kind of movie: Monster's Ball, with Halle Berry.

Their views came closer to aligning on the next question- favorite things about New York. Sabrina said her favorite thing was 'the people,' adding that she was 'just a New Yorker, born and raised.' When Veronica named 'the energy' as her favorite, Sabrina decidedly agreed.

Sabrina's message for the world:
Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior.

And Veronica's:
Peace should be expressed more.

And on an unrelated note (or is it unrelated? Wasn't it Whitney, after all, who sparked this whole lovely dialogue?!?) a final picture of Whitney, the three year old teacup pomeranian...


You just never know who you might meet on the train. : )

Olufemi

Last night I met Olufemi. And I learned Nigerian! Well, sort of: "Olufemi" is Nigerian for "God loves me." Cool, huh?

Olufemi's favorite food is homemade apple pie. To those who know me well, I am sure it comes as no surprise that apple pie immediately made me think of ice cream. Oh, ice cream. Olufemi, however, prefers to keep things simple. No ice cream. Just pie.

Her favorite movie is Last of the Mohicans, though when we talked about the one thing Olufemi wanted to say to the world, another came up- more on that in a second.

What Olufemi loves about New York is that there is always something to do, and that you don't have to drive to get there. She's also a fan of paying a flat rate for public transportation, rather than a fee based on distance traveled.

Before I pass along Olufemi's thoughts for the world, I have to mention something else. You may have noticed that the picture on this post was not taken on the subway. Here's why: Olufemi proposed something brand new for onthetwo. She liked the idea, and wanted to be on the site, but she asked if she could send me her own photo. It caught me by surprise, but I completely get it, and I think it's cool that Olufemi thinks onthetwo is a big enough deal that she wants to look good. Sweet. : ) Anyway. On the train, Olufemi gave me her card so I could send her an email to remind her to get me a photo, and although it didn't come up on the train, according to said card, she's a graphic designer. She's pretty good! Check it out: http://www.femicreativity.com/

And now...Olufemi's thoughts for the world (that's you!):

"I wish everyone would just get along!"

(quoted from another favorite movie of her's, Spike Lee's Crooklyn)

The coolest part of this for me? After I got her quote written down, Olufemi and I talked for a minute about everybody getting along. We decided talking to each other, being human, was a good first step. It's the little things, yes?

Larrin

Tuesday night I met Larrin.

Yes, L-A-R-R-I-N.  Her parents came up with the name arranging and rearranging baby blocks with letters on them...cool, huh?

Larrin is from Long Island, but now lives in Brooklyn.  It was hard to come up with a favorite food, as she is a self described "foodie," but she settled on sushi- spicy tuna roll, to be exact.  Her favorite movie is a definite classic:  An Affair to Remember.

Larrin is a freelance writer, and after talking for a while about the perks and pitfalls of this career with her, her favorite thing about New York became more meaningful to me.  It was clearly a sentiment from the mind and mouth of a writer, and a writer in New York particularly: "My favorite thing about New York..."  she pondered.  "Hmmm..."  And then in this certain matter of fact, slightly jaded, but unmistakably not bored voice: "The endless possibilities in a day..."

Larrin's thought for the world is one that is very near to my heart as well, and it never fails to make said heart dance a little when I realize that,  just as I might have suspected,  another human being has come to recognize the same truth as I.  

What she said:  "When it comes down to it, our time here is short.  Things are changing. We're going back to a simpler time and I think it's really important to make the connections with your family, with people- to find ways to connect."

: )

P.S.  Larrin:  This is the cafe I was talking about...olive, oak, fig, iris...something like that...; )

Sherry and Jim

Saturday night was completely made by my meeting Jim and Sherry.  It had been a long day, and on the ride home, the two of them caught my eye.  I sat quietly next to Sherry, and watched with delight as Jim stood, eyes sparkling, flirting with Sherry in that irresistibly charming boyish way some men have... : ) Love makes me happy.  

Anyway, when a seat across the way opened up, I went ahead and moved so that I could offer Jim the spot he was so clearly coveting.  He thanked me, and I told him I was more than happy.  A second later, I told him he could repay my favor by checking out my website, and gave him a card.  He and Sherry both promised to oblige, and I was quite impressed when I handed him the rather obtuse onthetwo.com card (All it says is : Connect.  onthetwo.com), and he said, "Oh yeah, you meet people on the subway?"

Turns out his sister had a similar idea once, so there was sort of a point of reference...but still.  Impressive.  

Anyway, let's meet Jim and Sherry-  ready?

Sherry's favorite food is seafood, particularly mussels.  Jim is a fan of Italian, specifically lasagna (Sound familiar?  See Bill's favorite below...we really ARE more alike than different...)  

Jim's favorite movie is Dune (yeah!) and Sherry's is Sordid Lives (never seen it).  Favorite things about New York are, for Sherry and Jim respectively, the food, and the networking.

And last, but certainly not least (You didn't think I would forget twice in a row, did you?!?!)

Sherry and Jim's Thoughts for the World.

Sherry thought for a while- she is very thoughtful- and then we talked for a little bit about the tendency people have to, by default, act defensive about what they think, rather than just straight forwardly and unabashedly saying how they feel.  (I think I got that right- Sherry, if you make it to the site, feel free to correct me!)  Anyway, I know I got this part right:  what Sherry wanted to tell everybody was this:  

"Just say how you feel, and don't worry so much about being politically correct.  Say it with a smile, and take out the sting, and you'll be fine."

Good thought. 

And, now as a special treat, another good thought, this one straight from the mouth of Jim- or, at least, the video of the mouth of Jim I uploaded onto my computer...whatever.

Check it out.  (And then forgive me, for running out of camera memory just as the conclusion is reached...but you get the idea, yes?!?!?)

Thanks for sharing, both of you.

And now- this one's for Sherry- I will say how I feel: The goodness of people, and the connections made in the spaces between them, continues to amaze and truly move me.  There is a lot of good out there.  Sherry and Jim, thanks for sharing yours with me. 

Bill

Friday night, I had the pleasure of meeting Brooklyn native, transplanted to Seattle and revisiting Brooklyn on business, Bill.

The lowdown on Bill:

Favorite Food: Italian, specifically lasagna

Favorite Movie: "That's a hard one...always changing..." But eventually, he decided Gladiator was a good pick

Bill said the thing he missed most about New York was the way people interact with one another, the communication style. "The bluntness and directness of it...." he explained. Having also spent my share of time on both coasts, I understood what he meant.

The great, if somewhat ironic thing was that, though I met Bill shortly after getting on the train in Manhattan, we rode together all the way to a stop quite a ways into Brooklyn, where we got off together, and ran into my roommate, also getting off the train, and together, headed up the stairs back to the world above ground- and it's a small world after all.

Even greater was that Bill and I had a wonderful discussion about one of my favorite subjects- medicine and healing, and also managed to make friends with the guy and girl sitting across from us on the train. The only downside: I was so engaged in our conversation, I completely forgot to ask Bill what the one thing he wanted to say to the world was. I'm sorry!

Bill: if you end up visiting the site, leave me/us a comment, and let us know...

Meanwhile: be well, do good...

Ryan

So I think I said before it had been too long.  In fact, I know I did (see last post- "Mickey").  And it had.  Then, and tonight.

Tonight I met Ryan.

(Actually, I first met Maximo, Puerto-Rican American singer and guitar player...but he got off the train before we had a chance to take a photo...alas.)

But then I met Ryan.  Ryan grew up in Indiana and now works as an architect in New York.  This made me laugh, as this makes him the second architect I have met on the subway in Brooklyn, and the first one has subsequently become a friend I count among my most valued.  You just never know who you might meet onthetwo, or otherwise.

Ryan's favorite food is "anything spicy," although he went on to further specify that he really prefers Indian food.  Yum.  As someone who definitely relates, I told him about one of my favorite places to eat in the city.  Mmmmmm.  His favorite movie is Motorcycle Diaries, and his favorite thing about New York is that "There's nothing you can't find here."And the one thing Ryan wants to tell the world:  "Explore."

I concur.

Now, in a brief personal remark- I'll keep it short, I promise, as this is NOT a blog about me-however, I tend to think this particular sentiment of mine might not be completely unique.  I have felt lonely- really, really lonely- in this city lately.  I continue to be amazed at just how lonely a city with this many people can feel.  And tonight, I remembered something I knew, but had forgotten, yet again.  Something so simple, and yet somehow so hard to hang on to: the simple truth that just by being human, by opening your heart a little bit, and then maybe your mouth, to say hello, life is made better. 

You might still be lonely, but in a city with this many people, you never have to be lonely alone.

I also want to offer a special shout out to the girl who watched me talk to Maximo and Ryan, and asked for an onthetwo card as she got off the train.  I didn't catch her name, but she asked for a card so she could check out the site, and it completely made my night.  If there is one thing better than connecting with people, it's connecting with people through connecting with people. ; )